Today’s quick review: Mission: Impossible III. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), one of the IMF’s top agents, has settled into a quiet life of semi-retirement. He has dropped field work in favor of training new agents, he has established a successful cover identity as a traffic consultant, and he is engaged to a woman he deeply loves. But when his protege at the agency is kidnapped during an undercover operation, Ethan is called in to rescue her. His mission draws him into a deadly, personal conflict with Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an arms dealer with the means to take away everything Ethan holds dear.
Mission: Impossible III is a solid action spy thriller and the third movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Directed by J.J. Abrams, Mission: Impossible III is one of the most dramatic in the series. Spy gadgets, plot twists, globe-trotting action, and a couple of big stunts provide plenty of excitement, while Davian’s ruthless deeds give the film an edge that the other entries in the series lack. Nevertheless, Mission: Impossible III begins to show signs of the humor more recent entries in the series have been known for, including the debut of technician Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and the return of Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames).
Watch Mission: Impossible III if you are a fan of the series or you are simply in the mood for a spy thriller with a nice blend of drama, comedy, and action. Your enjoyment of the film will correlate with your enjoyment of the more serious tone and Philip Seymour Hoffman as a villain. Owen Davian is an utterly despicable character, and while he lacks either the charm or the hamminess of other action villains, he makes an excellent object of hatred. Skip Mission: Impossible III if you dislike action films or are looking for something a little lighter.
6.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for solid quality that is missing some of the fun of later movies in the series.