Monday, October 10, 2011

Movie of the Week – Mission: Impossible III

This week’s movie is Mission: Impossible III (2006).

The action film is about Ethan Hunt, a secret agent who comes out of retirement when one of his trainees is captured by a sadistic arms dealer. Like the first two films in the series, part three is directed by a well-known filmmaker – J.J. Abrams (however, unlike parts one and two, this is actually a really good movie). Abrams co-wrote the script with his Star Trek and Fringe collaborators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Also frequent collaborators of Abrams, fantastic composer Michael Giacchino, cinematographer Daniel Mindel and production designer Scott Chambliss provide the film with a great aesthetic. It boosts a wonderful cast as well with Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman (who plays such an excellent villain), Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q, Simon Pegg, Eddie Marsan, and Laurence Fishburne. While Abrams already had a successful TV career, this marked his feature film directing debut. He structured the film almost flawlessly – the narrative is continuously moving forward, there is never a dull moment, but there are also enough character moments and emotion to keep the viewer invested in the characters, which is rare. It is a very well-directed film (and among my favorites of the last decade). While Abrams is not directing part IV, he is producing it. Kanye West also provided two tracks for the film (the song Impossible and a remix of the theme). It is one of the best action movies of the last decade (and one that is criminally underrated, probably due to Tom Cruise’s public persona) and a must-see for action genre fans. Check out the trailer.


Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Streaming

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