Throughout theMission: Impossiblefilm series,Tom Cruisehas continually raised the stakes with his impressively wild stunts. His new release,Mission: Impossible–The Final Reckoning, is a high-stakes, stunt-filled adventure that proves once again the actor’s willingness to do whatever it takes to create the perfect action shot. And after a series of increasingly impossible stunts, this performance truly raised the bar for how action films are made.
InMission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, the well-executed stunts of the film raised the stakes in every way. Aside from the usual car chase scene, which handily morphed into a motorcycle chase midway,Rogue Nationincluded a tense underwater stunt that required the actor to hold his breath for six minutes. While both these scenes are impressive,it is the film’s breathtaking opening scene with Cruise hanging off the side of an airplane that defied reason and broke every expectation of what an action movie could be.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Cruise Never Shies Away From the Impossible
Like Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise doesn’t shy away from dangerous missions. The actor is well-known for performing his own stunts. Considering that Cruise has proven to be quite the risk-taker, theMission: Impossiblefilms have gone to superhuman heights (and depths) to test the bounds of gravity and, no doubt, the nerves of the studio’s insurance team. InFallout, Cruise prepped for performing a HALO jump by doing over 100 skydives. ForGhostProtocol, the actor landed on this list of thebest movie stunts of all timeby scaling the world’s tallest structure, the Burj Khalifa. And though these scenes are arguably more eyebrow-raising, thisRogue Nationstunt was a brave and thrilling endeavor that may have been the most dangerous.
‘Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning’ Beats the Odds To Break Franchise Record at the Box Office
Tom Cruise’s epic action franchise set several records over the weekend.
In a behind-the-scenes featurette, “Cruising Altitude,” the actor assures director Christopher McQuarrie, “If it looks like I’m terrified, it’s just performance.” Performing on the side of an Airbus, with winds exceeding 100 mph and no protection from the elements or flying debris, naturally added authenticity to his performance. For the stunt, Cruise had a single safety line connecting him to the plane as it rose steeply.
The force of this rise, McQuarrie explains, is enough that it had the possibility of tearing Cruise off the aircraft, no matter the safety precautions. Even with safety precautions, the stunt hovered dangerously close to disaster. A bird strike, a piece of debris spinning toward Cruise with the strength of a bullet, and gravity were all variables for which they could not fully account.
Cruise Is Dedicated to the Action and Getting the Shot
Cruise admitted that the night before the shoot was a sleepless one. Along with the director and crew, the plane company sent a representative to the set. And even he was uncertain if the plane could structurally handle what they were asking for. However, through collaboration with the stunt coordinator, these concerns were slightly relieved. All plans were made to minimize the risk to Cruise during the shoot.
Though the actor could not have much in the way of protective gear due to his character’s wardrobe, he was supplied with hearing protection as well as contacts to protect his eyes. To protect against a possible bird strike, Cruise planned to stick close to the body of the plane to minimize that risk. Some other factors, like the winds and noxious fumes of the exhaust, could only be accounted for with limited exposure.
Tom Cruise Finally Reveals His ‘Mission: Impossible’ Future Beyond ‘The Final Reckoning’
Tom Cruise has previously dropped some small hints that his ‘Mission: Impossible’ days are not over, now, he has confirmed his ‘M:I’ future.
Cruise found the actual performance of the stuntmore intense than expected. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Cruise admitted that performing the stunts had himsecond-guessing the plan. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” the actor recounted. However, at the time of the performance, Cruise was focused on the scene. Even as the ground was slipping away, the actor admitted: “I think about the audience, I think about the shots.” After the first successful filming,the actor went on to perform this stunt seven more times.
Tom Cruise’s stunts in theMission: Impossiblefranchise have provided some of themost memorable action sequences in modern film history. From train jumps and cliff climbing to leaping across rooftops and a helicopter chase, the series has continually sought ways to stun audiences with new, daring, and increasingly dangerous thrills. Cruise’s dedication to performing his stunts as well as the continual exploration of new and practical means to stun audiences has not only elevated this franchise but the action genre as well.Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoningis in theaters now.
