Tom Cruise cheats death in risky ‘Mission Impossible’ stunt scene

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise is no stranger to high-octane action, but one of his most daring actions ever for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning nearly came at a serious cost to his health.

Behind-the-scenes reports claim that the now-viral scene, in which Cruise rides a motorcycle off a cliff before parachuting to safety, was hailed as one of the most dangerous stunts ever done in film, and with good reason.

The stunt required months of preparation, including training for motocross and skydiving, and even with careful planning, there was very little room for error.

According to sources, a small error in timing his parachute deployment could have resulted in serious injury or even death at one point during filming.

The combination of high altitude, wind, and speed made the stunt extremely dangerous; Cruise had to perform it several times to get the ideal shot.

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The Times of London recently reported that Wade Eastwood, Tom’s longtime stunt coordinator and second unit director, said that he had to be carried off the plane after becoming so exhausted from a particular stunt during filming that had him walking on the wing of a small biplane in midair.

“The audience will never really appreciate how dangerous that plane chase is,” he first noted, adding, “I have to do what I can to eliminate as much risk as possible, but there is still a lot of risk.”

“It beat the hell out of him. The wind hitting him, and the blast of the propeller, particles hitting him,” he then shared. “It was the hardest workout you could ever do; it was very dangerous and very exhausting for him.”

“Many times we were carrying him off the wing because he was so tired. And he was flying all day,” he revealed.

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