Mission Impossible III

Imagine Tom Cruise as Cary Grant and align the Mission Impossible series against Grant's work with Alfred Hitchcock. The first Mission Impossible represents Suspicion, a straight forward classical thriller. The sequel represents Notorious, a dark twist on the formula with Cruise as a darker version of his role in the first film. Grant also made the same transition from Suspicion. Even the second Mission Impossible and Notorious have a very similar plot. Then the third Mission Impossible represents North by Northwest, a half thriller half comic look at the persona of Tom Cruise. Pauline Kael said Cary Grant was playing Cary Grant, but other critics said the film was a history of all Grant's roles and personifications. The same is true of Tom Cruise, an equally large star of significant persona. He takes a walk down all his comic and serious efforts, glibly recreating their superficial identities. Northwest by Northwest was more clever than the other Hitchcock efforts, but not better. Since Mission Impossible 3 goes up against two bad thrillers, the clever and fun script makes it rewarding and easily the best of the series.