Though it started as a television adaptation of a spy thriller, the Mission: Impossible series has grown into the wildest action franchise in Hollywood. The highly advanced gadgets might be impressive, but the movies really wow audiences with their incredible and outrageous action scenes.
Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt has become an iconic action hero as both the character and the actor are willing to do anything to get the job done. These movies are known for using practical methods in their action sequences, but that doesn't prevent them from being wonderfully over-the-top.
High-Speed Train Showdown - Mission: Impossible (1996)
Looking back on the first Mission: Impossible movie, fans might be surprised at the lack of huge stunts as compared to the future installments. However, the climactic battle on top of a speeding train does make for a thrilling conclusion.
As the villain attempts to escape by helicopter, Hunt climbs on top of the train and goes after him. Along with that dangerous feat, the helicopter becomes attached to the train, leading to them speeding through a narrow tunnel together. While the franchise would only get bigger, this was a suitably bombastic finale.
Hunt And Hendricks Fight In A Parking Garage - Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
The Mission: Impossible movies always go out of their way to make every situation as dangerous as possible for Hunt. In the fourth movie, Hunt chases down the villain into a parking garage with automated car lifts.
As the two men engage in a brutal brawl, the moving platforms take them up and down the complex while also throwing various expensive cars at Hunt as further obstacles. It turns into a chaotic and dangerous maze that gets more and more intense.
Motorcycle Chase Sequence - Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
Legendary action filmmaker John Woo stepped in to direct the first sequel in the series and began the shift from spy thriller to an all-out action movie. Though Woo created many wild sequences for the movie, the extended motorcycle chase is a highlight.
Hunt flees from the villains on a motorcycle as they pursue in cars. It is made very clear that Cruise is doing his own motorcycle stunts, which makes it even more engrossing. Seeing him spinning the motorcycle, firing behind him while driving, and driving through a wall of fire helps cement Hunt as a true action hero.
Hunt's Team Is Ambushed On A Bridge - Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)
After capturing a dangerous arms dealer, Hunt and his team are transferring their prisoner when a drone attacks their convoy on a bridge. A squad of mercenaries then arrives to extract the prisoner and take out the good guys.
It is an explosion-filled scene that puts Hunt and the other IMF agents in an overwhelming situation. With a hole in the bridge separating Hunt from his prisoner and various innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, it feels hopeless and a rare moment when the heroes seem outmatched.
Hunt And Walker Perform A HALO Jump - Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
Cruise had already proven he was willing to do just about anything to entertain audiences in these movies, but the HALO sequence in the sixth movie really took things to new heights (so to speak) and delivered an incredible moment.
Seeing Cruise, one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, jump out of a plane is impressive enough. But the sequence continues with Hunt diving through a lightning storm and completing a midair rescue, adding further excitement to the unbelievable feat.
Hunt Chases Walker Through London - Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
There have been some amazing chase sequences in the Mission: Impossible franchise, using all manner of vehicles. So it is quite a surprise that one of the best chases is on foot as Hunt attempts to catch the villainous Walker in Mission: Impossible – Fallout.
As Hunt's team tracks Walker on their computer, they give Hunt increasingly dangerous directions that have him sliding down rooftops and jumping out of windows. No actor runs quite like Cruise and this sequence uses that unique skill to its full potential.
Hunt Hangs On To A Plane - Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Despite there being endless action movies with sequences involving planes, none of them have pulled off something quite as epic as what is seen in the opening scene of the fifth Mission: Impossible movie.
As a plane filled with weapons is about to take off, Hunt attempts to stop it but all he can do is hang on to its side. While he is trying to figure out how to open the door and get inside, the plane takes to the skies with Hunt clinging on. This feels like the moment when it became clear how committed Cruise was to delivering a heart-pumping action movie.
Hunt's Underwater Heist - Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
The heist sequences in these movies are always so clever as Hunt and his team are faced with impossible security systems where a million things can go wrong. This inevitably forces Hunt to do something extremely dangerous to get the job done.
The fifth movie features the franchise's first underwater heist as Hunt has to hack into a computer inside of a water tank while avoiding a spinning turbine — and it is all done without an oxygen tank. The extended scene is almost unbearably intense and will have audiences holding their breath alongside Hunt the whole time.
Hunt Scales The Tower - Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
In another absurdly dangerous heist moment in the series, Hunt needs to access a security system in a hotel that happens to be the tallest building in the world. Not able to access it from inside, he is forced to scale the outside of the building and go through the window.
Any viewers who have a fear of heights may have trouble with this sequence as the camera puts them right on the side of the building with Hunt. The sweat-inducing scene also has a comedic effect as Hunt's climbing equipment keeps malfunctioning, adding even more stress to the situation.
Hunt And Walker Battle With Helicopters - Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)
As thrilling as it is to see Cruise in a solid foot chase, there is no competing with a chase sequence with helicopters flying around mountains. Mission: Impossible – Fallout caps off with this phenomenal set piece as Hunt tries to stop Walker from detonating a nuclear weapon.
It begins with Hunt hijacking a helicopter as it is inflight, then engaging Walker's helicopter in a dogfight in midair. It is an amazing stunt sequence and hard to imagine how it was pulled off, making for a brilliant cinematic experience.