Mission: Impossible III
Mission: Impossible III is a 2006 American action spy film directed by J. J. Abrams, and produced by and starring Tom Cruise, from a screenplay by Abrams and the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It is a standalone sequel to Mission: Impossible and Mission: Impossible 2 and the third installment in the Mission: Impossible film series. It also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Billy Crudup, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Keri Russell, Maggie Q and Laurence Fishburne. In Mission: Impossible III, retired Impossible Mission Force agent and trainer Ethan Hunt is forced to return to active duty to capture elusive arms dealer Owen Davian.
Development for a third Mission: Impossible film began in 2002, with David Fincher slated to direct; he and his eventual replacement Joe Carnahan both departed by 2004, both citing creative differences. Abrams was hired months later at the behest of Cruise, who was a fan of Abrams's Alias, but this further delayed production on the film due to Abrams's contractual obligations for Alias and Lost, and caused prospective cast additions Kenneth Branagh, Carrie-Anne Moss and Scarlett Johansson to depart the film. Principal photography began in July 2005 and lasted until that November, with filming locations including Shanghai, Berlin, Rome, Los Angeles and Vatican City.
Mission: Impossible III premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 26, 2006, and was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on May 5, 2006. It received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its pace and stunts, and was considered an improvement over its predecessors. The film grossed over $398 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2006, but became the lowest-grossing film in the franchise. The sequel, Ghost Protocol, was released in 2011. The film's storylines are continued by future sequels Fallout and The Final Reckoning.
Plot
IMF agent Ethan Hunt is retired from fieldwork and has settled down, with his fiancée, nurse Julia Meade, who is unaware of his job training recruits. IMF Director of Operations John Musgrave approaches him about a special mission to rescue one of his protégés, Lindsey Farris, who was captured while investigating arms dealer Owen Davian. Musgrave has already prepared a team for Ethan: Declan Gormley, Zhen Lei, and old partner Luther Stickell. The team rescues Lindsey in Berlin and collects two damaged laptops. As they flee, Ethan discovers an explosive pellet implanted in Lindsey's head. Before he can disable it with a defibrillator, it detonates and kills her.Ethan later learns that Lindsey mailed him a postcard before her capture and discovers a magnetic microdot under the stamp. IMF technician Benji Dunn recovers enough data from the laptops to determine Davian will be in Vatican City to obtain a mysterious biological hazard codenamed the "Rabbit's Foot". Ethan visits Julia at her work, which results in their spontaneous marriage. Ethan plans an unofficial mission to capture Davian. The team successfully infiltrates the Vatican and captures Davian. On the return flight to the US, Davian is unfazed by Ethan's interrogation and responds by promising to kill everyone for whom he cares.
After landing, Ethan learns that Lindsey's microdot is warning about Davian and IMF director Theodore Brassel. The convoy taking them across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is ambushed by mercenaries who extract Davian. Realizing Julia is in danger, Ethan races to Julia's hospital to discover she has already been kidnapped. Davian calls Ethan and gives him 48 hours to deliver the Rabbit's Foot in exchange for Julia's life. Before he can move, Ethan is apprehended by the IMF and questioned about the loss of Davian. While in the room as part of Ethan's interrogation, Musgrave discreetly mouths that the Rabbit's Foot is located in Shanghai and assists Ethan in escaping. Ethan travels to Shanghai and meets his team, which Musgrave sent there under the guise of another operation. Ethan obtains the Rabbit's Foot and delivers it to Davian, who tranquilizes him and implants a micro-explosive similar to the one that killed Lindsey in his head.
Waking up, Ethan sees Davian holding a gagged Julia at gunpoint. Davian tells Ethan that he will count to ten and shoot Julia if he doesn't tell him where the Rabbit's Foot is. Despite Ethan asserting that he brought the real Rabbit's Foot, Davian seemingly shoots Julia and leaves. Musgrave arrives and reveals himself as the actual IMF traitor. Julia is still alive, and the dead woman is Davian's translator, who is used to confirm the authenticity of the Rabbit's Foot. Musgrave was working with Davian to obtain the Rabbit's Foot so that the IMF would have cause to launch a preemptive strike against the Middle East in order to "stop the terrorists overseas and spread democracy." Ethan knocks Musgrave unconscious, frees himself, and uses Musgrave's phone to obtain Julia's location.
With Benji's help, Ethan locates Julia but encounters Davian, who activates the explosive in Ethan's head. Ethan fights and kills Davian before freeing Julia. He jerry-rigs an impromptu defibrillator to deactivate the explosive, asking Julia to bring him back and teaching her how to shoot a gun. Julia kills a henchman, then Musgrave, who is carrying the Rabbit's Foot, before resuscitating Ethan, who finally explains his IMF career to her. Back in the US, Brassel and others congratulate Ethan as he leaves for his honeymoon with Julia.
Cast
- Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt
- Ving Rhames as Luther Stickell, a computer hacker, IMF agent and Ethan's closest ally
- Philip Seymour Hoffman as Owen Davian
- Michelle Monaghan as Julia Meade
- Maggie Q as Zhen Lei, an IMF agent who assists Ethan at the Vatican and in Shanghai
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Declan Gormley, an IMF agent who assists Ethan at the Vatican and in Shanghai
- Billy Crudup as John Musgrave
- Keri Russell as Lindsey Farris
- Simon Pegg as Benjamin "Benji" Dunn, an IMF agent and technician who has worked with Ethan in the past
- Laurence Fishburne as Theodore Brassel
- Bahar Soomekh as Davian's translator and head of security
- Jeff Chase as Davian's bodyguard
- Michael Berry Jr. as Julia's kidnapper
- Eddie Marsan as Brownway
- Bellamy Young as Rachael, Julia's six-month pregnant sister
- Carla Gallo as Beth
- Greg Grunberg as Kevin
- Rose Rollins as Ellie
- Sasha Alexander as Melissa
- Aaron Paul as Rick Meade
- Bruce French as Minister
Production
Development
In 2002, director David Fincher was slated to direct the next installment of the Mission: Impossible film series for a summer of 2004 release date. Fincher dropped out in favor of Zodiac, later citing creative differences over the direction of the series. Joe Carnahan was chosen to replace Fincher; Carnahan worked on developing the film for fifteen months. Under his involvement, the film was to feature "Kenneth Branagh playing a guy who's based on Timothy McVeigh," as well as Carrie-Anne Moss and Scarlett Johansson in other roles. Moss would have played a new character named Leah Quint.After a creative dispute, Carnahan quit in July 2004. Tom Cruise then called J. J. Abrams, offering the directorial role for the film after having binge-watched the first two seasons of Alias. Abrams ultimately signed on and production was delayed a year due to his contractual obligations with Alias and Lost. During this time, Branagh, Moss and Johansson departed from the project because of the many delays in production. Ricky Gervais was allegedly cast as Benjamin Dunn, but due to production delays, Gervais left the project due to scheduling conflicts with For Your Consideration. Simon Pegg, who ended up playing the character and auditioned for it when Carnahan was attached, has since debunked this and claims that Gervais was meant to play a different character in the movie. Billy Bob Thornton was offered the role of Owen Davian, but he declined as he didn't want to be typecast as a villain. The role eventually went to Philip Seymour Hoffman. On June 8, 2005, Paramount Pictures gave the film the green light after a new cast of actors was hired and the film's budget was redeveloped, and Cruise took a major pay cut.
Abrams offered Martin Landau the opportunity to reprise his role as Rollin Hand in a small cameo appearance. However, Landau turned it down, disliking the direction the franchise was going and wanting a larger role.
Thandiwe Newton declined returning for Mission: Impossible III.