Incredibly, this week sees the release of the seventh Mission: Impossible movie. As much as I enjoyed Brian De Palma’s stylized big-screen adaptation of the popular TV series back in 1996, even I wouldn’t have imagined seeing six more of these films, let alone seven (and maybe eight). No matter; I’m always down for another romp with Tom Cruise’s not-so-secret spy, Ethan Hunt, and his rotating band of supporting players. Each film is different enough to feel like a new experience, offering a wide array of fantastic stunts, set pieces, and characters to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Regarding the stunts, it’s no secret that Cruise has morphed the franchise into a vehicle to quench his thrill-seeking desires. The man dangles from ceilings, hangs underneath helicopters, and zips through traffic at high speeds on motorcycles. He’s a regular Evel Knievel and the last superstar willing to spend extra hours at the office to keep audiences flocking to cinemas.
With the release of Dead Reckoning Part One, we thought it was the perfect time to show our appreciation for Cruise and the Mission: Impossible franchise by highlighting our favorite stunts from each film. I won’t do the whole “Your mission, should you choose to accept it” line; suffice it to say this article will self-destruct in ten minutes.
CIA Break-in – Mission: Impossible (1996)
I adore the original Mission: Impossible. Sleek, stylish, and weird as hell, Brian De Palma’s unique blockbuster delivers on all fronts with its twisty-turny plot, elaborate set pieces, and Cruise’s go-for-broke performance as Ethan Hunt. The stuntwork lacks the daredevil appeal of later entries, but Cruise still willingly puts himself through the wringer for our general amusement.
Early on, he leaps from an exploding aquarium, which is quite intense according to all those behind-the-scenes documentaries. However, the show’s best moment arrives when our heroes embark on a quest to steal the NOC list from CIA headquarters. Ethan must hang over a pressurized floor in absolute silence for ten minutes, which may not sound like a difficult feat until you toss in a nosy mouse, an annoying CIA employee who can’t stop throwing up, and Jean Reno’s conniving Krieger. The result is the most iconic moment of the entire franchise, one that later entries continually reproduce in various ways. Uniquely, according to Cruise in the interview above, the shot almost didn’t come to fruition, which might have changed the trajectory of this franchise before it even started!
Leap of Faith – Mission: Impossible II (2000)
I won’t go into all the ways Mission: Impossible II sucks. Sure, there are some fun bits here and there, but this John Woo entry plays like a bad James Bond rip-off and lacks the critical spy elements that made the original such a treat.
Not for lack of trying, mind you. Cruise goes all in with the stuntwork, particularly during an extended third-act chase scene that sees our hero destroy at least 10,000 cars while riding a Triumph Speed Triple motorcycle, a muscular sequence scored to Hans Zimmer’s rock-and-roll flavored score.
Still, the most intense stunt often gets overlooked because it happens so early in the pic and functions more as a throwaway gag than a pivotal moment in the story. Said stunt sees Ethan scaling a mountain in Moab, Utah, sans safety cables. According to behind-the-scenes reports, Cruise was always in a harness or guided by a safety crewman. His stunt double Ron Kauk performed the bit where he slides to the edge, while his leap of faith was executed with digitally removed cables in post-production. That doesn’t deter from the stunt’s intensity, and kudos to Cruise for willingly putting himself out there for what amounted to little more than a pre-credit sequence.
Exploding Car – Mission: Impossible III (2006)
Mission: Impossible III ditches the high-risk stunts in favor of intimate drama with decidedly mixed results. As directed by JJ Abrams, the pic moves at a nice clip and turns Ethan into more of an everyman as opposed to the superhuman spy we saw in Mission: Impossible II, but lacks a compelling plot and too often feels like a big-budget TV movie. (Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s wicked turn as the main antagonist is the real draw here.)
While Cruise exerts himself to the nth degree, at one point running a full speed in an extended sequence in the third act, by all accounts, the most dangerous bit occurs when Ethan must evade a missile during an explosive action scene. The stunt sees our hero running towards the camera and then violently yanked to the side when the missile strikes a nearby car. Abrams shot the scene on location, using a cable to toss Cruise against a parked vehicle. Explosions were added later, and, no, the bit doesn’t trump scaling a massive tower in Dubai, but it still looks quite intense with or without the VFX.
Burj Khalifa – Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
The Burj Khalifa sequence in Ghost Protocol easily tops a short list of “holy sh*t, I can’t believe they did that” cinematic moments and might stand as the most thrilling stunt in all of the Mission: Impossible movies. By this point, interest in Mission: Impossible was waning, and the franchise required a significant boost. Cruise obliged by scaling the 160-story structure in a visually spectacular scene that gives me anxiety just thinking about it.
Personally, I always found Ghost Protocol oddly flat and disjointed. Maybe it’s Brad Bird’s simplistic direction, the paint-by-numbers plot, or Michael Giacchino’s muted score, but the fourth entry didn’t land as firmly for me as the original.
However, I admit that the Burj Khalifa sequence always grabbed my attention and is strong enough to compensate for the film’s shortcomings. My interest peaks when Ethan steps outside that window, and the camera pans down to give us a vertigo-inducing view of Dubai. It’s exciting and one of the most impressive stunts I’ve ever witnessed on the big screen.
Plane Sequence – Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015)
Rogue Nation is one hundred percent my jam. Director Christopher McQuarrie ups the ante by delivering brutal fight sequences, menacing villains, and some genuinely memorable action beats. Moreover, this is the one that introduced Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, the best supporting character this franchise has delivered thus far.
In terms of stunts, there are a handful worth fawning over. I always dug the moment when Ethan crunches his way up a pole during an early fight scene; I love the high-octane motorcycle chase at the midway point and the underwater scene that required Cruise to hold his breath for an extended amount of time.
Still, Rogue Nation is best remembered for that wild opening scene during which Ethan hangs onto the side of a cargo plane as it takes off. Strapped in with safety cables, Cruise performed the stunt several times, resulting in one helluva pre-credit sequence that kicks the fifth entry off on a high note.
Helicopter Chase – Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018)
Somehow, Christopher McQuarrie and Tom Cruise topped themselves with thrilling set pieces with Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Here, Ethan again battles the evil Solomon Lane and must complete a series of impossible tasks to save the day. Highlights include a remarkable halo jump sequence over Paris, that incredible roof leap that broke Cruise’s foot, and a kick-ass bathroom fight that sees Cruise and Henry Cavill destroy a public facility trying to take down a baddie.
Even so, the best stunt of the entire film features Cruise climbing aboard a helicopter while in midair. The actor dangles thousands of feet in the air and, at one point, falls onto a bag full of cargo in a stomach-churning moment. The fun doesn’t stop there. Ethan enters the vehicle and engages in a thrilling helicopter chase that requires Cruise to fly at high speeds. It’s an incredible moment, expertly staged by McQuarrie.
Man, I can’t wait to see how they top it.