Tom Cruise is the gold standard for action stars. He is not scared to take on challenging roles and perform death-defying stunts. He fully understands that risk is a part of the job, and is therefore unafraid to take on even bigger action roles. He continues to defy aging and still chooses to do his own stunts, no matter how difficult. The world of cinema is constantly evolving, and Cruise has been present for decades. He already began acting in the early 1980’s, and began starring in box office action films soon thereafter. It’s astounding to realize that his films have already grossed over $10 billion at the global box office, easily making him one of the most bankable actors of his generation. He inspires people all over the world with his love for his craft, and never fails to astound us with his out of this world capabilities. Here is a glimpse of the five death-defying action sequences starring Tom Cruise:
5. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Cruise tackled new heights (pun intended) in the fourth installment of the Mission: Impossible film franchise. He reprised his role as Ethan Hunt, a senior field agent for the Impossible Mission Force, an elite and top-secret agency that handles highly sensitive and dangerous international missions that are deemed almost impossible to perform. This time around, Ethan and his team are pressed for time, as they had to find a nuclear extremist who went by the codename, Cobalt, who was behind the bombing of the Kremlin after gaining access to a Russian nuclear launch code. One of the most memorable scenes in the film was when Ethan scaled the exterior of the Burj Khalifa, also known as the tallest building in the world. This takes the cake to Cruise’s long list of extremely dangerous stunts.
4. Mission: Impossible – Rouge Nation
The Mission: Impossible film franchise is every action film fanatic’s dream. With each new installment comes a new set of fearless stunts that are not for the faint of heart. Cruise continues to up his game with every portrayal, and is fully committed to giving his 110% every time. The fifth installment of the franchise had Ethan on the run from the CIA after the dissolution of the IMF. He was on another mission to prove the existence of the Syndicate, a mysterious global freelance terrorist group wreaking havoc. The scene where Ethan literally caught a plane during its take-off by jumping and climbing on top of it was heart stopping, to say the least. Cruise brings his A-game to every scene and has mastered the art of bringing us on the edge of our seats.
3. The Last Samurai
We saw another side of Cruise in the epic period action drama. He portrayed the role of Captain Nathan Algren, a respected war veteran and military officer who was hired by the Emperor of Japan to be in charge of training the country’s first Army by way of introducing the art of modern warfare. The task came with its own fair share of challenges, more so since Nathan was stationed in unfamiliar territory. He came into contact with samurai warriors and became invested in learning more about them. The scene where Nathan uses his newly acquire samurai warrior skills to defend himself from a group of ninjas showcased a flawless sword fight sequence. Cruise spent years mastering his role, and also encountered an almost fatal injury during production, which made us appreciate the critically acclaimed film even more.
2. The Mummy
Cruise starred as U.S. Army Sergeant Nick Morton, who accidentally unearths the ancient tomb of an entrapped Egyptian princess named Ahmanet, portrayed by Sofia Boutella (StreetDance 2), in the action adventure. They mythical aspect of the film was a new genre to explore, and Cruise was determined to bring something to the table. There is just something about Cruise and crazy plane stunts. The scene where Nick performed a zero-gravity stunt was something not usually seen in action films. The sequence was shot for over two days and was unedited to a certain degree to make it seem even more realistic. Cruise loves a good challenge, and this scene was a testament to the extents he would go through just to achieve a new goal.
1. Mission Impossible: Fallout
The sixth installment in the film franchise had Cruise performing one death-defying stunt after another. The film followed Ethan and his team’s quest to track down three stolen plutonium cores before the reorganized terrorist group called the Apostles get to it first. One of the most dangerous scenes that Cruise performed in the film was the HALO (high altitude, low opening) jump stunt, which Cruise even had to get certified for in order to perform. It involved jumping out of a plane that was traveling at 165 miles an hour. The scene required a lot of external factors to work perfectly, and Cruise was a trooper in making sure that everything fell into place. It would be an understatement to say that the blood, sweat, and tears were worth it.
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