Tom Cruise is a man of many talents, and he has made a name for himself in the action genre. Other franchises come to mind like James Bond, Die Hard, and Fast and Furious, but they don't live up to the work that Cruise has put into his action films. Unlike the other actors, Cruise performs all of his stunts and the majority are in the Mission: Impossible franchise.
He is known for going above and beyond and making the impossible, possible. One could say he's a real-life Ethan Hunt. Cruise has impressed his fans time and time again because each action movie of his offers even higher stakes and more dangerous stunts. Cruise has gotten himself in some pretty sticky situations, but he was able to get the shot and make a very memorable action sequence.
Updated on July 10, 2023, by Ryan Heffernan:
Tom Cruise is one of the great movie stars of modern times and is undoubtedly the biggest action hero of the 21st century so far. He has built a reputation for exhilarating thrills thanks to his willingness to tackle death-defying stunts on a regular basis. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will only further that legacy as it bursts into cinemas on July 12.
14 Infiltrating the CIA Vault
'Mission: Impossible' (1996)
The first installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise set the tone for the high-stakes action fans would be blown away by in the upcoming sequels. Director Brian De Palma added his style to the franchise and created such great tension through his visuals.
When Ethan Hunt has to break into the CIA for the disk, De Palma played into the silence of the room. The audience could hear a pin drop and see the beads of sweat forming on Hunt's brow. Cruise did this on his own, and it is easily the most memorable scene in the franchise.
13 Zero Gravity Plane Crash
'The Mummy' (2017)
While it didn’t quite become a cinematic sensation like some of Cruise’s other projects, The Mummy did still boast the actor at his death-defying best. There is a scene in the monster movie where the plane carrying the mummy’s sarcophagus is hit by a flock of kamikaze birds, seeing the plane enter a free fall in one of the film’s most chaotic sequences.
In typical Cruise fashion, the scene was a demanding shoot for the cast and crew, being filmed on the “vomit comet”, a zero-gravity aircraft used to train NASA astronauts. The scene required 64 takes across two days of filming consisting of four separate trips up in the plane.
12 The Train Chase
'Mission: Impossible' (1996)
The Mission: Impossible train chase in the wild final action sequence brought the whole movie together. This one felt so long because it came after some important information. The twists in the first installment were perfectly placed and kept the story going.
The bullet train chase had Cruise hopping over latches, hanging on the side of the train, and lastly trying to dodge a helicopter in a tunnel. Does it seem far-fetched? Sure. De Palma made it work and Cruise doing the stunts, made it even more believable.
11 Knife to the Eye
'Mission: Impossible 2' (2000)
As something of an anomaly for a Tom Cruise stunt, the knife scene in Mission: Impossible 2 didn’t contain a hell of a lot in the way of breathtaking spectacle, but whatever it lacked in grandiosity it more than made up for with heart-pounding intensity. The idea reportedly came from Cruise himself, who felt the drama could be elevated if the attackers tried to shove a knife in Ethan Hunt’s eye.
The scene was achieved by attaching the knife to a steel cable with Cruise measuring the knife’s reach and then positioning himself accordingly. The end result is probably one of the most squeamish stunts Cruise has performed in his career.
10 Cliff Climb
'Mission: Impossible 2' (2000)
It's difficult to top a first installment, especially one directed by such a legendary director as De Palma. However, John Woo stepped in for Mission: Impossible and brought his style to the franchise. This movie was a bit more flashy and campy than the first one, but it worked for those wicked action sequences.
From Cruise scaling a mountain and climbing up to the top in the opening sequence to a very engaging final action set piece, Mission: Impossible 2 is underrated. The motorcycle chase and the hand-to-hand combat, in the end, helped bookend the quality of stunts in this installment. Cruise of course topped himself in the next sequels, but watching this cliff scene for the first time was jaw-dropping.
9 Underwater Vault Mission
'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)
The underwater vault scene in Rogue Nation is probably the most intricate stunt that Cruise had to perform for the Impossible series. He trained himself before shooting to hold his breath for almost six minutes underwater. There were components to this entire scene.
The scene feels like it goes on for so long, but that's just because of the stress director Christopher McQuarrie puts the audience under with Cruise doing something this impossible. He trained himself to get to the point where he would be safe to do this stunt, but it did not stop fans from squirming in their seats while watching.
8 Motorcycle Jump to Car
'Knight and Day' (2010)
Cruise has done many action films, so when he signs on to do anything other than Mission: Impossible he comes up with his ideas. In Knight and Day, Cruise and Cameron Diaz do their stunts. There is an entire motorcycle chase with both of them that Cruise came up with the choreography for.
While performing this stunt there was no wirework and Cruise managed to leap from the motorcycle to the car without much of a struggle. While watching this scene you could tell that he was doing it on his own, and it is probably one of the coolest sequences in an action film.
7 Almost Getting Decapitated
'The Last Samurai' (2003)
The Last Samurai is a film that would be reserved for stunt doubles because of the sword action, but Cruise just got right in the action. He underwent some intense samurai and martial arts training for about a year before filming this, which paid off as it's now known as one of the best samurai movies of the 21st century.
In one scene, Cruise was riding a mechanical horse toward his co-star Hiroyki Sanada, then Sanada's horse traveled an extra step past his mark, causing his sword to almost slice the side of Cruise's neck. Knowing how much Cruise prepared for his role in this film, that little mishap didn't affect him at all.
6 The Helicopter Chase
'Mission: Impossible – Fallout' (2018)
Mission: Impossible – Fallout has come to be received as one of the most thrilling action films ever made. A major reason for that was its many astonishing stunts which, in true Tom Cruise fashion, were largely handled by the actor himself.
This included the awe-inspiring final act in which Hunt pursues the film’s antagonist as he makes his getaway in a helicopter. Including a thrilling hijacking of a second helicopter as it flies and a chase sequence through difficult terrain, the entire sequence was a relentless spectacle of deadly stunts which defied belief.
5 Hanging Off a Plane
'Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation' (2015)
When Cruise gets to Rogue Nation he has already performed some death-defying stunts, but that doesn't stop him. This installment begins with Cruise hanging on the side of an airplane as it takes off. This is incredibly dangerous because of the speed and the air pressure, but Cruise looks like he's having fun.
Right from the opening, fans are locked in for the ride with Cruise because he understands how to build these small moments throughout the film. There are small, high-stakes action scenes that eventually build up into a larger, more elaborate one later on in the film.
4 Low Flying Flyby
'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)
In Cruise's latest action film, he gets back into the co*ckpit as Maverick and actually flies an F-14 under dangerous circ*mstances. In the first Top Gun, Cruise learned how to pilot the planes, but didn't do the majority of the stunts. In Top Gun: Maverick, the action star took it upon himself to teach the rest of the cast how to fly. He took them all to school and everyone learned how to pilot an F-14. In order to up the stakes, both visually and from an action standpoint, there are cameras placed in the co*ckpit with the actors to authentically capture their reactions.
Tom Cruise has been around for decades, and he is showing no sign of stopping. As he has gotten older, he has been able to create such incredible action set pieces that make him one of the most memorable movie stars to date. For an actor to be that dedicated to his craft and meticulous in performing these stunts is impressive. No matter what action film fans have watched Cruise in, he always delivers and that's why he is so fun to watch.
3 The Halo Jump
'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' (2018)
With every Mission: Impossible film that comes out, fans wonder who Cruise will ever top the stunts in the previous installments. So with Fallout, which is the sixth movie in the long-running action franchise, Cruise upped the ante and did something he has always wanted to try... free-falling out of a plane.
The reason why the Halo jump in Fallout worked is that the camera was right on Cruise's face and not a wide shot of a stunt double. The audience could see his emotions as he tried to gather everyone else, during a thunderstorm. Only Cruise would be calm enough as an actor to perform this stunt and make it look effortless.
2 Burj Khalifa Climb
'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (2011)
Cruise can climb a mountain, scale the side of a train, and of course, climb an entire building. The Burj Khalifa wall crawl is one of the most intense moments in the Mission: Impossible franchise – and among the best action scenes of the 2010s – because of the way it was filmed. Director Brad Bird focused on aerial shots to look down on Ethan Hunt as he scales the walls.
His partner Benji (Simon Pegg) gives him these sticky gloves that help him attach to the exterior walls. Even though it was heavily edited in post, Cruise was attached to several harnesses, but he was still climbing the side of the building on his own. The idea of those sticky gloves turning red and not being able to stick, upped the stakes in this timed mission.
1 Motorbike Jump
'Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One' (2023)
The release of Dead Reckoning Part One has long been awaited by fans of action blockbusters, with the film’s marketing campaign showcasing the behind-the-scenes approach to one of the most astonishing stunts ever filmed. Described as the most dangerous stunt of Cruise’s career, it featured a motorbike jump off a cliff that saw Cruise in free fall before opening a parachute and sailing to safety.
Director Christopher McQuarie confirmed the stunt was filmed on day one of production. In addition to being able to use it as a major marketing tool, another reason for it being scheduled so early in the production was so the filmmakers and crew had as much time and money as was possible to re-consider the filming process if the stunt went bad.
NEXT: Every 'Mission: Impossible' Movie Ranked From Worst to Best
