Which of every Mission: Impossible film had the finest stunts?
Tom Cruise and the Mission: Impossible series is well-known for its crazy and death-defying stunts, but which one really shines? The greatest stunts from every film are broken out here:
Langley CIA Break-In: Mission Impossible (1996)
Including what would eventually become one of the most memorable scenes in action movie history, the first Mission Impossible film most certainly struck the ground running. Ethan finds himself hung mid-air deep inside a guarded CIA facility in Langley so as not to trip the motion sensor alarms. He is assigned to break in order to recover a list of covert agents presently undercover in Eastern Europe. Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) is holding his weight; he nearly drops Ethan, who ends up hanging only inches from the floor, when scared by a rodent in the vents. The way this scenario builds suspense is a master class. It truly sets the stage for the rest of the franchise and is suspenseful, terrifying, and nail-biting.
Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) - Knife Fight
Though the second Mission: Impossible film usually considered as the weakest of the group, this does not stop the movie from continuing to improve the stunt game. Certainly, Ethan's struggle against Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott), the movie's antagonist, marks the most amazing moment of stuntwork in Mission: Impossible 2. Midway through the struggle, Ambrose pulls out a knife; during a quick skirmish, he ends up with the blade a quarter of an inch away from Ethan's eyeball.
Since Cruise insisted on using a genuine knife and Scott was advised to exert as much force as possible, this stunt is particularly intense. The end effect is a quite intimate and brutal moment remaining as remarkable as it was upon movie release. Tom Cruise's eagerness to challenge himself and the franchise to the utmost is really admirable since this stunt reminds us that even "little" stunts can be rather risky.
Goals: Impossible III (2006) - Bridge Attack
After a disappointing second film, the franchise took off once more with the release of Mission: Impossible III, an amazing stunt-packed production. Particularly the scene where Ethan's convoy is mercilessly attacked by mercenaries who extract Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an armaments dealer being transferred by the IMF, stands out as the host of an amazing stunt sequence. From high stakes, severe near-misses with rockets, and—of course— Cruise performing what he does best with stunts, the stuntwork on exhibit here is nothing less than legendary. Action, suspense, and near misses abound in the scene, which is evidence of Cruise's dedication to stretching the possibilities in action films. It's also a fantastic illustration of how consistently pushing the edge and experimenting has been the focus of the Mission: Impossible series.
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - Burj Khalifa Climbing
Perhaps the second most famous stunt in the whole series came with the release of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. In order to stop the illicit sale of nuclear codes, Ethan must ascend from the 123rd floor to the 130th floor of the Burj Khalifa, the highest structure in the world, in this scene—now a watershed moment for action movie stunts. Once more, the Mission: Impossible series generates a great sense of suspense here as Ethan's suction gloves gradually fail and he must leap faithfully believing he only just survives.
Although Cruise used a harness for safety, this stunt is one for the books given the sheer height and accurate depiction of the climb's risk. The stunt is a visual feast and a perfect illustration of how constantly searching the Mission: Impossible series for methods to up the stakes in terms of the stunts. Often regarded as one of the most amazing, and indeed, stomach-churning stunts of the whole series, this act truly brought the Mission: Impossible franchise to hitherto unheard-of, dizzyingly tall heights. It emphasizes the whole range of what the franchise is able to accomplish for tremendous impact.
Target: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) - Attaching Onto A Plane
One of those few shows where every new film looks even better than the previous is Mission Impossible; the same is true of its stunts. How would they possible top the highest skyscraper in the world? The solution is for Ethan to grab onto an Airbus A400M flying off in an effort to stop the fatal nerve gas shipment. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation increased the standard for stuntwork once more through this crazy sequence, not only for its franchise but also for action films generally.
Cruise insisted once more on doing this feat himself and without using any green screen technology. The actor landed after hanging to the aircraft in a safe harness no fewer than eight times as it took off, circled in the air for a few minutes. The flight was 5,000 feet in the air at moments; for perspective, the Burj Khalifa is only 2,722 feet at its top! This stunt is evidence of Cruise's commitment to his trade and his readiness to risk all for the benefit of realism. Though it wouldn't be genuine, the scene is really amazing and would have been fantastic even otherwise. The fact that it was makes it all the more remarkable.
2018's Mission: Impossible - Fallout - The Building Jump
In order to capture the ideal stunt, Ethan and Cruise pushed themselves physically in the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible series Although the helicopter pursuit in the latter act is surely famous, the best stunt from Mission: Impossible – Fallout happens much earlier in the movie as Ethan pursues August Walker (Henry Cavill) across London's rooftops. Ethan leaps across a great distance between two buildings and barely makes it across at a moment most obviously defying the laws of gravity.
Though on a far smaller scale than climbing the Burj Khalifa or hanging onto an aircraft, this stunt has become well-known for a major reason: it caused a very real injury that stopped production. Cruise executed the stunt with a sophisticated harness arrangement meant to launch him across the towers. Sadly, the actor's ankle fractured upon striking the wall at an angle that would make one shudder. Fallout's marketing uses this footage, which shows the extent Cruise and the franchise will go to keep real stunts. Still, the last cut of the movie seems to alternate with a different view of Cruise striking the building, therefore preserving the underlying danger of the stunt. This stunt shows that the Mission: Impossible series is not hesitant to expose the viewers the risks these performers are running. It is real.
Driving a Motorcycle Off A Mountain: Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Unquestionably, the most ridiculous—but yet really cool—stunt in the series comes from the most recent Mission: Impossible film. In an attempt to get on a train bearing a key unlocking the source code for the AI cyber weapon, Ethan is riding a motorcycle across a mountain. Ethan rides his motorcycle off the mountain before deploying a parachute and gently landing on the train in a flash of sheer exhilaration described by Paramount as the "Biggest Stunt in Cinema History."
For the stunt, Cruise himself actually rode a motorcycle off a mountain in Norway; but, what's more is that there were absolutely no harnesses used. Simply Cruise, a motorcycle, and his parachute! This performance is evidence of Cruise's commitment to his trade and his readiness to do almost anything to fully inhabit his role. Most certainly, this will be one of the most famous feats of all time since it is a very amazing event that beyond the possibilities in Movies.
