Stuff for Dads

Tuesday, 10 April 2007

Mission: Impossible 3 (DVD)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Tom Cruise, Laurence Fishburne, the Irish bloke from Bend it Like Beckham, Tom Cruise, Shaun of the Dead, Tom Cruise & Tom Cruise.

Rated: 12

Story: Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his Impossible Mission Force use a mixture of guns, disguises and explosives to break into heavily guarded places on the trail of an Evil Villain. The Evil Villain then goes after Hunt and his love interest.

Comments: The original Mission: Impossible movie was three set-piece action sequences held together by some unconvincing nonsense. Everyone remembers the bit where Tom Cruise was dangled upside down from the ceiling. The sequel was just forgettable nonsense with motorbikes. It made everyone want to dangle Tom Cruise upside down from the ceiling. As a result, this third one didn't do so well. I, for one, just wasn't that fussed about seeing it. Turns out, though, that this is easily the best of the three.

The film is very well put together with dips in pace in just the right places and extraneous material stripped away. There's a tense, convoluted infiltration involving disguises, cunning and timing which is the series' trademark but there's plenty of explosive mayhem as well. The plot probably doesn't merit close analysis but it keeps things going nicely, has enough twists and isn't glaringly idiotic.

Cruise puts in his usual performance. He's decent enough but it would have been nice if some of the rest of the cast had got a bit more to do. Simon Pegg's cameo is notable because he gets to speak at some length without Cruise interrupting or running off with a determined look on his face. It's like a brief glimpse into a reality where Tom Cruise is just another actor. Weird...

Conclusion: An excellent action movie. Not iconic but entertaining from start to finish.

Explosions: Loads.
Stunts: A stack.
Impossible missions: None.
Improbable missions: One or two.
Tom Cruise: Lots.

Rating: 4/5.

Labels: action, film review