Well, let’s see…
Whenever I think of Tom Cruise , I imagine the man who came closest to invincibility.
At this point in our contemporary pop culture, I think it’s unthinkable to separate the image of Tom Cruise from that of the super-powered action hero.
This man’s integrity in performing his own stunts is as commendable as his fearlessness in the face of death.
In the latest Mission: Impossible film —the fantastically thrilling Fallout —Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is back to save the world, one death-defying stunt at a time.
In the film’s first act, Hunt and CIA agent August Walker (Henry Cavill) perform a HALO (High-Altitude, Low-Open) parachute jump toward their target destination in Paris.
None of this is CGI. Cruise actually jumps out of a C-17 plane at 25,000 feet (nearly 8 km) and is followed by the camera to the ground without a stuntman. The three terrific action scenes are the result of 106 takes, in all.
He even had to go to Leavesden beforehand to undergo HALO training in a wind tunnel.
There is another scene later in the film where Hunt chases the traitor Walker across the rooftops of London.
In this image, he makes a particularly tense jump to get to the other side. The idea was for him to hit the wall, get back up, and start sprinting again.
What they didn’t consider was that Cruise legitimately broke his ankle when his foot hit the wall first.
In the next shot, you see Hunt climb back onto the roof as planned and continue the chase, albeit with a limp. That’s his broken ankle.
Finally, as a triple-barrelled justification for why Tom Cruise is legitimately paid millions, you see him piloting a helicopter in the film’s climax and hanging off the side of it as he chases Walker to the end.
Criticize the man for his apparent lack of acting skills, but that should be enough to prove why Cruise remains as relevant as ever.
Peace and love.
A short and happy life.