Tom Cruise reveals his ‘brutal’ injury on Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Tom Cruise “almost broke [his] back” during the biplane action sequence in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
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Tom Cruise “almost broke [his] back” during a dangerous stunt in Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning.
The 63-year-old actor returned as IMF agent Ethan Hunt for the last time in the 2025 action blockbuster, and Cruise has now recalled the one stunt that nearly went too far.
Watching the biplane battle between Ethan and the evil Gabriel (Esai Morales) with Entertainment Weekly, the Top Gun: Maverick star said: “Oh, this almost broke my back!”
In the sequence, Ethan has jumped from his plane onto Gabriel’s, and is barely hanging on as the villain does all he can to knock the IMF agent off.
Director Christopher McQuarrie added: “You’re talking about a lot of pain here.”
The danger in the biplane scene didn’t end there, as Cruise - who completed all of his stunts himself for Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning - had also seriously damaged his hands in the sequence.
Later in the scene, Ethan clings onto the seatbelt of Gabriel’s biplane for dear life as he hangs upside down.
McQuarrie said: “Now watch this: The thing we haven't talked about, holding on to this belt.
“This separated the joints in Tom's fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen - oh my God, it was so painful to watch.”
Cruise admitted filming the sequence was “brutal”.
In the following moment, Gabriel flips the plane into a roll, sending Ethan - still gripping the seatbelt - crashing against the side of the aircraft.
Wincing as he watched the scene, Cruise said: “Oh, that was brutal. That hit, that was a hard one.”
McQuarrie added: “And you improvised that, thank you very much. I appreciate that.
”You were like, ‘I think we're gonna need that,’ and I was like, ‘I didn't ask you to do that.’”
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning - which also stars Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames and Pom Klementieff - follows Ethan Hunt as he faces his most perilous mission yet, confronting a powerful AI known as The Entity which knows his every move.
With the IMF’s future on the line and the fate of the world hanging in the balance, Ethan must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice to stop the evil machine.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning concludes the movie series which has dominated screens since 1996, and Cruise has said working on the action franchise has been “the adventure of a lifetime”.
He wrote on Instagram: “Over 30 years ago, I began the journey of producing my first film, Mission: Impossible. Since then, these eight films have taken me on the adventure of a lifetime.”
The War of the Worlds actor thanked all of his Mission: Impossible colleagues - including directors, actors, artists, and crews - who have played a role in the success of the film franchise.
He continued: ”To the incredible directors, actors, artists, and crews across the globe that have helped bring these stories to life, I thank you. It has been a privilege to work alongside you all.”
Cruise also expressed his heartfelt thanks to fans of the Mission: Impossible series.
He concluded: “Most importantly, I want to thank the audience, for whom it is our great pleasure to create these films, and for whom we all serve.
“We’re thrilled to share The Final Reckoning with you.”
