A Wild Ride in the Sky
Tom Cruise, 62, did something amazing for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the eighth movie in the action series, coming out on May 23, 2025. In a scene filmed in South Africa, he hangs onto a yellow 1930s biplane flying 8,000 feet up, with winds hitting 140 miles per hour. He’s upside down, climbing between the plane’s wings, and even jumps to another plane—all without a stunt double or fake effects! Fans on X are freaking out, with one saying, “Tom’s out here risking his life again!”
Why This Stunt Is Nuts
This stunt, shown in trailers and behind-the-scenes videos, is one of the wildest in Mission: Impossible. Tom trained for over a year, practicing in flight simulators and doing tons of test flights to handle the crazy wind and speed. Director Christopher McQuarrie told The Guardian that Tom got stuck on the wing once, so tired he could barely move, with the plane almost out of fuel. “We weren’t sure if he was okay,” McQuarrie said at Cannes. Tom told The Tonight Show it was hard to breathe up there, saying, “The wind makes it feel impossible!”
Tom Ignored the Warnings
Pro wing-walkers told Tom the stunt was too dangerous, but he didn’t listen. McQuarrie said at Cannes that when experts said it couldn’t be done, Tom just said, “Thanks for your input,” and did it anyway. The stunt had tricky moves like spins and loops, with Tom helping position the plane for the cameras. His stunt guy, Wade Eastwood, told The Times they had to carry Tom off the plane after some takes because he was so worn out. One X fan called it “the most epic stunt ever!”
How They Made It Happen
Filming was tough. McQuarrie watched from a helicopter, using hand signals to talk to Tom since radios didn’t work on the wing. He even stood on the helicopter’s edge to see better, saying it felt “like another world.” They used safety ropes (erased later) to keep Tom safe, but he still faced wild winds and propeller blasts. Tom told Empire he passed out a few times because it was hard to get air at 120 mph. His Instagram video shows cameras catching every angle, proving it was all real.
Part of a Huge Movie
The biplane stunt is just one piece of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, where Tom’s character, Ethan Hunt, fights an AI bad guy called The Entity. The movie also has an underwater submarine scene and another secret stunt McQuarrie says is even scarier, telling Empire, “It stressed me out!” With stars like Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, and Ving Rhames, it follows Dead Reckoning’s big ending. The biplane scene is a fan favorite, with X posts saying, “Tom’s stunts make this movie a must-see!”
What Fans and Critics Say
Fans are super excited, but some X reviews, like from
@Chrissuccess, say the movie starts slow, though the biplane and submarine parts are “awesome.” Others, like
@TheCinesthetic, love that it’s all real, posting, “No fake effects, just Tom at 8,000 feet!” Critics call it a huge spectacle, but some worry the $400 million budget and three-hour runtime might not work for everyone. Variety says Tom’s “the last real action hero” because of his commitment.
Why Tom Keeps Doing Stunts
Tom says these stunts make Ethan Hunt’s story and Mission: Impossible special. He told IndieWire it’s about giving fans a real thrill, not just a cool moment. At Cannes, he said, “I’m okay with the unknown—it’s just a feeling.” From climbing the world’s tallest building to biking off cliffs, his stunts are legendary. If this is the last Mission: Impossible, Tom’s going out big, and fans can’t wait to see it in theaters.
