Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9907 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-06
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 125 minutes

Synopsis
J.J. Abrams, creator of small-screen hits ALIAS and LOST, makes his feature film debut with the third installment of this successful series based on the hit 1960s television show. Secret Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has decided to take it easy and lead a somewhat normal life. He's even found his perfect woman, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), and is engaged. But when newbie agent Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell)--whom Hunt mentored--goes missing while on assignment, the reluctant agent finds himself back in business. Soon, with his old buddy Luther (Ving Rhames) in tow, along with team members Zhen (Maggie Q) and Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), Hunt is traversing the globe on the trail of Farris's captor, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an elusive international weapons dealer. The stakes increase when the villainous Davian gets a hold of Hunt's fiancee and uses her as a bargaining chip. A raucous combination of spectacular chases, explosions, amazing stunts, and elaborate schemes takes the Impossible Mission Force (IMF) team to Berlin, the Vatican, and Shanghai. With fascinating hi-tech tools these secret agents can impersonate virtually anyone, scale walls in an instant, infiltrate the tightest security system, and blow up the evidence when they're done. But facing their most formidable foe ever, Hunt and his fellow agents are fighting the clock to keep Julia alive and get Davian the mysterious weapon he is demanding. Cruise's personal involvement in the stunts lends a nice air of authenticity to Hunt, who also shows his emotional side in this outing as he juggles his secret life and his new love, as well as possible betrayal by someone inside the IMF. Laurence Fishburne also stars as IMF's Director Brassel, and Billy Crudup appears as his somewhat timid right-hand man, Musgrave.

Customer Reviews

A pleasant surprise...
...given the pseudo-macho-ego-out-of-control-fest that was the very average MI 2. As usual, it's good writing that saves the day and JJ Abrams does not let us down. True, there are some (alright, a lot) of moments which stretch credibility but hey, this isn't documentary it's CINEMA.

The charm of the first one was I suppose the intricacy of the plot and the sense of some sort of real-world grounding of the action, and whilst they don't really gun for that, there's enough intelligence to make it more than the simple 'Tom does Arnie' ethos of MI 2.

And fair play - there are some incredible moments - my heart was in my mouth when the Cruiser seems to actually leap off the top of a Chinese tower block. You know it's CGI, but it's still amazing.

Don't let MI 2 put you off, things are back on track here.

Pretty average
This 3rd instalment of the Mission Impossible films sums up exactly what is wrong with most Hollywood films today.

Lets be fair and start with the good points: The stunts and action sequences (particulary on the bridge) are breathtakingly good. The acting from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laurence Fishburns (in a small role) is very good. Cruise and the remainder of the cast are reasonable as well. There is also a lovely cameo role from Simon Pegg which is worth catching.

However on the downside there is virtually no characterisation. The script is at best average, and did I care in the least about anybody in the film (no). Stunts and explosions are great, but if thats all that the film consists of then you no longer have a film. This isn't quite that bad but if you took that out of this film you would have about 15-20 minutes left at the most.

So its worth seeing, there are some great moments, but I'd recommend renting it rather than buying as it really is a typical bloated Hollywood blockbuster.

A return to form
After the disaster which was MI2, the producers wisely dispensed with the services of Mr Woo (who after looking at his CV should have been kept well away from the second film) and achieve what is seldom achieved, a film which is better than its predecessor, although Tom Cruise reading from the phone book would have been better than Mission Impossible 2. This film has a much stronger narrative and the effects/stunts are far better. That slow-motion martial arts nonsense seen in MI2 has little or no place in a mainstream spy story and it is dispensed with in favour of much more gritty and realistic stunt work.

The film is not a classic, and it's not as good as the masterful original, but it is a worthy successor to it. It's lots of fun and leaves the viewer with a sense of enjoyment which is lacking from the second installment. Ignore the fact that the second film exists, as the producers have done by choosing not to make a single reference to it, skip from part one to part three and you'll have the makings of a great film and decent sequel.