Movie Review: Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Genre: Action Thriller  

Director: J.J. Abrams  
Starring: Tom Cruise, Michelle Monaghan, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Maggie Q, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell  
Running Time: 126 minutes  

Synopsis: Impossible Missions Force Agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is engaged to Julia (Michelle Monaghan), having retired from field duty and settled into the role of a trainer. But when his former trainee Lindsey (Keri Russell) is captured by elusive international weapons dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Ethan returns to duty with his team to mount a rescue in Berlin. He next attempts to kidnap Davian from a Vatican gala to prevent him from peddling the dangerous "Rabbit's Foot" device, but Ethan's exploits have far-reaching consequences involving IMF Directors Musgrave (Billy Crudup) and Brassel (Laurence Fishburne), with a showdown in Shanghai.

What Works Well: The third installment in the franchise achieves superb polish, director J.J. Abrams finally unlocking the potential of the series. Tight editing, a controlled running time, and a steady stream of highlights deliver perfect measures of suspense (the abduction of Davian from the Vatican), stunts (plentiful, but the high-rise jumps in Shanghai are spectacular), and plain high-intensity action (the bridge ambush). Grit (Lindsey's rescue and aftermath) mixes with romance (Cruise and Monaghan sharing good chemistry). The globe-trotting plot is easy to follow, helped by a cast stacked with quality. Philip Seymour Hoffman is a terrific cold-blooded villain and worthy adversary to Cruise's combination of athleticism and intensity.

What Does Not Work As Well: The "Rabbit's Foot" deserved a better explanation, and the political machinations within the IMF Director ranks are half-baked.

Key Quote:

Lindsey (under fire with Ethan in the middle of a firefight): I'm out. How many rounds you got?

Ethan (checks weapon): Enough.

[rises, fires one shot, and takes out the opponent]

Ethan: Now I'm out.

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Movie Review: The Protégé (2021)

Genre: Action  

Director: Martin Campbell  

Starring: Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Patrick  

Running Time: 109 minutes  

Synopsis: In 1991, professional hitman Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) stumbles upon young orphan Anna in Vietnam and smuggles her out of the country. Thirty years later, London-based Anna (Maggie Q) and Moody are an assassination team ridding the world of mobsters. When they start searching for a reclusive target, they trigger the attention of the mysterious Michael Rembrandt (Michael Keaton). An attraction develops between Anna and Rembrandt, but she soon finds herself on her own, back in Vietnam, and up against a well-resourced foe who does not want to be exposed.

What Works Well: This proficient action thriller never sales unexpected heights, but also rarely disappoints. Writer Richard Wenk crafts a familiar story of assassins operating in the shadows with a veteran/protégé dynamic and an attempt at attraction-between-foes sizzle. Helped by a strong cast, the characters carry backstories and are interesting enough to develop and maintain momentum. The plot courts complexity, allowing Anna to encounter more than one surprising twist, while the judiciously deployed and decently edited action scenes provide the punctuation marks.

What Does Not Work As Well: Both Maggie Q and Michael Keaton do well, but their romantic chemistry is forced and not at all helped by a ridiculous 28 year age difference. The main antagonist is a poorly defined prominent public figure with a dark side.

Key Quote:

Moody: Our past is never where we left it, we all have scars. If you stare at them long enough you will remember how you got them.



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