Tom Cruise Reveals Stunt That “Almost Broke” His Back in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

The actor opens up about the “brutal” biplane sequence that left his hands swollen and his finger joints separated, calling the film his final adventure.

August 20, 2025: Actor Tom Cruise has said that one of his most dangerous actions in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning almost cost him his back, which shows how dedicated he is to realism. In a special bonus feature that comes with the film’s latest digital release, 63-year-old actor and director Christopher McQuarrie talks about the painful biplane combat at the end of the movie.

“Oh, this nearly broke my back!” As Cruise watched the sequence where his character, IMF agent Ethan Hunt, jumps from his jet onto the wing of the wicked Gabriel’s (Esai Morales) biplane, he stated, The actor, who does all of his own stunts, was flying at about 8,000 feet and 140 miles per hour.

But the danger didn’t end there. McQuarrie remembered another time when Cruise hurt his hands badly while hanging upside down from a seatbelt. “This kept the force from getting to Tom’s finger joints,” McQuarrie stated. “By the time we were done with this part, your hands were so swollen. Oh my God, it was so hard to watch.”

Cruise said the whole thing was “brutal,” especially when he hit the side of the jet after it rolled in the air. McQuarrie said that Cruise came up with this technique on the spot since he thought it was needed for the shot.

The last movie in the long-running series, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, has made around $600 million at the box office around the world. Cruise wrote a poignant Instagram post about his 30-year career with the franchise, calling it “the adventure of a lifetime” and thanking his coworkers and fans.

Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, and Ving Rhames all star in the movie. It follows Ethan Hunt as he takes on his most dangerous assignment yet against a malevolent AI called The Entity.