Part of the grand appeal and excitement for the Mission: Impossible franchise comes from the stunt work of Tom Cruise. There is no denying the electric performance of this quintessential Hollywood figure, and his on-screen work speaks for itself. Across all Mission Impossible movies, Tom Cruise has committed to some daring stunts, and Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One features some of his very best yet.
In Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One, audiences can expect more than a few surprises, shocks, and thrills when it comes to the stunts that Tom Cruise pulls off. Tom Cruise’s best stunts in Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One range from a variety of exhilarating moments to providing fans with exciting action.
This article contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
6 Horse Riding Through The Desert
Towards the beginning of Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom Cruise is seen committing to some horse work in the desert. It’s always fun to see actors work with horses, as it harks back to the days of old with the Western genre. However, it cannot be understated that working with animals, especially in a film, can be dangerous work for both parties.
To see how Tom Cruise rides a horse, and how he manages to keep it on the ground for the needed scenes, is impressive work. Although it might not be as impressive as flying to space or climbing a building, it’s still noteworthy stunt work.
5 Alleyway Brawl
As Ethan Hunt is led astray by the disguise of The Entity, he finds himself cornered, trapped in a tight-fitted alleyway in Italy. In this alleyway, Ethan Hunt must fight off two attackers, with barely any room to breathe or stretch his muscles for an ensuing fight that ensures only one will survive in this two-vs-one battle.
The fight itself shows the impressive choreography for this battle between Tom Cruise and his two aggressors. It’s fun to see him manage to pull off some exciting and tense fight scenes in such an uncomfortable and tight environment such as a dark and tightly fitted alleyway.
4 Classic Tom Cruise Run
Everyone adores the Tom Cruise run. The famous actor and producer’s Twitter bio reads “Running in movies since 1981.” People adore his run for how unique it is, and how unapologetically fast it is. This isn’t an ordinary run or jog from an actor who just wants to get from point A to point B, this is a run of dedication because there are lives on the line, and Tom Cruise proves that.
In every Mission: Impossible movie, Tom Cruise will run like the wind, and Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One is no different. There are a few scenes where fans can expect the Tom Cruise run, and considering just how fast he sprints, and with obstacles in the way, it’s impressive stunt work that he hasn’t collided head-first with a wall or tripped over.
3 Driving A Fiat 500 (While Handcuffed)
In one of the many electrifying scenes in Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt is handcuffed to Grace, and the two use a getaway car of an electric Fiat 500 to make their escape from the Italian police, U.S. agents, and the mysterious antagonist, Paris. What’s so fun about this scene is how real the stunt work feels.
Within this action-packed chase scene, Tom Cruise drives a Fiat 500 through the bustling streets of a populated Italian city. Although many mopeds were harmed during the making of this movie, it’s safe to say that Tom Cruise knows what he is doing behind the wheel, even if that is with one hand driving the gearshift and steering.
2 Fighting On Top Of A Moving Train
Another fight scene that will excite audiences in Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One involves Tom Cruise fighting a knife-wielding assailant on top of a moving train. For most films, this would be simple choreography with a green screen, but as usual, Tom Cruise goes all out. The actor did stand on top of a moving train to film some parts of this fight.
It adds to the realism of the stunt work, and to see Tom Cruise on a moving train, all whilst remembering the well-choreographed fight of Ethan Hunt and Gabriel, makes for a more fitting and tense battle. Despite the realism of the train, let’s hope the knives were just props.
1 Riding A Motorcycle Off A Cliff (Then Parachuting)
Perhaps the largest part of marketing when it comes to Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One involves the death-defying stunt of Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff, in which he will jump from the motorcycle and deploy his parachute. The precision and timing must be perfect to pull this off, and one wrong move could spell the end, but as always, Tom Cruise knows what he is doing, and pulls it off.
The scene from Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One in which Tom Cruise rides a motorcycle off a cliff is nail-bitingly tense, and it’s one of his best pieces of stunt work yet. Considering how well the stunt was pulled off, and how masterfully Tom Cruise managed to guide his parachute through the air, it begs the question of what amazing stunts fans can expect in Mission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Two.