Mission: Impossible III

Director: J.J. Abrams J.J. Abrams

Overview

Director J.J. Abrams was given directing duties on this, the third entry in the blockbuster Mission: Impossible series, stepping into shoes previously worn by John Woo and Brian De Palma. Tom Cruise returns as super-spy Ethan Hunt for another round of mystery, espionage, and mind-boggling gadgets. When international-weapons dealer and sadistic psycopath Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman) sets his sights on doing away with Hunt once and for all, the revelation that the madman's plot also involves the murder of Hunt's girlfriend prompts the determined secret agent and his specialized team to leap into action. Also back is Ving Rhames, who again reprises the role of Luther Stickell.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/30/2006
UPC:	0097363398745
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Paramount
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:05:00
Sales rank:	7,085

Special Features

Closed Caption; Commentary by Tom Cruise and director J.J. Abrams; Excellence In film; The making of the mission; Deleted scenes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Tom Cruise	Ethan Hunt
Philip Seymour Hoffman	Owen Davian
Ving Rhames	Luther Stickell
Billy Crudup	John Musgrave
Michelle Monaghan	Julia Meade
Jonathan Rhys Meyers	Declan Gormley
Keri Russell	Lindsey Farris
Maggie Q	Zhen Lei
Simon Pegg	Benjamin 'Benji' Dunn
Eddie Marsan	Brownway
Bahar Soomekh	Davian's Translator
Laurence Fishburne	Theodore Brassel
Michael Berry Jr.	Julia's Kidnapper
Bellamy Young	Rachael,Chinese Guard (uncredited)
Jeff Chase	Davian's Bodyguard
Paul Keeley	Ken
Carla Gallo	Beth
Jane Daly	Julia's Mother
Greg Grunberg	Kevin
Sabra Williams	Annie
Rose Rollins	Ellie
Sasha Alexander	Melissa Meade
Tracy Middendorf	Ashley
Kathryn Fiore	Party Goer
Colleen Crozier	Party Goer
Sean O'Bryan	Party Goer
Aaron Paul	Rick Meade
Ellen Bry	Lindsey's Mother
Patrick Pankhurst	Lindsey's Father
Tony Guma	Jim
James Shanklin	Hospital Chaplain
Anne Betancourt	Nurse Sally
Bruce French	Minister
Antonietta De Lorenzo	Roadblock Driver
Andrea Sartoretti	Roadblock Driver
Antonio Del Prete	Vatican Video Room Guard
Francesco De Vito	Greeting Priest
Giorgio Marchesi	Vatican Gate Guard
Niccolò Senni	Vatican Gate Guard
Paolo Bonacelli	Monsignore
Timothy Omundson	IMF Agent
José Zúñiga	IMF Agent Pete
William Francis McGuire	IMF Head of Security
Michelle Arthur	Airline Worker
George Cheung	Shanghai Game Player (uncredited)
Brandon Molale	Torturer (uncredited)
Simon Rhee	Chinese Guard at Hengshan Lu Building (uncredited)
Jerry Trimble	Davian's Thug (uncredited)
Tim Simonec	Conductor
Michael Giacchino	Composer
Lalo Schifrin	Composer

Technical Credits

J.J. Abrams	Director
Tom Cruise	Producer
Paula Wagner	Producer
Jiang Tao	Producer
Zhao Hai-Cheng	Producer
Arthur Anderson	Producer
Doming Shi	Producer
Han Sanping	Executive Producer
Yang Buting	Executive Producer
Stratton Leopold	Executive Producer
April Webster	Casting
Alan Rankin	Sound/Sound Designer
Jeff Wexler	Sound Mixer
Moe Chamberlain	Sound Mixer

Editorial Reviews

Though not lacking in action -- indeed, this installment boasts some of the series’ most elaborate set pieces -- Mission: Impossible III emphasizes characterization more than its predecessors did, raising the film far above the level of the typical “popcorn movie.” As the story begins, Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has retired from field work and begun training younger operatives. When one of them, Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell), is captured while on assignment, Ethan is unable to rescue her but manages to snare brilliant, remorseless arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). This is just the prelude: Upon escaping from custody, the revenge-seeking Davian embarks on his biggest caper yet and kidnaps Ethan’s fiancée, Julia (Michelle Monaghan), knowing full well that Hunt will follow and, eventually, walk into his trap. In the skillful hands of Hoffman, for our money one of the best actors working in films today, the villain becomes far more believable -- and therefore more frightening -- than run-of-the-mill, two-dimensional, action-movie bad guys. The scenes in which he confronts Cruise’s character are unusually chilling, and the viewer has no trouble believing him supremely capable of making good on his blood-curdling threats. Having an actor of Hoffman’s caliber opposite him spurs Cruise to new flights of histrionic fancy, and his performance is markedly better than it was in the second installment. Director J. J. Abrams (Lost) gives his two stars plenty of elbow room, figuratively speaking, without losing sight of what this franchise needs to deliver: high-tech gadgetry, supercharged chase sequences, and physically demanding feats of derring-do. Ving Rhames is back as transportation specialist Luther Stickell, and series newcomers Jonathan Rhys-Meyer and Maggie Q make small but significant contributions as recent additions to the IMF team. Faster, smarter, and more emotionally engaging than most of today’s action thrillers, M:I III ups the ante considerably for future films in this popular genre.