19 times Tom Cruise left us mind-blown with his own stunts in Hollywood

Tom Cruise does not just act in action movies. He does the stunts himself. He has climbed the tallest building in the world. He has jumped out of planes at 25,000 feet. He has held onto a moving plane. He broke bones while filming and kept going. If there is a dangerous stunt in a Mission: Impossible movie, he probably did it for real. He does it to make the action look real. He trains for months to get every stunt right. Tom Cruise is known for doing whatever it takes to ensure the audience believes what they are watching.

Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Readers’ discretion is advised.

1. Hanging Off the Side of a Plane – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Tom Cruise didn’t just fake this scene with CGI or green screens. He strapped himself to the side of an Airbus A400M as it took off. The plane reached 1,000 feet in the air while he hung on with only a safety harness. Wind speeds hit over 250 mph, and debris could have blinded him. He did eight takes of this stunt, knowing a single misstep could be fatal. No other actor would even attempt this, but for Cruise, realism was everything. The scene instantly became one of the most memorable moments in Mission: Impossible history, proving that practical stunts still matter.

2. HALO Jump – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

This wasn’t just a regular skydive. Cruise became the first actor to do a real High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jump on camera. He jumped from 25,000 feet at 200 mph with a military-grade oxygen mask, since the altitude was too high to breathe. A single mistake could have knocked him unconscious mid-air. He trained for over a year, completing more than 500 jumps to get it right. The jump added a level of realism no visual effects could match. It wasn’t just a stunt—it made the opening sequence of Fallout feel like something no action movie had ever done before.

3. Climbing the Burj Khalifa – Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Cruise didn’t just film from a set—he climbed the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world. He ran along glass windows, dangled by a single cable, and even leaped between sections of the building, all from 1,700 feet above the ground. Winds at that height are strong enough to throw a person off balance. Even professional stuntmen would have hesitated, but Cruise made sure the sequence was as real as possible. The stunt turned a great action movie into a global spectacle. The image of him clinging to the skyscraper became one of the most iconic shots in modern cinema.

4. Motorcycle Chase Without a Helmet – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Cruise didn’t just ride a motorcycle—he sped through Paris traffic at over 100 mph without a helmet or protective gear. Unlike most actors who use controlled sets, he performed the chase in real streets, weaving between real cars. One wrong move could have sent him flying into traffic. He spent months training to control the bike at high speeds, relying on skill instead of CGI. The danger was real, but it made the sequence one of the most intense in the film. Seeing him ride without a helmet added a layer of risk no other actor would have attempted.

5. Free Solo Rock Climbing – Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Cruise opened Mission: Impossible II by free solo climbing Utah’s Dead Horse Point, 2,000 feet above the ground, without a rope or net. While he had a harness for safety, the climbing was real. He dangled from ledges with his fingertips, performed a risky jump between rocks, and held his body weight with one arm. Professional climbers admitted how difficult the stunt was. Even with safety precautions, one slip could have been deadly. It set the tone for the entire film, showing Ethan Hunt as someone willing to risk everything, just like Cruise himself.

6. Knife-to-the-Eye Fight – Mission: Impossible II (2000)

Most actors would use camera tricks or CGI for a knife fight this intense. Tom Cruise refused. He wanted a real knife inches from his eye. His co-star, Dougray Scott, pressed the blade toward him while a cable measured the exact stopping point—just millimeters from his cornea. One slip or miscalculation could have blinded him. Cruise insisted on absolute realism because a fake-looking fight would have ruined the scene’s intensity. The close-up became one of the most nerve-wracking moments in the film, proving how far he was willing to go for authenticity.

7. The Helicopter Chase – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Cruise didn’t just sit inside a helicopter while someone else flew. He trained for over 2,000 hours to fly it himself, performing dangerous spirals and nose-dives in a real Airbus H125 through narrow mountain passes. At one point, he steered the chopper into a full corkscrew descent, a move even professional pilots consider risky. A single mistake could have sent him crashing into the cliffs. No other A-list actor has ever attempted something this complex.

8. Scaling a Rooftop and Breaking His Ankle – Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018)

The rooftop chase in Fallout wasn’t just another running scene. Cruise had to sprint across London rooftops and leap between buildings. On one take, he mistimed the jump and slammed his foot into the edge of the next building. His ankle snapped on impact. Instead of stopping, he pulled himself up and kept running to finish the scene. That was the shot used in the final film. The injury delayed production, but it also proved how much Cruise was willing to endure to get a perfect action sequence.

9. Underwater Heist – Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Cruise didn’t rely on quick edits or special effects for the underwater sequence in Rogue Nation. He held his breath for over six minutes, undergoing months of freediving training to prepare. This wasn’t just about endurance—he had to act while doing it, swimming through an underwater vault without air. Most actors would have filmed this in short bursts, but Cruise wanted one continuous shot to keep the tension real.

10. Car Chase in Paris – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Most actors let stunt drivers handle car chases. Cruise doesn’t. For Fallout, he drove a BMW M5 through Paris at full speed, drifting through narrow alleyways and weaving between real traffic. There was no green screen, no controlled set, and no room for error. He trained extensively to handle high-speed maneuvers, including reverse 180s and handbrake turns at extreme angles.

11. Dangling from a Cliff – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Tom Cruise rode a motorcycle off a cliff in Norway and BASE-jumped into a valley. No tricks, no green screen—just him, a bike, and a parachute. He did it six times to get the perfect shot. The stunt required a massive ramp built on the edge of a mountain, where he accelerated before launching into the air. If anything went wrong—if the bike flipped, if the parachute failed—it would have been fatal. This became one of the most daring stunts in cinema history.

12. Speed Flying – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Speed flying is not normal paragliding—it is much faster and much more dangerous. Cruise trained with experts for months to master it, controlling a small, high-speed canopy while descending steep mountains at terrifying speeds. The stunt required him to maneuver inches from rocky cliffs, with no second chances if he miscalculated. No actor had ever attempted speed flying on this scale for a film. The result was an action sequence that felt completely real because it made the scene impossible to look away.

13. Hanging from a Moving Train – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Most train scenes are filmed in a controlled environment. Cruise climbed onto a real moving train and hung off the side as it sped through the countryside. The scene required perfect timing—if he lost his grip, there was nothing to stop him from falling. He rehearsed extensively to ensure he could hold on as the train accelerated. The realism made a massive difference. Instead of a CGI-heavy action scene, audiences got one of the most intense train sequences ever put on film, with actual risk behind every moment.

14. Knife Fight on Top of a Speeding Train – Mission: Impossible (1996)

Cruise fought a knife-wielding assassin on top of a moving train for the climax of the first Mission: Impossible. The wind force was so intense that he had to be strapped down for certain shots to keep from being thrown off. He worked with fight choreographers to make sure every move was precise because a mistimed step could have been disastrous. This scene set the tone for the franchise, proving that Cruise wasn’t just another action star—he was willing to put himself in real danger to sell the moment.

15. Car Hanging Off a Cliff – Mission: Impossible II (2000)

One of the most intense moments in Mission: Impossible II had Tom Cruise gripping the edge of a cliff while holding onto Thandiwe Newton’s character inside a dangling car. Instead of relying on a green screen, Cruise performed the stunt with a real car positioned over a steep drop. He had to hang onto the vehicle as it teetered on the edge, with only a few inches keeping it from falling. The tension in the scene was real because the danger was real. Cruise’s commitment made the moment unforgettable.

16. Driving a Car Backward at High Speeds – Jack Reacher (2012)

Tom Cruise handled his own stunt driving in Jack Reacher. He trained to control a muscle car at high speeds and performed the entire chase himself. One of the hardest scenes had him reversing at full speed while keeping the car steady. Professional stunt drivers usually handle this, but Cruise wanted it real. There was no CGI, no faking it. The scene became one of the film’s highlights because it looked and felt real.

17. Holding Onto a Helicopter – Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Cruise hung onto the landing skids of a helicopter as it took off. He had no wires holding him in place, and the height was real. He then pulled himself inside mid-flight, something most actors wouldn’t risk. If he lost his grip, there was nothing to stop him from falling. The danger was real, and that is what made the scene stand out. No special effects or green screens, just Cruise doing what no one else would.

18. Sword Fighting on a Galloping Horse – The Last Samurai (2003)

Cruise learned sword fighting and horseback riding for The Last Samurai. During one scene, his mechanical horse failed to stop, sending him toward co-star Hiroyuki Sanada, who was swinging a real sword. Sanada stopped just inches from Cruise’s neck. If he hadn’t, Cruise could have been seriously injured. The risk made the scene look real because it was. The training, the danger, and the commitment made the action feel completely authentic.

19. Escaping the Falling Train – Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Tom Cruise performed the train escape scene with real, practical effects. The sequence had him climbing through train cars as they disconnected and fell into a ravine. Instead of CGI, a massive rig tilted the cars in real-time, forcing Cruise to jump between sections as they collapsed. Every movement had to be precise. A single mistake could ruin the shot. The practical effects made the scene intense and real, proving why Mission: Impossible stunts stand out.