Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)

Even though I've already reviewed this, I thought it was important to see it again in the context of the rest of the franchise.  It's definitely better than the second film and might even be better than the first, at least as far as film-making.  The action sequences take a backseat here to make way for more interaction with the principal villain, a welcome change of pace instead of trying to double down on mayhem.  As far as character development, all I got was that Ethan Hunt really is a sucker for brunettes.    Originally posted on 23 Jul 2011.  

This was the only poster I could find that didn't just have Tom Cruise on it.

I never saw this installment of the series.  MI2 performed a fun-ectomy on me but this one reversed that procedure.  Mostly due to Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  He is an excellent villain.  He remains perfectly cool, calm, and collected the entire film, despite the fact that he is let down by his people at every turn. 

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is semi-retired from doing impossible things and is dating Michelle Monaghan when he finds out that one of his protegees (Keri Russell) has been taken by an evil arms dealer (PSH).  He pulls together a team (Ving Rhames, Maggie Q, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) to rescue her and they blow up some stuff in Berlin.  However, PSH put a bomb up Keri's nose and she switches off like a Replicant.

Lawrence Fishburne is an angry, overly enunciated boss who reams them for botching the job.  In response, they decide to go to the Vatican and snatch PSH from a party.  That goes well, until the convoy carrying him gets attacked.

Side note:  I live in Northern Virginia and New Boyfriend works inside the Beltway.  This particular scene occurs on a narrow-ass bridge over a huge expanse of water.  I thought it was the same highway that was in True Lies (and it still might be) which is down in the Florida Keys, but they cut to make you think that it's part of the 14th St Bridge in downtown DC.  Don't be fooled, people.  There is no ocean within sight of the Capitol Building. 

Anyway, PSH escapes and Ethan realizes that his girlfriend is in serious danger so he tears ass until he gets to the hospital where she works.  She's already been kidnapped and he gets tazed by his coworkers for being a dangerous rogue.  Now he has to go off the reservation and Save the Girl by performing a stupid amount of dangerous stunts, including swinging off a building onto the slanted roof of another one to steal what the Bad Guy wants so he can trade. 

Simon Pegg is in this as well, mostly as comic relief, but it was enough to get him bumped up to actual team member according to the trailer for Ghost Protocol. 

This was another one from New Boyfriend's collection.  He's going to end up with his own tag on here if he keeps this up.