Tom Cruise has rewritten action filmmaking yet again with his latest high-risk stunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. At 62 years young, he continues to push the boundaries of what is possible, crafting scenes that leave audiences spellbound.
In this latest installment, Cruise again pushes his reputation as a daredevil to new heights—literally. The sequence was incredible. He’s seen clinging to the wing of a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane as it turns upside down at 10,000 feet. Shot against the dramatic landscapes of South Africa, the sequence is a visually breathtaking tribute to his dedication to realism and immersive filmmaking.
The risks involved in this stunt were all too real. Filming aerial stunts at such dizzying heights took a lot of training, particularly in controlling his breathing not to pass out. Cruise acknowledged that during rehearsals, he blacked out, but his grueling training paid off with a perfect shot when actual filming started. Director Christopher McQuarrie stated that the sequence ranked amongst the most grueling in the series’ history.
Cruise’s insistence on performing his stunts has been a signature of his career for years. He believes realistic action involves the audience more, and every heart-pounding sequence is real. He has performed some of Hollywood’s most dangerous stunts throughout the years:
Scaling the Burj Khalifa: In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), he climbed the world’s tallest building without stunt doubles.
Hanging off an Airplane: In Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), he clung to the side of an Airbus A400M as it took off.
HALO Jump: In Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), he performed a high-altitude, low-opening skydive from 25,000 feet.
Motorcycle Cliff Jump: In Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), he rode a motorcycle off a cliff before deploying a parachute mid-air.
Fans have taken to social media to hail him, with many stating Cruise to be the only true action hero in an era of CGI-filled blockbuster releases. His commitment to working with practical effects and high-energy sequences continues to differentiate him in Hollywood.
With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning having a 2025 opening date of May 23, everyone is already thinking about what brain-twisting feat he will attempt next. Cruise has guaranteed one thing—he will not slow down anytime soon. As long as Cruise stands in front of a camera, action movies will never be the same again.
