I think many of us were dazzled this winter when early footage from Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1 was released. Aside from the awesome trailer, Paramount Pictures released a behind-the-scenes video of Tom Cruise performing one of the most high-flying stunts ever attempted. Cruise rides a motorcycle off of a cliff and then parachutes down off of the bike. Watching it was awe-inspiring, as it shows the Top Gun actor is willing to do anything to get a scene just right. M:I 7 director Christopher McQuarrie recently revealed that that stunt was actually shot on the first day of filming and is now revealing why he decided to start production with such a technical scene.
The actor and his director sat down with Empire, during which they talked about the much-anticipated Mission: Impossible film. Among the things they discussed was what went into shooting the death-defying motorcycle stunt performed by the 60-year-old actor. During the conversation, the director revealed that kicking things off with that scene helped production in a few key ways:
Doing that on Day One gave us all the time in the world to understand why he [Ethan] was doing what he was doing. If we sat around and tried to figure out these movies the old-fashioned way, you’d never find it, simply because it’s such a living, breathing thing.
This makes a lot of sense. The stunt is so dangerous and grandiose that attempting to shoot the scene in the middle of a long shooting schedule may have created a lot of anticipation from the cast and crew. Doing the stunt first allowed Tom Cruise to think about his character and acting performance, rather than just how he was going to perform the stunt. Also, it’s certainly an adrenaline-pumping way to kick off a movie. The actor seemed to agree with this decision, adding:
It’s never the easy road. I have a responsibility to audiences, the studio, my crew, my cast and industry. We can’t compromise just because all of these things happened. I can’t compromise the storytelling.
With all of the crazy action sequences the Mission: Impossible movies are known for, like strapping their protagonist to a plane that's taking off or having him scale the tallest building in the world, some may also forget about the storytelling. The film franchise roots all of the spectacle in character, which is one of the major reasons why it's been so successful. While the stunts may be flashy and get audiences in seats, the series wouldn’t be nearly as successful if the core storyline wasn’t interesting and wildly entertaining. I’m glad that Tom Cruise values this and makes it as much of a priority as the action.
The Oscar-nominated actor is known for holding storytelling in high regard. After all, he decided it was the right time to make Top Gun: Maverick when the writers landed on a story with an emotional core. He also loves watching movies in theaters with an audience, which shows just how much he appreciates the public's responses to his work. It's nice to know that he and Christopher McQuarrie -- two creatives with such a fondness of great movies and great stories -- are back for this newest Mission: Impossible film, and I just can’t wait to see it with a crowd!
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning- Part 1 is set to hit theaters on July 12, 2023. For more information on other anticipated summer blockbusters heading to cinemas very soon, make sure to check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases.
