Mission: Impossible Iii review

Mission: Impossible III plays to its strengths, highlighting what Tom Cruise does best, namely running. And he does a lot of it. Six years after John Woo's somewhat disappointing MI-2, director J.J. Abrams, best known for his small screen work on Alias and Lost, has come up with an altogether far more satisfying take on the franchise. Full of energy, innovative gadgetry, spectacular stunts and exotic locations, MI-3 is perfect popcorn fare.

One critical improvement is the inclusion of a truly despicable baddie. The sadistic Owen Davian is chillingly portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who echoes the understated elements of Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter. Cruise is a very different type of actor, but after dominating the headlines for everything but his work, here he shows why he is still remains a genuine action star and the scenes between the two offer an effective contrast of styles.

Another addition is the introduction of a romantic plot, one that becomes embroiled in the central story and one that provides the gripping opening. As the bruised and bloodied IMF (Impossible Mission Force, not International Monetary Fund) agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) sits strapped in a chair, a casual Davian announces he has planted an explosive inside Hunt's head. As if that wasn't bad enough, Davian is holding a gun to the head of Hunt's new wife Julia (Michelle Monaghan) and is demanding Ethan tell him by the count of ten the whereabouts of a device enigmatically known as the Rabbit's Foot, otherwise he can consider himself a widower.

From here, things flashback and we embark on the adventurous journey that leads to this perilous showdown. It's a trip that takes us to, amongst other places, the Vatican City and Shanghai and involves Hunt and his three IMF comrades Luther (Ving Rhames), Declan (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and Zhen (Maggie Q). Hunt first encounters the black market trafficker Davian following his involvement in the kidnapping of IMF agent Lindsay Farris, the outcome of which makes it a very personal issue between the two men.

The frenetic, jerky camerawork lends MI-3 the feel of a video game at times and makes some action sequences all but indecipherable, but nevertheless impressive. The original TV series was best known for the Bond-esque gadgets and creative execution of the missions, something MI-3 perpetuates imaginatively down to the exploding crucifix it uses at the Vatican.

"There's a point when bold becomes stupid," declares Luther at one point. MI-3 inevitably has its share of dumb moments, but it's more than bold enough to get away with them.

Kevin Murphy