Flounders On Film

Ethan Hunt: I’m part of an agency… called the IMF.
Julia: What’s that stand for?
Ethan Hunt: Impossible Mission Force.
Julia: Shut up.

Yes, you didn’t expect this in the Masterpiece series, did you? I have no loyalties to the Mission Impossible brand. Part one is fine as a Tom Cruise spy thriller, in that it doesn’t blow my mind but I don’t dislike it. Part two I actually dislike a bit. It’s so over the top that it becomes quite dull and it doesn’t feel at all like Mission Impossible film; it’s a Bond film by any other name. So my expectations were not particularly high going into Mission Impossible 3, even though I’ve got a lot of time for JJ Abrams (after Alias and Lost). Having seen his Star Trek, this respect has only grown.

However, despite all the history of this most bizarre of franchises (nothing links up, Ethan Hunt’s character is not very consistent, IMF is poorly defined, the look and tone of the films is always differnt) and the soap opera life of Tom Cruise (particularly in the news at that time), something just clicked. JJ Abrams, used to establishing plots and characters in 42 minutes with adverts chucked in, gives a masterclass in re-introducing us to Hunt, now complete with his fiancée Julia (Michelle Monaghan), suburban home and secret double-life training the next generation of IMF agents. The introductory engagement party is funny and warm – not qualities this franchise had previously been over-burdened with. But do we think Ethan is going to get called back into action? Oh yes we do.

In the first of many “oh-that’s-so-cool” moments, Ethan is given his mission in a disposable camera by IMF agent Musgrave (Billy Crudup). I could sit and list the cool moments in this film (whether of action, ideas or gadgets), but it would take all day. Suffice to say, every time the film makers were faced with a problem, they managed to pick the best possible way to deal with it. Yes, it might not be as brutal and realistic as Bourne and the Daniel Craig Bonds, but it makes up for that in sheer inventiveness and originality. And it gets the series back to doing some impossible missions. Which is what we want really.  

Cruise has been better in a lot of films than he is here, let’s be clear on that, but that is partly due to the blandness inherent in Ethan as a character. There’s not much to work with and he can’t even claim amnesia like Jason Bourne can. Within the confines of an off-the-peg hero, Cruise does well and this time, more than ever, Hunt is humanised by having someone to care about and fight for. The kidnapped wife is obvious choice for a dilemma, but it works a treat here.

While the posters and promotion always highlight Cruise to the point where it seems only he will appear, MI:3 is smart enough to surround him with an excellent cast. Crudup and Laurence Fishburne as warring IMF high-ups get some great exchanges and put a fresh spin on the ‘mole within IMF’ story that we’ve seen before. Monaghan as the fiancée (later wife) is suitable tough and luminous and we are finally reminded that Hunt is not a one-man army, but part of a team – yes the team are all ridiculously smart, witty, gorgeous and brave (actually, maybe Ving Rhames isn’t gorgeous), but I can live with that when the film is this much fun. Simon Pegg rounds things off as the likeable geek back at headquarters. Finally, we are given a cracking bad guy in the form of Owen Davian, a weapons dealer and general nasty piece of work. Phillip Seymour Hoffman looks like a man left off his leash here and has loads of fun with the part. Especially when playing Hunt disguised as Davian (keeping up?). That’s not to say he’s not effectively menacing though, and the opening scene (which actually drops us in near the end of the film) is genuinely nerve-shredding.

The Gang

This should not be up there with my favourite films of recent times. Everything tells me that it should be a Hollywood cookie-cutter sequel, done purely for money with everyone involved just coasting along in a franchise that’s not setting anyone’s world on fire. I can only say that JJ Abrams, having the budget to give free reign to his imagination and directing like his life depends on it, bringing a fresh eye to action clichés, combined with an on-form cast and better script than it needed to have, has managed to produce a quite wonderful action film. It’s one of a rare breed, which actually improves with each viewing and has a story to care about in between explosions. Everything clicks into place just perfectly. I love this film.