Directed by J.J. Abrams Paramount Pictures
When he’s not couch-jumping or helping Katie Holmes
through her silent birth, Tom Cruise likes to make big-budget
special effects movies such as “Top Gun,”
“Mission: Impossible II” and “War of the
Worlds.”
Add “Mission: Impossible III” to the list. The
latest installment in the series is nothing more than lots of fiery
explosions, shattered glass and flying bullets. Gone are the days
of the twist-laden plot of the original; here, it’s all about
the guns, germs and steel.
In “Mission: Impossible III” Cruise makes the
audience forget about Scientology. He’s finally back as the
cunning, clever Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt on
another high-speed thrill ride.
At the start of the film, Hunt has sworn off working in the
field and is training the next crop of superstar agents. He’s
about to settle down and marry beautiful brunette Julia (Michelle
Monaghan) when his boss (Billy Crudup) makes an offer he
can’t refuse; suddenly he’s back in the game.
What starts as a rescue operation of an IMF agent (Keri Russell)
becomes much more when Hunt decides to take down big bad boss Owen
Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Davian kidnaps Julia and suddenly
things get closer to home. Hunt must rescue his wife and obtain the
mysterious “rabbit’s foot,” all in 48 hours.
Hoffman may have been sympathetic in his Oscar-winning role in
“Capote,” but here, he’s as ruthless as they
come.
In fact, Hoffman steals the spotlight during his few scenes in
this movie. His chillingly cold stares and vocal inflections make
him the perfect villain. In contrast, Cruise, who’s in almost
every scene, has about two facial expressions throughout the film:
pensive “I’m thinking so hard I might burst,” and
wistful “I’m so in love I might burst.” If he
continues on this path, he just might join the Keanu Reeves
Anonymous group for Hollywood actors lacking expression.
The missions themselves, though, are well executed, fast-paced
and clever. The most compelling one takes place in Rome, where Hunt
disguises himself as Davian ““ complete with a face mask,
contacts and a few extra pounds. Scenes like these definitely keep
audience members on the edge of their seats, explosions or not.
And while there is one slightly unexpected twist, most of the
tricks in the “Mission: Impossible” bag have already
been used, including the ending. The final fight sequence with
Hoffman is anticlimactic, and it’s all a sharp downhill
plunge from there.
Although “Mission: Impossible III” won’t
satisfy viewers looking for refreshing plot twists, the visually
stunning action sequences are undeniably the film’s strong
point. Maybe the amount of running and jumping Cruise does here
will tire him to the point where he’ll abandon his furniture
leaps and get back to the films we love him in.
“Magnolia,” anyone?
E-mail Fylstra at jfylstra@media.ucla.edu.