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Tom Cruise recently delivered one of the most memorable ode to cinemas ever recorded, talking about how excited he is for the upcoming Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One whilst harnessed to a World War II biplane that’s soaring through the air.
This not only reminded the world why fans love Cruise so much (not that anyone really needed reminding), but also highlighted the fact that the actor is willing to put himself in harm’s way to create the most, memorable and exciting experience for audiences. Something he’s been doing in the Mission: Impossible franchise for years.
Updated on July 8, 2023, by Ryan Heffernan:
Ever since the film franchise started way back in 1996, the Mission: Impossible movies have been a reliable source of blockbuster fun loaded with thrilling stunts and explosive action. The seventh film in the series, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (July 12), promises to offer more of the same for thrill-seeking moviegoers.
13 The Langley Heist
‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996)
Though The Langley Heist stunt in Mission: Impossible is nowhere near as dangerous as some other stunts on this list, it did set an early precedent that this action franchise was committed to practical filmmaking.
The scene, which sees Hunt drop into the control room, landing just inches from the floor, has been parodied across multiple other films and TV shows. The iconic scene is easily one of the franchise’s most recognizable moments and sets the tone for what is to follow.
12 Exploding Fish Tank
‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996)
It may seem a little tame in comparison to the no-holds-barred madness of the later entries in the franchise, but the amount of water unleashed when the fish tank exploded made this a genuinely dangerous stunt for Cruise.
In the years since, Cruise has joked about the lack of clarity regarding when the explosion would occur, but it’s still a stunt the beloved actor is proud of. As was the case with the Langley heist, this stunt told audiences what to expect from the franchise and from future Cruise films too.
11 Free Climbing
‘Mission: Impossible II’ (2000)
Tom Cruise is a man of many talents. Alongside acting and producing some of the most memorable and successful films of recent times, he is also a pilot, stunt driver, and expert climber. It’s the last of these skills that he highlighted in Mission: Impossible 2.
The scene may not add a lot to the overall plot of the sequel, but it puts audiences on the edge of their seats immediately, unable to look away as Cruise leaps across the rock and even dangles one-handed, looking out over the abyss below him. It’s just a shame the rest of the film couldn’t match the sheer exhilaration of the opening scene.
10 The Train Chase
‘Mission: Impossible’ (1996)
Released in 1996, the very first Mission: Impossible movie used plenty of intense, confined sequences as a means to create suspense. The film still exhibited the extraordinary action flair that the series would come to be known for though, with its climactic action sequence featuring a train being tailed by a helicopter.
With the villains attempting to make a daring escape via helicopter, Hunt climbs on top of the speeding train and hooks the chopper to one of the carriages just moments before it disappears into a tunnel. With Cruise flinging himself around and even jumping onto the helicopter, the scene was an action highlight of the first film, rife with a far-fetched sense of high-octane thrills.
9 Motorbike Chase
‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ (2015)
In one of the best chase sequences in the entire Mission: Impossible franchise, the sequence from Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation sees Ethan and Benji (Simon Pegg) in hot pursuit of Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) in a silver BMW. After the car is upended, Hunt gets on a motorbike to continue the chase.
The high-speed hysteria was made all the more intense by some little details like Cruise reacting when his knee scrapes the road and his tentative checks before overtaking the truck. The sequence is exciting right up until its explosive end when Fuast stands in the middle of the road, forcing Hunt to evade her crash his bike in the process.
8 The Knife Fight
‘Mission: Impossible II’ (2000)
You’d be forgiven for assuming that this scene was filmed using CGI; after all, who in their right mind would want a knife mere millimeters from their eye? The answer, of course, is Tom Cruise. After measuring the distance to Cruise’s eyeball (very carefully, we hope), a cable was used to balance the knife above Cruise’s eye.
That wasn’t all, though. Cruise’s Mission: Impossible II co-star Dougray Scott then leaned on the knife, using all his weight to push it down, resulting in the most realistic possible scene. Though Mission: Impossible II is considered the worst entry in the franchise, the tension of this scene will never be forgotten.
7 The Underwater Scene
‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ (2015)
While filming Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, it quickly became clear that the underwater sequence would not work unless Tom Cruise learned how to hold his breath for six minutes. Unsurprisingly, Cruise was willing to put in the extra work and spend a lot of time training with professional divers.
The result is a tension-filled Tom Cruise scene during which audiences literally fear not only for the life of superspy Ethan Hunt but for the life of the beloved actor too. Christopher McQuarrie‘s decision to film this as practically as possible was a very bold one, but it ensured this scene is one of the most memorable of the entire franchise and explains why he has returned to the director’s chair for every sequel since.
6 Chase Through London
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)
During the filming of the sixth film in the franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, fans were shaken when something we all considered to be impossible finally happened. Tom Cruise injured himself during a stunt.
While leaping from one building to another, the actor broke his ankle. Being the consummate professional that he is, Cruise not only finished the scene, limping past the camera with a grimace that shows he knew exactly how much damage he had done, but it is also the take they use in the movie. Filming may have been delayed while Cruise recovered, but thankfully his appetite for stunts was unaffected.
5 The Helicopter Chase
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)
Fallout is a very rare accomplishment in filmmaking. Not only is it the best entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise and one of the best films of Cruise’s career, but it also contains some of the best stunt work of the actor’s career too. The helicopter chase sequence is a perfect example of this.
Beginning with Cruise dangling beneath a helicopter, using a rope to climb up to the cockpit, he then climbs aboard, defeats the pilot, and flies the helicopter himself. Whizzing between valleys and ducking and weaving behind the helicopter he is pursuing, this scene reminded audiences yet again why Cruise is the best action star of all time. He’s not a bad pilot, either.
4 The Plane Hang
‘Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation’ (2015)
Much of the marketing campaign for Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation was based around the film’s opening scene, which sees Tom Cruise dangle from the side of a plane while it takes off. If that sounds absolutely bonkers, it’s because it is. It’s easily one of the riskiest stunts Cruise has ever performed, but it is also one of the most impressive.
Watching the runway grow smaller in the distance as the plane soars into the sky creates a sense of vertigo in the audience, making them feel as if they’re up there with Cruise. Christopher McQuarrie decided to introduce himself to the franchise with a bang, and my goodness, are we glad he did.
3 The Motorbike Cliff Jump
‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ (2023)
The trajectory of the long-running Mission: Impossible franchise has seen the stunts get bigger and bigger, and that only looks like continuing Dead Reckoning Part One. A major marketing tool for the film was the behind-the-scenes featurette uncovering how they shot the incredible stunt.
Said to be the most dangerous stunt Cruise has ever performed, the sequence required him to drive a motorbike off a cliff, launching himself into a free fall before pulling a parachute and gliding to safety. As reported by Variety, the stunt was the first thing filmed so, in the event that something when horribly wrong, production had all the time and money available to them to rework the film.
2 Climbing the Burj Khalifa
‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ (2011)
Scaling the tallest building in the world (at the time of filming, anyway) is enough to make most actors call for their stunt doubles. Not Cruise, though. Armed with only a single safety rope, the actor clung to the outside of the building with the ground a mere 829 meters beneath him.
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol marked the start of the franchise’s decision to market each new entry around one unbelievable stunt, a decision audiences received incredibly positively. After all, watching Tom Cruise sprint down the side of the Burj Khalifa is a cinematic experience few will forget.
1 The Halo Jump
‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ (2018)
The halo jump in Mission: Impossible – Fallout is easily one of the most impressive stunts Cruise has ever performed. Filmed with one continuous take, the scene is a work of cinematic brilliance. Following Cruise from his jump out of the plane, to his diversion to save the unconscious Walker (Henry Cavill), to his eventual rushed landing, it is as tense a scene as you’re likely to see.
The added complication of the storm and Walker’s brash decision to jump anyway only add to the drama of the sequence, and the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One will have to pull something huge out of the bag to upstage this thrilling stunt.
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