Synopsis

Ethan Hunt has retired from field work to train new IMF agents, but he is pulled back into action when one of his proteges disappears while investigating arms dealer Owen Davian. After Davian retaliates by targeting Ethan's fiancee Julia, Ethan assembles a team for a dangerous rescue mission spanning Rome, the Vatican and Shanghai, while pursuing a mysterious device known as the Rabbit's Foot.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film had a long development period. David Fincher and Joe Carnahan were attached at different stages before the project moved in a new creative direction, and production delays led several prospective cast members to leave.

• Principal photography used locations in Italy, China, Germany and the United States. The Royal Palace of Caserta stood in for the Vatican, while Shanghai material was supplemented by filming in Los Angeles.

• Crowds in Rome made it difficult to work discreetly, so the production reportedly staged a fake second unit nearby, complete with women in bikinis and performers dressed as nuns, to distract onlookers.

• Simon Pegg's casting became a self-referential joke after his success in "Shaun of the Dead." He had previously joked that Hollywood success would not lead to an appearance in "Mission: Impossible III."

• The voice-imitation sequence is based on a specific piece of spy technology. Ethan forces Davian to speak enough sounds for the IMF team to build a voice pattern that can later be reproduced.

• Michael Giacchino composed the score, becoming the third composer to work on the film series after Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer.

• The film was released in the United States on May 5, 2006, and was received as a stronger entry than its immediate predecessor. It earned more than $398 million worldwide.