Mission: Impossible 3

Question: Maybe I didn't pay attention when I last saw this film, but when the IMF traitor reveals to Ethan that the Julia in front of him is Davian's translator disguised as her, he says that she (the translator) failed Davian at the Vatican. How exactly did she fail him? Did I miss something?

Heather Benton

Chosen answer: It's stated that she's not just a translator, she's actually Davian's head of security. Given that he was snatched by Ethan's team on her watch, the depth of her failure is quite clear.

Tailkinker

Question: What is the Rabbit Foot? It was never really explained in the movie or did I miss something?

Answer: It's never explained. This is what's known in the film industry as a McGuffin, a term popularised by Alfred Hitchcock, which is an item that's crucial to the plot, but the exact nature of which is never revealed because it actually doesn't matter in the slightest.

Tailkinker

Question: When the IMF-team fake the DHL-van breaking down, some drivers from other cars join in on the shouting that ensues. Ethan looks at a man shouting something, and he responds by raising his arm at the man with his handpalm up. What exactly does it mean in Italy when you make that kind of gesture?

Answer: Pretty much what it looks like, enraged annoyance.

Question: In the bridge attack scene, a missile hits a vehicle, and throws it a several yards. Look at how close Ethan is to the blast. Shouldn't a blast that powerful have seriously injured, if not killed him?

Answer: In reality, yes the blast would have seriously injured or killed him. Action films like this are rarely realistic.

BaconIsMyBFF

Answer: I don't know why the other answer was downvoted- it's absolutely correct. Sure, realistically he should be dead... but where's the fun in that? Movies don't have to be realistic to be enjoyable.

Question: How did Julia get kidnapped?

Answer: As soon as Davian escaped, Hunt realised Julia could be in danger and tried to call her cellphone. When she didn't answer he called their house, and her brother told Ethan "some English guy" was looking for him and he had told him the hospital where Julia worked. Posing as a paramedic, the English guy found Julia at the hospital and put a sedative patch on her arm, then smuggled her out on a gurney covered with a sheet - he is walking out as Ethan runs into the hospital.

Sierra1

Sedative patch? Where would the English guy get the sedative patch?

He's a kidnapper. They have related gear.

Question: How did Davian know Julia was Ethan's wife?

Answer: Presumably John Musgrave told him, as he was working with Davian.

Sierra1

Question: When Benji Dunn is guiding Ethan through the streets via satellite to find his wife at the end of the film, Ethan is on a silver phone. Does anyone know the make and model it was? I've been told that it is a Bang and Olufsen but I can't find it.

Answer: It's a Nokia N92. Nokia had promotional tie-ins with the film, and all the phones in the film were made by them.

Sierra1

Question: I am not sure of the overall logic of the plot makes sense. If Musgrave's intention as a mole is to make sure the rabbit is sold to the middle eastern buyers so that there can be a pre-emptive military strike by the US, why did he interfere in the first place with the transaction by sending Ethan? He could have just let events take their course. Am I missing something?

Answer: Davian and Musgrave need Ethan to steal the Rabbit's Foot for them, which is why they get him involved and lure him to Shanghai. Once he does, they force him to confirm it's the real thing by threatening "Julia." Lastly Musgrave wants him to confirm that Lindsey thought Brassel was the mole and not him so that he can order the strike without suspicion. Musgrave doesn't send Ethan to interfere with the transaction - Ethan escapes and tracks Julia's location, which is not what Musgrave wanted or expected to happen.

Sierra1

Why would Davian need Ethan to steal when he could just sent one of his henchmen to do it?

Mission: Impossible 3 mistake picture

Deliberate mistake: Bare shoulders are forbidden in the Vatican premises, so the sexy dresses in the party would not be allowed.

Sacha

More mistakes in Mission: Impossible 3

Owen Davian: We've implanted an explosive charge in your head. Does that sound familiar?

More quotes from Mission: Impossible 3

Trivia: The scene in which Julia brings Ethan back to life is copied almost identically from the scene in "Lost" (Director JJ Abrams' hit TV show) where Charlie is brought back to life. Incidentally, you can hear the "Lost" music played throughout the show, most noticeable when Davian is about to pick up the gun to kill Julia.

More trivia for Mission: Impossible 3

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.