Synopsis

Ethan Hakwe is 'retired'. He has a lady in his life whom he loves dearly and a new circle of friends. Until he is offered a mission involving an agent he has trained. Hawke and his team are sent to Germany to rescue agent Lindsey. The hit and run action goes well until they discover Lindsey has an explosive device implanted into her head. Her death hits the team hard. MI director John Brassel is not impressed by the teams performance. Going against orders, Ethan decides he will track down the man behind her death, international arms and information dealer Owen Davian. Once again with success in sight, the mission fails. Davian escapes and arranges for Ethan's new bride Julia to be kidnapped. Ethan is about to discover just how far the evil Owen Davian will go.

What The Critics Say

"Have no doubt in your mind, M:I:3 is a white-knuckle, action packed film of the highest calibur, and cannot be missed. Simply the best film of 2006 thus far." Adam Weeks WEBWOMBAT "With its smart script, its ability to pull the audience through admittedly implausible circumstances and its stronger-than-normal action characters, Abrams and Co have made a film that certainly won't 'self-destruct in five seconds.'" Jack Garner ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE "Not only is Mission: Impossible III better than its predecessors, but it could very well hold up as the best action picture to come along in at least ten years." David Cornelius EFILMCRITIC.COM "You’ll see some of the best-staged action sequences in a long time, possibly some of the most jaw-dropping sequences ever! And they’ll have you both hollering at the screen in joy and clasping your clammy fists tightly." Clint Morris WEBWOMBAT "A thrill ride, and a gripping one: plausibility-straining, predictable at times, but pulse-pounding all the same." Peter Canavese GROUCHO REVIEWS

"Tom's back with a third instalment in this high-energy franchise, and as producer he cannily hires a filmmaker who knows how to breathe life into any genre." Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL "But wait, in this adrenalin-surging blockbuster there is always more. There's the theme music that's been freshened up by Kanye West, the latex masks, and a bad guy inside the Mission Impossible team. Sounds impossible? That's the point." Rod Chester THE BRISBANE COURIER MAIL "Exciting from beginning to end. The best of the franchise!" Victoria Alexander FILMSINREVIEW.COM I had a lot of fun -- it gave me that wonderful cinema experience of not wanting it to end." Ross Anthony HOLLYWOOD REPORT CARD "“Mission Impossible III is everything you expect and more. Dense and fast-paced with stunts to knock your socks off, as an action thriller, it is hard to beat." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE

The Inside Story I have to admit that when it comes to Tom Cruise the person, I can take him or leave him. That doesn't mean I don't respect his acting ability or his achievements in the motion picture industry, he's a great entertainer and a highly successful one too, it's just that outside of the industry there's nothing that really 'grabs' me about the man. And it seems I'm not alone in my thinking. I'm amazed at how many people don't like Tom Cruise at all. When it comes to his latest action thriller "Mission: Impossible 3" all that should be put aside. Why? Because we go to the movies to escape our generally ordered lives and to come away from our local multiplex feeling as though we have received good value for our entertainment bucks. One thing I can guarantee you about "Mission: Impossible 3" is this; you will be very entertained. Thoroughly entertained. It's virtual action right from the opening sequence which introduces us to Ethan Hunt, Julia Hunt [that's right, Mrs Hunt] and one mean mother of an evil bastard Owen Davian. Helming "Mission: Impossible 3" is Director J.J. Abrams creator of "Alias" and "Lost". His influence is what makes 'MI3' a cut above it its predecessors. Lets hope that there are enough cinemagoers with a predilection for the 'MI' franchise to ensure it does well at the box-office, because it truly deserves to do well. As you may already have gathered there are some big changes this time round. "Tom Cruise and director J.J. Abrams deliver a breathtaking, action- and suspense-filled movie with humor, drama, and great characters that leaves the audience wanting more," says producer Paula Wagner who, with Tom, founded Cruise| Wagner Productions in 1993. One of the biggest changes is to the character of Ethan Hunt. "From the beginning, Tom and I talked about wanting to do a movie that had a surprisingly personal and intimate story," says director J.J. Abrams. "When you hear 'Mission: Impossible', you know you are going to get extreme situations, great action, and incredible stunts. The idea was to take that opportunity, and combine it with an intimate story, a love story, and friendships that were real friendships with characters that you get to know and like." One question Abrams asked himself was, "How do you reconcile being a man who does what Ethan Hunt does?" "What sets 'M:I:III' apart from the first two is that we also show more interpersonal relationships within the IMF," SAYS Wagners. "Ethan Hunt and Luther Stickell have been working together now for a number of years. They have a relationship that is based on a solid friendship that is explored in this movie." Another important factor for the film was to have the right actor in the role of the 'bad guy'. That job went to 2006 Academy Award ® Best Actor winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. The Oscar ® winner received a huge wrap from 'MI3" star Cruise. "Whenever he plays a role, he makes the part his own; he never does what you expect, so his characters are never the same," says Cruise. "When Ethan Hunt goes up against this guy, it’s terrifying; because Philip could go anywhere with Davian, Davian’s capable of anything. Ethan's never faced a villain as ruthless and fearsome as Philip's." Besides the cast the big standouts for "Mission: Impossible 3" are the great special effects, computor generated imagery and the 'rat ta tat' action. "From the very beginning, Tom, Alex, Bob, and I wanted to do a movie about a character," says Abrams. "Not that there isn’t a lot of action, that goes without saying, but my favorite kind of spy movie is one where the commitment to the world, as extreme as it is, and as hyper-real as it is, is still emotionally true. You have these characters going through some of the most heartbreaking, most terrifying, most horrifying, most thrilling, most fun moments, and you believe all of them within the context of the genre. That’s what we wanted to bring to 'M:I:III'". So how did the writers handle the fact that Tom Cruise likes doing much of his own stuntwork? "When we started writing the action sequences, we would say, 'We shouldn’t even write this because Tom’s going to want to do the stunt himself'. In the end, we realized, of course, we had to give the best we could, Abrams revealed. "Though it’s a bit hair-raising, it’s inspiring to work with an actor and producer who’s so willing to give everything to make the best movie he can." Playing the love interest in 'MI3' is Michelle Monaghan who was recently seen in the critically acclaimed "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang". Ethan is still invoved in training agents but is away from the 'missions'. He's enjoying a 'domesticated' lifestyle. Of course his partner Julia has no idea he is a secret agent. "In this movie, you get to see Ethan in some dramatic and emotional moments," says Monaghan. "He’s truly in love and he wants it to last. Julia is truly in love with him, but she doesn’t know exactly what he does; over the course of the film, she starts to see him become really distressed and she starts to wonder if there's something else that he’s hiding. You get to see his vulnerable sides. You see all the action and intrigue you expect, but you’re invested in the character in a completely different way than in the past." While Julia provides a 'good' influence in Ethan's life it's just a matter of time before he's back on a mission and coming face to face with the 'evil' influence of Owen Davian. "He’s not just a villain, he’s a psychopath," says Oscar ® winner Hoffman. "He creates incredible empathy for Ethan; the darker, more evil, more vicious this man is toward the hero, the more you want the hero to take this man down." After watching Hoffman perform on the screen, you'd be forgiven thinking that he's done this genre more than once. Fact is he hasn't. "I’ve never done an action film before," he says, "and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve known J.J. casually for many years, and I worked with Tom before, on 'Magnolia'. When I read the script, I was impressed with the three ingredients: Tom, J.J., and the screenplay combined. I thought that the time was right to do this kind of project, with these people and with this script." Lucky for us cinemagoers he did because Hoffman is magnificent in this role. Joining Cruise for another mission is Ving Rhames who reprises his role as computer expert Luther Strickell. Rhames is the only actor who has appeared in all three MI missions with Cruise. "These two guys are co-workers and friends; this time, they talk about the things that friends talk about. That’s what J.J. has done", says Rhames. "He’s made these people humans apart from what they do for a living." Rhames says he was very impressed with J.J. Abrams directing style. "He reminds me of Quentin Tarantino and the youthful energy he brings to the set. I think that’s contagious with actors." New to the 'team' cast are Jonathan Rhys Meyers who recently appeared in Woody Allen's "Match Point"; Hawaiian born Maggie Q and Keri Russell who recently appeared with Joan Allen and Kevin Costner in "The Upside Of Anger". For Maggie Q this film is a big breakthrough. "I’ve been living in Hong Kong for eight years and wasn’t planning to do an American film," she says. "Now, my first American starring role is in a huge Tom Cruise movie." Maggie made quite a name for herself modelling in Asia which in turn lead to offers to appear in Asian films. How do the two scenes compare? "The scale of everything is so much bigger than in Hong Kong. Coming back to America has been a real culture shock." Having worked with the great Jackie Chan she developed a real admiration for the way Cruise handles his work load. "I’ve worked with Jackie Chan, and watching Jackie, you know he grew up in a Kung Fu school, he was in the circus. He had a tough upbringing and he’s a tough guy," she says. "There’s no doubt he can handle it. When I see Tom do the same things, that, I think, is amazing. Tom earns a lot of respect from the action director and the stunt people who know just how difficult everything is." Kerri Russell, who plays Agent Leslie, says training for the role was fun. "I spent about four and a half months training with the stunt guys," she said. "They’re incredible athletes. We boxed and I learned to stick-fight. It was pretty cool." 'Cool' is a word one could use to sum up "Mission: Impossible 3". Add to that exciting, thrilling, spectacular and action packed and you know your in for a great time. The Verdict "With J.J. Abrams in the directors chair Mission: Impossible is back on track in what is surely the best so far. "Mission: Impossible 3" is action packed with spectacular CGI & SFX. Cruise shows he's still the "Top Gun" when it comes to giving audiences what they want. Solid cast includes 2006 Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman as a very evil Owen Davian. Highly Recommened." Cast & Crew Bytes "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3" stars .......
Tom Cruise ["Endless Love", "Risky Business", "A Few Good Men", "MI I & II" and "War Of The Worlds"]; Ving Rhames ["Con Air", "Entrapment", "Dawn of the Dead" and "MI I & II"]; Maggie Q ["Around The World in 80 Days", "Taped" and "Dragon Squad"]; Michelle Monaghan ["Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "Mr & Mrs Smith" and "North Country"]; Laurence Fishburne ["Biker Boyz", "Matrix I, II & III" and "Assault on Precinct "]; Jonathan Rhys Meyers ["Bend It Like Beckham", "Vanity Fair" and "Match Point"]; Billy Crudup ["Almost Famous", "Big Fish" and "Stage Beauty"] and 2006 Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman ["Punch-Drunk Love", "Owning Mahowny", "Along Came Polly" and "Capote"] as Owen Davian.
"MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3" was .......
directed by J.J. Abrams ["Lost " and "Alias"]; costume design by Colleen Atwood ["Sleepy Hollow", "Chicago", "Big Fish" and "Memoirs of a Geisha"]; original story by Bruce Geller ["Sail a Crooked Ship" and "Mission Impossible TV Series"]; cinematography by Dan Mindel ["Enemy of the State","The Bourne Identity", "Stuck On You" and "Shanghai Noon"]; original music by Michael Giacchino ["The Incredibles" and "The Family Stone"] production design by Scott Chambliss ["I Like It Like That" and "13 Bourbon St"] written by Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci ["The Legend of Zorro" & The Island"] and J.J. Abrams ["Armageddon" & "Forever Young"]. Run Time 126 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2006 - United International Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2006 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved