Tom Cruise’s best stunts in the franchise, ranked

Mission: Impossible is a long-running spy franchise that revolves around Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt as he deals with threat after threat and overcomes the impossible. Based on the TV series of the same name created by Bruce Geller, the film franchise began in 1996 and has spawned a total of six films, with two more on the way. While the franchise is known for its ensemble cast, the core character that appears in each of them Mission: Impossible The movie is Ethan Hunt, portraying Tom Cruise.

Update July 2, 2023: This article has been updated with more cool Mission: Impossible Stunts in honor of the upcoming release of Misson: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1.

Part of what makes a Mission: Impossible The films so remarkable is Cruz’s insistence on performing many of his own stunts. from Mission: Impossible to The best, Cruz was on top, performing a number of insane stunts that not many actors would dare approach. While many of Cruise’s action films feature him performing stunts to varying degrees, his stunts in Mission: Impossible Franchise is the most daring. These are the best Tom Cruise Mission: Impossible Stunts in the Franchise, Ranked.

10 aquarium explosion – Mission: Impossible

Although the first entry in the franchise is best known for its iconic shot of Tom Cruise hanging over the entrance to a spooky basement, Mission: Impossible He probably has the least stunts in the series. However, Cruise was happy to flesh out on demand, including one scene in which Ethan Hunt attempts to escape his enemies in Prague by blowing up a restaurant’s fish tank. According to Parade, director Brian De Palma initially used stuntmen, but he didn’t like how the scene looked. Despite the risk of being injured by flying glass or drowning in 16 tons of rushing water, Cruz agreed to do the scene himself.

Related: These Action Stars Do Their Own Stunts (And Some Who Don’t)

9 knife on the eye – Mission: Impossible 2

Arguably the most famous stunt around Mission: Impossible Franchise is the knife on the eye seen at Mission: Impossible 2. While this stunt could have been easily rigged with CGI, choosing to do it in real life was a brave choice that certainly paid off. During the knife fight between Cruz and co-star Dougray Scott, the knife was lowered through the use of a cable gauge until the sharp point was only a quarter of an inch from Cruz’s naked eye. Despite the fact that the total size of this stunt is rather small compared to many others, even a single misstep or misstep while doing the trick could cost Cruz his eye for part of what makes this move so amazing.

8 Shanghai skyscraper jump – Mission: Impossible III

One thing is for sure. Ethan Hunt likes to take big leaps of faith, and arguably his biggest work came out in 2006 Mission: Impossible III. To save his kidnapped wife, Ethan and his team need to retrieve an item from the 56th floor of the building. As one does, the MI crew decides the best solution is for Ethan to jump from building to building and slide under glass windows until he reaches the floor he needs.

Director JJ Abrams used a green screen and theater rather than risk his star jumping off an actual skyscraper. However, production notes from the film reveal that Cruise performs a 50-foot free fall from a crane to enhance the scene. “Tom falls, stops 18 inches on top of the concrete, and I find myself talking to someone else between shows,” Abrams added. “I realized I had become content with having Tom Cruise—who was entirely my responsibility—hang from a crane, fall at breakneck speed, and stop right above the ground. I remember thinking: ‘I have to go back to the fright.'” “

7 fast flight – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1

Behind the scenes video from Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 Proving that Tom Cruise doesn’t slow down on death-defying stunts Mission: Impossible franchise anytime soon. The MI crew filmed Cruise speed flying through the mountains in the UK, demonstrating that speed flying is one of the most dangerous sports in the world. Similar to gliding, swift flight uses smaller wings and greater speed, making it more unpredictable. The movie scene required Cruise to dodge several rocky surfaces as he flew close to the ground and towards the camera. As director Christopher McCurry says, “Shooting next to the rocks looks absolutely beautiful. Behind the scenes, we were in absolute awe.” The movie has yet to be released but only the footage in the trailer alone lands it in this setting.

6 Riding a motorcycle from a cliff – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1

Tom Cruise was 60 when he performed what he calls one of the most dangerous stunts in the world Mission: Impossible History of the series – riding a motorbike from a cliff and base jumping to the bottom. a Behind the scenes video from Dead reckoning part one It opens with ominous music and director Christopher McQuarrie’s voice saying, “This is far and away the scariest thing we’ve ever tried.” Filmed in Norway, the scene sees Ethan Hunt driving a motorcycle off a cliff, falling, and taking off in a basic jump. BASE jumping coach John DeVore calls it “the biggest stunt in cinema history.”

Related: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1: Everything We Know So Far

5 Helicopter Chase – Mission: Impossible – Fallout

When Ethan Hunt took control of a helicopter Mission: Impossible – Fallout, goes on a high-speed helicopter chase, cruising through the Southern Alps of New Zealand. Despite Cruise’s experience, this is probably one of the most dangerous stunts Cruise has ever performed, considering he had to maintain a high level of concentration in order to fly accurately and quickly, while maintaining his character for the movie. While this isn’t Cruz’s first airborne stunt, it is undoubtedly his most daring stunt in the air. Per Variety, the chase shots were long and classic Mission: Impossible Similar to, it was filmed without any special effects in sight.

4 deep dive – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

in Rogue nationAnd Tom Cruise did an underwater stunt. During this, Cruz held his breath for six and a half minutes. Experts were brought in to help Cruise train him to be able to slow his heart rate so he needs less oxygen. As epic as this stunt is, Cruz admitted that it didn’t come without his inconveniences because the training made him breathe a lot less. When he was still and not doing any physical activity, Cruz had to actively remind himself to breathe. This trick ranks fifth on the list because, despite how tame it is on screen, it’s very difficult to train yourself to hold your breath for more than six minutes.

3 HALO jump – Mission: Impossible – Fallout

He falls It was full of stunts that put Cruise’s life in danger, including one that actually caused him to break his ankle during filming. Aside from that injury, Cruise became the first actor in history to portray HALO (High Altitude, Low Open), a high-risk military maneuver. A behind-the-scenes video explains that nearly a year of preparation went into the stunt, which required the crew to design a helmet that not only allowed Cruise to breathe at 25,000 feet, but also showed his face. The actor also had to prepare by breathing pure oxygen for 20 minutes straight to avoid decompression sickness. Then he jumped out of a C-17 for an unforgettable free fall.

2 Climb Burj Khalifa – Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

What better to add to this ebullient franchise than the tallest building in the world, referred to as the Burj Khalifa. Despite the fact that this extremely dangerous stunt could have been pulled off using CGI, choosing to perform the real stunt is definitely a risk. Of course, this trick certainly paid off, though Mission: Impossible – Ghost ProtocolThey managed to catch a rolling shot of Cruise sizing up, running along the side and shattering a turret window.

This stunt was particularly challenging, considering Cruise had no physical assistance and had only consulted with dozens of stuntmen and professionals before performing one of the greatest stunts of all time. He even sat at the top of the building without any tools or wires to take a photo to commemorate the moment.

1 suspended from an airplane – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Cruz’s stunt tops the list Rogue nation He was suspended from the outside of an Airbus while it was in flight. While Cruz was strapped down, the plane was flown for 48 hours and landed eight times before they could snap the perfect photo. According to Cruz, a pebble hit him in the ribs, and at the speed the plane was going, that small pebble could have smashed into one of his ribs. If something went wrong during this scene, Cruz wouldn’t be able to enter the plane until after it landed. This demonstrates Cruz’s pure dedication to providing an authentic entertainment experience to the audience, keeping them on the edge of their seats.