Tom Cruise’s Thrilling Stunts from the Movies That Made Him the Master of Action Cinema

Tom Cruise is the man who has redefined action cinema with his death-defying stunts. The megastar has set different standards in Hollywood, which are difficult to match. His commitment to performing stunts on his own keeps him in a different league. Who can forget his motorcycle stunt, hanging on the side of a plane, and scaling Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, each time the Mission Impossible actor entertained the audiences with his remarkable performances. When it comes to action and stunts, he is unstoppable.

Most recently, he jumped off a stadium in the Paris 2024 Olympics closing ceremony, showing his love for stunts. Each time, with something new and dangerous stunts, he brings diversity to his roles that most people love. Here, we have shortlisted Tom Cruise’s Top stunts of all time so you can revisit those mind-blowing action scenes.

Best Stunts Performed by Tom Cruise in His Career

Tom Cruise himself told many times during interviews that he always tries to push boundaries to elevate stunt scenes to another level. It is tough to pick and choose his stunts based on popularity because whatever he does in action thrillers becomes a sensation in cinema. After analyzing his Hollywood journey far, I have prepared a list of Tom Cruise stunts, giving higher rank to his most popular stunts below:

Tom Cruise Hanging on the Side of Moving Plane in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

In this breathtaking scene, a massive plane Airbus A400M took off and Cruise was seen hanging outside the plane. People were crazy to see their favorite star performing a stunt at 1000 feet and dealing with a speed of over 100 knots.

For your kind information, all safety measures were taken and the actor was tied to the plane through a wire. This stunt scene was shot eight times to ensure 100% perfection and the best version you saw in the movie.

Skydiving Stunt – The Hollow Jump in Mission: Impossible – Fallout

This one is also the most dangerous stunt by Cruise is undoubtedly his HALO skydiving in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. What makes this stunt one of the most challenging shoots for him, is that he did it with a broken ankle.

Surprisingly, Cruise attempted a total of 106 jumps in less than three weeks to execute the perfect one. All these attempts were made in the wee hours before sunrise, a perfect time of the day.

HALO jump is a kind of skydiving that is a high-altitude, low-opening skydive, where the diver attempts a free fall for a certain time and opens the parachute at a very low altitude. In the movie, Tom Cruise jumps from the C-17 plane to enter Paris.

Cruise climbing the World’s tallest tower Burj Khalifa in Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol.

This iconic scene where Tom Cruise climbs the world’s tallest tower, the Burj Kalifa at 1700 feet, is something that cannot be summed up in words here. As Tom Cruise fans, we can only feel his excellence in performing stunt scenes. This Burj Khalifa stunt remains on the list of top stunts performed by Cruise.

In the movie, Tom Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt arrives in Dubai to retrieve the nuclear launch codes. To complete the mission on time, he was seen scaling Skyscraper with the help of specialized gloves in an extraordinary stunt. Ethan Hunt of Mission: Impossible franchise always proves with his action sequences why Tom Cruise is the king of stunts.

Motorcycle Cliff Jump in Mission Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1

Tom Cruise’s cliff jump in Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 is one of the most dangerous stunts he played so far. In the scene, Ethan Hunt, played by Cruise, is riding a motorcycle at high speed off a cliff and free-falling down to earth. But, before hitting the ground, he opened the parachute and ensured a safe landing.

As per director Christoper McQuarrie, Cruise has put in every possible effort to make this stunt happen. According to a crewmember, there were a total of six takes to turn this exceptional scene into reality.

If it is a Tom Cruise movie, you can’t skip any scene, as dramatic action sequences keep you tied to your seat and don’t allow you to lose attention.

Underwater stunt Holding Breath in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

The underwater diving stunt in this movie where Tom Cruise holds breath for six minutes, steals the show. Actually, what happened in the scene, Ethan Hunt, has to retrieve the computer chip stored in a secure underwater facility to complete the mission.

He dives deep and swims toward the vault, escaping from the spinning turbine and short blades. It is a deadly mission as Cruise has to breach the complex security mechanism within a certain time. This stunt scene again proved why Tom Cruise is synonymous with action.

Tom Cruise Scaling a 2000-foot cliff in Mission: Impossible 2

In this iconic stunt scene, Tom Cruise scales a 2,000-foot cliff of Dead Horse Point in Utah. It is the opening scene of the movie, where Ethan Hunt is climbing the rock without any major safety precautions.

A severe risk was involved in this stunt scene, but Tom Cruise prioritizes cinematic excellence over his safety.

The Air combat Scenes in Top Gun Maverick

Tom Cruise shows physical and mental strength as the intense aerial combat sequences are the realistic act of battling G-forces in the jets.  In this high-speed dogfight, Cruise maneuvers the jet so professionally despite G-forces pressure. During this high-voltage fight, Cruise faced blurring vision and muscle pain.

The dramatic dives and sharp turns of the fighter plane prove Cruise’s dedication to bringing authenticity to the action scenes.

Car Crash Stunt in Collateral Movie

In Collateral, the car crash stunt is another masterpiece by Tom Cruise. Vincent, played by Tom Cruise and Jamie Fox, is a cab driver, driving in Los Angeles.

It is a brutal crash in which Max is desperate to escape Vincent’s control and intentionally cashes the vehicle, leading to the collision. The car is seen flipping and crashing dangerously, which creates a sense of unpredictability and suspense.

In an interview, Fox said when the car smashed another vehicle, he thought he almost killed Tom Cruise. That is why this Collateral stunt is considered among Cruise’s top stunts.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on Tom Cruise Stunts in upcoming movies.