Being arguably some of the best spy movies of the 21st century, Tom Cruise evolved the Mission: Impossible franchise into something much more than a spy movie. Though the series had such modest beginnings compared to its now billion-dollar grossing franchise, Cruise has managed to make each release an event in which he tries to outdo his own stunts with every consecutive release.
Though it’d look a lot different if the movie was produced today, the stunts that appear in the Mission: Impossible series would be nothing without the franchise’s star. The actor has so many outrageous stunts in each movie that it’s amazing he hasn't come out of them with more than a couple of broken bones.
The Rooftop Jump
Many people might not remember, but shooting for Mission: Impossible - Fallout was halted for a brief period of time due to this one stunt. Running from rooftop to rooftop in London, Cruise just shorted what looked like a 25-foot gap and broke his ankle when his foot pressed against the adjacent building. In the end, the injury was hardly worth it, as it was one of the most minor stunts in the movie.
The Morrocan Motorcycle Sequence
The increasing reliance on motorcycle scenes is one of the ways the franchise got worse, as there seems to be a bike chase in every consecutive movie at this point.
However, these scenes are still exciting. As the franchise has begun performing their stunts underwater and in the air, it’s refreshing to have a more grounded action scene. The best of the lot came in Rogue Nation, in which Cruise was racing up winding roads with his knees scraping against the tarmac in Morocco.
Dangling From The Roof
Being arguably the most iconic image of the series and what Mission: Impossible became known for. Rappelling from the roof without touching the floor is one of the most exciting action scenes of the 90s.
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It was made even more intense due to the sweat dripping down Cruise’s face. This very stunt would set the benchmark for the movies and turn it into a high octane action franchise, but compared to the death-defying stunts in the more recent movies, this one looks like child’s play.
The Bridge Attack
It may have featured Cruise running a lot, but aside from that, Mission: Impossible III was fairly lacking in stunts. The third installment had the series’ best villain and one of the best storylines, but there was only one exciting stunt worth noting.
When running along the bridge, Cruise ran as fast as he could and slammed himself into a car. He repeated the stunt several times over to make sure they had the perfect shot too.
The Helicopter Scene
Played by Henry Cavill, Lark’s identity is one of the worst storylines of the series as it’s clear from the start that he’s a double agent. But it nevertheless results in one of the most epic sequences.
As many audiences remember, Fallout ends with a helicopter battle between the two super-agents. Cruise was piloting one of the helicopters himself, as he trained for years just for this scene.
Climbing Burj Khalifa
As Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird, the animation enthusiast behind Incredibles and Incredibles 2. His take on the action series came off almost like a live-action version of that very animated series.
Arguably the best movie of the series, Ghost Protocol found Cruise climbing up the tallest building in the world in the most animated way possible, and the result is just as hilarious as it is thrilling.
Rock Climbing
Considered to be the worst Mission: Impossible movie, Mission: Impossible 2 wasn’t that memorable. It had a boring plot, no character development, and for the most part, the action was completely boring.
However, the rock-climbing scene at the beginning of the movie is one of the most terrifying stunts that Cruise has ever done - even if it is completely irrelevant to the plot and is seemingly there for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
The HALO Jump
Though the HALO jump was probably extremely safe, very few people would ever agree to do it, let alone do it 100+ times, which is how many times Cruise apparently jumped out of a plane to prep for the movie.
The HALO scene that appears in Fallout is made out of three different jumps that they filmed, and though Cruise gets a lot of credit for this, the cameraman who jumped out with him is the real hero.
Underwater Scene
For the underwater heist in Rogue Nation, Cruise reportedly held his breath for more than six minutes. The stunt coordinator was so worried that the actor’s lungs were going to fill up with water, that he kept pulling him out of the scene.
Cruise claims that he could have kept going, but it wasn’t necessary, as the end result on-screen is overwhelmingly intense and easily the best moment of the movie.
Hanging Off A Plane
Rogue Nation would already have been the best movie of the entire series in terms of stunts thanks to the Moroccan bike chase and the underwater heist alone, but the movie comes in hard as the soft opening of the film beginning, with the series’ biggest stunt ever.
Not only does Cruise jump on to the wing of a plane from a grassy hill, but he then hangs on to the plane as it literally takes off. It proves two things; Tom Cruise is a madman, but he’s also the best stuntman in Hollywood.