Christopher McQuarrie, writer-director of “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” described the extreme lengths and death-defying risks that were taken for one of Tom Cruise’s stunts.
McQuarrie said that in addition to riding a motorcycle off a cliff and learning the art of speed-flying, Cruise also fought co-star Esai Morales on the roof of a specially-built train that moved at 60 miles per hour. The actors were literally strapped to the top of a speeding train in Norway, all for the sake of the movie, according to Variety. “When we started talking about this movie in the terms of a sense of adventure, an action sequence on a train is something we always wanted to do,” McQuarrie said.
This train sequence was tricky, but the outcome made it all worth it. I can’t wait for everyone to see it come to life! pic.twitter.com/z067kFLIku
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) July 5, 2023
Everyone understood the risks involved in such a stunt, and persevered through the challenge.
“We wanted to build upon the previous films and apply that knowledge to something practical and real and bring this train sequence to another level,” McQuarrie told Variety.
McQuarrie explained the huge undertaking that was involved.
“There was not a surplus of trains available to be wrecked,” he said. “We had to build the train if we wanted to destroy it.”
Constructing the train was just one of the complexities they faced. “To shoot it practically was extremely challenging. Not just to execute it, but to design all of the different train carts that could function on a real train track,” he said.
The element of risk and danger was prevalent.
“I’ve done fight scenes, but to do them on a moving train is trial by fire,” Morales said. “But that’s how Tom like to do things,” he said.
McQuarrie previously described speed-flying as “one of the most dangerous sports in the world,” and compared it to paragliding. The difference is the flier stands closer to the slope to pick up more speed, according to Variety. He noted that staying closer to the slope significantly increased the chance of collision with land.
“It’s a very beautiful and delicate sport,” Cruise said.
“We’re gonna do spirals, and we’re landing at an incredibly high speed, over 80 kilometers an hour,” he stated.
Cruise is no stranger to death-defying stunts. The movie also includes scenes in which the famous actor rides a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff — a stunt executed on the very first day of filming, according to Variety.
“I was training and I was ready,” Cruise said. “You have to be razor sharp when you’re doing something like that.” (RELATED: This Dare-Devil Stunt By Tom Cruise Will Make Your Heart Skip A Beat)
“It was very important as we were prepping the film that it was actually the first thing. I don’t want to drop that and go shoot other things and have my mind somewhere else. Everyone was prepped. Let’s just get it done,” he said.
“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” is slated to premiere July 12.