They say all publicity is good publicity, but TomKat just may be the exception. With "Mission: Impossible III" opening this weekend, there is only one question that will be on the public's mind: "Just how many people has Tom Cruise scared away with his media antics?" It is unfortunate they won't be asking the usual query, "Is the movie any good?" because the answer might come as a surprise.
At the onset of the film, Ethan Hunt (Cruise, "War of the Worlds"), renowned operative for the Impossible Mission Force, has hung up his spy goggles for good. He now makes a living by training rookie IMF agents. The new position allows him to take a stab at leading a normal life, one that revolves around his recent fiancée, Julia (Michelle Monaghan, "North Country").
It all gets sent in a tailspin when the first agent he has ever given the green light to for field duty (Keri Russell, "The Upside of Anger") goes missing on a covert mission in Berlin. She was there gathering info on Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Capote"), a dangerous man who has eluded the authorities for years. Soon, Hunt is entangled in a mess involving black market weapons dealing, something called the Rabbit's Foot and, unfortunately, a hostage — his fiancée.
As odd as the pairing of recent Oscar-winner Hoffman and post-"Felicity" Russell may be, by no means does the random assortment of casting choices end there. Office honchos at the force are played by Laurence Fishburne ("Akeelah and the Bee") and Billy Crudup ("Stage Beauty"), while Hunt's team consists of the "M:I" veteran Ving Rhames ("Dawn of the Dead"), dashing Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Match Point") and Hong Kong action flick star Maggie Q ("Around the World in 80 Days"). Yet despite their randomness, the entire cast does its part to flesh out the film well. The number of characters may be plentiful, but each one finds a distinct niche, more or less — being necessary without being overdone. Even the brief scenes with the IMF techie, played by Simon Pegg (most known for his zombie comedy "Shaun of the Dead"), manage to fit seamlessly into the plot.
But the real star of the film is Cruise. That may sound absurdly obvious, but think about it. The past year the man has really done a number on his public image. He went from being über-private to relentlessly in-your-face in about two seconds. From jumping like a madman on Oprah's couch to sparring with Matt Lauer about psychiatric meds, Cruise's status as a hunky leading man plummeted.
Surprisingly, though, Cruise's performance in "Mission: Impossible III" is good enough to forget all the irrelevant personal stuff. Not exactly forgive, but forget — long enough to enjoy the film at least. He never outshines or upstages. Rather, he simply gives the audience what they want: a charming and commanding leading man — something Cruise used to have down cold.
But in all honesty, when you put a project like "Mission: Impossible" into the hands of a man like J.J. Abrams (who both wrote and directed the newest installment), how could it go wrong? Cruise would have had to try hard to mess things up (which was definitely within the realm of possibility), but luckily Abrams got the best out of him.
The biggest improvement Abrams made to the franchise is in the writing. The same finesse he employs with his television shows "Lost" and "Alias" is put to good work on the silver screen. In the original "Mission: Impossible," everything was kept brilliantly intricate in a simple way, whether it was the exploding chewing gum or Hunt's memorable acrobatics. Then they screwed everything up with the sequel. As unoriginal as every other action flick out there, they added countless explosions and action sequences, ignoring the fact that the plot is still the integral center. And don't forget those damned prosthetic masks that kept popping up — one of the most reprehensible narrative sins in recent years.
Abrams takes the third installment back a step. There are still a good number of explosions and action sequences, but he uses them strategically, shying away from being gratuitous. Back are more clever gadgets and ingenious missions. He makes it fun to watch the team in action. From the ornate Old World buildings of the Vatican to the modern skyscrapers of Shanghai, Abrams takes the audience on a journey around the globe that is vastly entertaining. His storytelling and remarkable visuals bring out the kid in the viewer, making them think: "Being a spy is so cool."
"M:I-3" is a win for everyone involved. Cruise is starting to pick himself up after his recent stumbles. Abrams shows he can accomplish great things on both the big and small screen. And more importantly, the audience gets the first fun blockbuster of the summer.
Rating: 4 out of 5
