Transition + Length of takes

The use of fast cutting at the beginning of Mission Impossible 3 shows not only the panic, but the escalation in the tension and action in the scene. During the opening scene, we are shown close-ups of Davian and Hunt. As the scene intensifies (Davian's count gets closer to 10) we are shown these close-up shots, but this time the shots that are shown are now at a rapid-fire pace. The Director does this to heighten the tension and action in the scene. He also does this to show the panic in the scene. By showing  the shots for litereally a second at a time shows the viewer that there is a lot of action going on, so much so that it shows that there has been total chaos.

1

2

3

4

Note: These four shots were taken during 4 seconds