Mission Impossible III - Widescreen (2006)
Front Cover Actor
Tom Cruise Ethan Hunt
Philip Seymour Hoffman Owen Davian
Ving Rhames Luther
Billy Crudup Musgrave
Michelle Monaghan Julia
Laurence Fishburne
Keri Russell Lindsey Farris
Maggie Q Zhen
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Simon Pegg Benji
Jonathan Rhys Meyers Declan
Eddie Marsan Brownway
Movie Details
Genre Action; Adventure; Thriller
Director J.J. Abrams
Producer Paula Wagner; Tom Cruise; Arthur Anderson; Bill Borden
Writer J.J. Abrams; Alex Kurtzman; Roberto Orci
Studio Paramount
Language English
Audience Rating PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time 2 hr 5 mins
Country USA
Color Color
IMDb Rating 6.9
Plot
At the time of its release, Mission: Impossible III's box office was plagued by the publicity backlash against couch-jumping star Tom Cruise. It's too bad, because this third installment of the spy thriller franchise deserved a better reception than it got. First-time feature director J.J. Abrams (bigwig TV director/producer of Lost, Alias, & Felicity) proves more than able-bodied in creating a Mission: Impossible that's leaner and less over-stylized than John Woo's sequel and less confusing than Brian De Palma's original. Plot is still a throwaway here (Cruise's Ethan Hunt rescues his kidnapped former trainee and works to steal a device that... well, we don't really know what it does, but it's something about mass destruction that costs $850 million), but the action sequences, particularly one where Ethan faces down a helicopter on a bridge and gets flung hard against the side of a car, are particularly impressive since Cruise, at 44, is still doing most of his own stunts and shows no hint of the weathered look that's struck his action-star peers. (Though no Mission: Impossible stunt will ever be quite as simultaneously nail-biting and funny as the first film's wire-dangling break-in of CIA headquarters.)

Mission: Impossible III boasts a pedigreed cast, particularly Oscar® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) as baddie arms dealer Owen Davian. Hoffman plays Owen all teeth-clenched and cool, especially when threatening to kill Ethan in front of his lovely new wife (Michelle Monaghan) who has no idea of his spy life. But in his first action-film lead role, Hoffman's almost too calm and collected to really make a memorable villain, especially when the rest of the cast--Ving Rhames (the only other cast member to return for all three films), Asian film star Maggie Q, and an underused Jonathan Rhys-Meyers--are a highlight as Ethan's IMF team. Mission: Impossible is still fun popcorn spy fare, and if Cruise chooses to end the franchise here, at least he goes out on a high note. --Ellen A. Kim

Personal Details
My Rating
Seen It Yes
Index 546
Collection Status In Collection
Purchase Price ₡ 14.99
Links Amazon US
DVD Empire
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Product Details
Edition Widescreen Edition
Format DVD
Region Region 1
Screen Ratio 1.66:1
Layers Single side, dual layer
UPC 097363398745
Chapters
Release Date 10/30/06
Subtitles English; Spanish
Packaging Keep Case
Audio Tracks ENGLISH: Dolby Digital 5.1 [CC]
FRENCH: Dolby Digital 5.1
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