Tom Cruise courts death in insane Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning stunt dubbed 'biggest in cinema history'

Tom Cruise is well-known for performing his own dramatic stunts, so there was hardly any doubt that he would be the perfect Ethan Hunt.

The character, after all, eats danger for breakfast, and who better to assume the role than someone who finds thrill in executing death-defying acts?

With Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise yet again proves that nothing is too much for him.

Released by Paramount Pictures, a new behind-the-scenes featurette for the movie shows the actor pulling off one of his most daring stunts to date.

The video opens with an overhead shot rolling over a cliff in Hellesylt, Norway, where the curve of a long ramp hangs over a deep, rocky plummet.

"This is far and away the most dangerous thing we have ever attempted," Cruise says in voice-over, before the scene transitions into an action sequence that involves an exciting motorcycle chase over a cliff and a parachute jump, with the iconic Mission: Impossible theme song playing in the backdrop.

It's a complex stunt, one that was brought to life by Cruise himself, who, according to film director Christopher McQuarrie, was responsible for gathering the experts needed to pull off the dangerous act.

The specifics of the entire manoeuvre, from the planning to execution stage, are detailed in the remaining length of the featurette, which also mentions Cruise's impressive haul of 500 skydives and 13,000 motocross jumps over the course of filming.

The star's dedication to stunt work comes through very evidently as well. From gauging his motorcycle's speed by ear to flying over high places with nothing but a wire, Cruise demonstrates that he really does know his stuff.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lsFs2615gw[/embed]

Mission Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One is slated for release in theatres on July 14, 2023, following a shooting hiatus brought on by Covid-19 in 2020.

It will star Cruise alongside co-stars Simon Pegg and Vanessa Kirby once again.

ALSO READ: Tom Cruise films Top Gun, Mission: Impossible delayed amid Covid-19 wave

This article was first published in Geek Culture.