Mission: Impossible 7’s Speed Wing Scene Was Leagues More Dangerous Than Skydiving
Much has been made over Tom Cruise’s incredible motorcycle jump off a cliff in the latest installment of the “Mission Impossible” franchise. The stunts that Cruise achieves in camera require thousands of man hours and meticulous preparation to ensure that the biggest movie star on planet Earth is virtually guaranteed to make it safely back on the ground.
Nearly every frame of “Dead Reckoning – Part One,” the seventh entry in the action series, puts Cruise in danger in some, way, shape or form, usually at the actor’s request. The trick is to be able to make those calculated risks as predictable and reproducible as humanly possible. There’s also the question of whether or not it’s going to be a thrilling sequence to the audience, or more of a notch in Cruise’s belt, now that he’s mastered another stunt.
For example, take the parachuting sequence towards the end of “Dead Reckoning – Part One,” which actually showcases an aerial sport called Speed Flying, one that Cruise has spent years learning how to do. In a recent making-of featurette for the film, Skydive/BASE/Speed Flying Coordinator Jon Devore points out that Cruise is “doing a sport very few people on this planet do.” It also happens to be one of the most dangerous sports in the world, due to its close proximity to the ground at incredibly high speeds.
Mission: Impossible 7’s Speed Wing Scene Was Leagues More Dangerous Than Skydiving
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