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The king of action is back to turn one last impossible mission possible. After 29 years, Tom Cruise is finally saying goodbye to his defining role as Ethan Hunt in the final movie of the series, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. In a franchise already etched among cinema’s greats, Cruise promises to bow out with stunts even he has never attempted before.
We love Mission: Impossible for its iconic recurring lines like “Your mission, should you choose to accept it.” We love it for its unforgettable theme song. But most of all, we love it because we get to see Tom Cruise challenge himself. With each installment, he pushes himself further, showing us what a performer can achieve when they are fully dedicated to their craft. And it’s not just that he pulls it off every single time — it’s how he relishes the opportunity to entertain us.
The last time we saw Ethan and his gang, they had narrowly outwitted a Machiavellian AI system called “The Entity,” which seeks to take over the world. But unlike previous installments, Ethan hasn’t fully defeated the villain. Before the movie ended, he had already accepted his next mission: To finally switch off The Entity, now lodged in a Russian submarine submerged somewhere in the middle of the ocean. Fittingly, the cliffhanger ended with yet another life-altering Tom Cruise stunt — jumping off a motorcycle from an actual cliff and gliding onto a train with a parachute.
This marriage of stunt and story has become a staple of the series. Whether scaling the Burj Khalifa or gripping onto an Airbus during takeoff, there’s always something thematic woven into the spectacle. That’s why when Empire Magazine reported that director Christopher McQuarrie teased more stunts, excitement erupted. In one scene already causing buzz online, Cruise is expected to hang upside-down from a 1930s Boeing Stearman biplane. The scene, shot in real life 10,000 feet above South Africa, pushed even Cruise to his limits. As McQuarrie revealed to the magazine:
“There are stunts in this movie that will melt your brain. There would be a day in Africa — any day in Africa — where Tom would go out and do something that topped anything he had ever done before.”
Cruise himself also gave a firsthand perspective, stating:
“When you stick your face out, going over 120 to 130 miles an hour, you’re not getting oxygen. So I had to train myself how to breathe. There were times I would pass out physically; I was unable to get back into the cockpit.”
A clip already teased on Tom Cruise’s official X account shows McQuarrie flying in a nearby helicopter, watching Cruise hang for dear life — and our entertainment. The clip is laughable because even McQuarrie seems astonished by Cruise’s resolve, but at the same time, the actor’s admission reminds us that at the end of the day, he is bound by his limitations as a human being — it is just his relentless determination that never lets him quit. His next film would most probably see him doing even more dangerous stunts.
If you’re worried they may have ruined the big reveal, don’t fret. It’s understandable, though, since true set-piece spectacles always carry an element of surprise, and modern Hollywood marketing trends sometimes over-familiarize fans with movies they haven’t even seen yet. That said, McQuarrie promises other stunts remain under wraps, including one involving an underwater challenge and another unspecified feat the director guarantees won’t go unnoticed. And, judging by the trailer, it all looks spectacular.
This is Tom Cruise’s last tango. And given the pandemic robbed us of a proper farewell for Daniel Craig as our most beloved spy across the pond, this is our chance to join hands and bid a hearty goodbye to Ethan Hunt and his team. If reports are anything to go by, people are apparently having heart attack scares at test screenings, so buckle up.