Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible III
landed with a thud earlier this year in cineplexes, dragging around all the
baggage of the suddenly controversial superstar at its center. It
seems the movie could not have possibly survived the circus
atmosphere suddenly radiating from Tom Cruise; the Scientology rants, the TomKat baby, the diagnoses of Brooke Shields, the jumping around on Oprah's
couch. In fact, all of these PR gaffes were box office poison for this
film and led directly to Cruise's professional divorce from long-time studio
Paramount.
Months later, with the
movie being released on DVD, it seems a good time to reevaluate the film
itself without all of the distractions. The truth is, it is a shame
that MI:3 was saddled with these problems, because truth is, it is
the best film in this uneven franchise. Brian DePalma's original film was too
clinical, cold and confusing, while John Woo's sequel had the exact opposite
problem, it was too frenetic and valued style over substance. While
the latest film, helmed by TV producer JJ Abrams (Lost, Alias), is
not perfect, it does capture the audience much more efficiently than its
predecessors.
Perhaps it is because this
film has a human pulse mixed in with the exploding bridges and death fights.
Cruise's superhero Ethan Hunt is working here to save his love as well as
his country.
As the movie starts, Hunt
has retired from the field and happily taken a job at home as an instructor.
He is in love with a civilian (Michelle Monaghan) and planning to get
married.
The problems of his old
life rear their heads when an old student (played by Keri Russell, the star
of Abrams' breakthrough series Felicity) is kidnapped by a European
arms dealer (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). When the rescue doesn't come
down quite the way that was planned, Ethan is placed in the middle of
feuding officials in his agency, played by Laurence Fishbourne and Billy
Crudup. (Is it my imagination, or is the normally extremely handsome
Crudup being significantly glammed down here so that he doesn't show up his
star?)
Phillip Seymour Hoffman is
just fine as the evil criminal at the center of the investigation -- but the
actor is a little wasted following up his Oscar-winning performance
in Capote. He seems suitably evil and ruthless, but it's a role
that almost anyone could have played. As a prisoner, he threatens that
he will find, torture and kill Hunt's wife or girlfriend, so when he is
dramatically freed from captivity and the fiancée disappears, Hunt vows to
do all in his power to save her.
This leads to sort of
typical spy hijinks; exotic lands, computer chips, lots of firefights and
showdowns. Mission: Impossible III does them all with style,
though. (10/06)
Dave
Strohler
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PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved.
Posted: October 22, 2006.
