Tom Cruise isn’t just starring in Mission: Impossible — the man is the mission. Ever since 1996, he’s been taking death-defying stunts into his own (very capable) hands, giving us jaw-dropping action moments that feel more real because, well, they are real. No green screens. No stunt doubles. Just pure adrenaline, sweat, and a whole lot of “did he seriously just do that?!”
Let’s break down two insane stunts from the upcoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning and revisit three of the most unforgettable moments from previous films. Buckle up.
1. The Upside-Down Biplane Hang
Okay, this is just unhinged. In The Final Reckoning trailer, we see Cruise literally hanging off the wing of a vintage biplane — upside down — while it’s flipping through the sky at 130mph. That’s not CGI. That’s Cruise, clinging on for dear life in freezing air, where breathing becomes a whole separate challenge. He trained himself how to breathe in that situation because yes, he was actually passing out mid-stunt. Who even thinks of doing this, let alone follows through? Only Tom.
2. The Underwater Breath Hold
Apparently, six minutes underwater with zero oxygen is just another day on set for Mr. Cruise. For a submarine sequence in The Final Reckoning, he pulled off what director Christopher McQuarrie called the most intense challenge yet. And get this — after all that, McQuarrie still said: “I’d never ask Tom to do that again.” So yeah, if Tom says this one pushed him to the edge, believe it.
3. The Burj Khalifa Climb (Ghost Protocol)
This one’s basically the crown jewel of Mission: Impossible stunts. Cruise scaled the actual Burj Khalifa — the world’s tallest building — using only some high-tech magnet gloves (one of which, in classic Ethan Hunt fashion, malfunctions mid-climb). Just watching it made our palms sweat. The man was dangling 830 meters in the air. Paddington parodied it and We still haven’t recovered.
4. The Plane Hang (Rogue Nation)
When Rogue Nation opens with Cruise clinging to the side of an ascending military cargo plane, you instantly know what kind of movie you’re in. No tricks here — he legit hung onto that Airbus A400M while it took off. The wind, the cold, the chance of actual bird strikes — nothing stopped him. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more scared,” he admitted later. Honestly, same.
5. The Bike Cliff Jump (Dead Reckoning Part One)
If the Oscars had a “Best Stunt” category, this one wins. In Norway, Cruise rode a dirt bike straight off a cliff and BASE-jumped mid-air. He trained for years, logging over 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps. No green screen. No backup plan. Just a whole lot of commitment and the absolute guts of a legend. It’s one of those scenes where the audience went totally silent — not out of boredom, but sheer disbelief.
Honestly, at this point, Mission: Impossible is less about espionage and more about watching Tom Cruise try to cheat death in a new way every time. And we’re so here for it. The fact that The Final Reckoning might be the last ride just means one thing — he’s saving the wildest for last.
Sources: Screenrant, The Conversation, Odeon
