A Hollywood dreamboat who’s not afraid to get down and dirty, that’s Tom Cruise for you. The ’80s heartthrob/Scientologist/movie star has turned 57.

For his birthday today, we give you his most daring stunts (most of them from the Mission: Impossible films) till date. The thing with Cruise is that he likes to do his stunts himself.

Tom Cruise turns 57, watch his best death-defying stunts from Mission Impossible

Cruise owned the ’80s, thanks to his melt-your-heart persona, but in the ’90s he transformed into a bonafide action star, and one of the most bankable actors in the business. Here are five of his most defining action scenes.

1. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Tom Cruise hangs from the side of an Airbus A400M being flown 5,000 ft in the air. To make sure they got it right, he did the shot eight times. Just to give you a peek into risks involved: The star avoided finger nail-sized debris, which if it had hit him full force could have broken his ribs.

2. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Cruise jumps and then swings around the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa. Factor in that he is 3000ft above ground, add the wind and chill and you have one helluva stunt. Just to get an idea of how risky it was, Cruise had to fire the insurance company because they wouldn’t give their go-ahead for the daring stunt.

3. Mission Impossible - Fallout

Cruise has always been one of the best drivers in the business (remember Knight & Day?), but in the most recent MI movie, the actor rode a bike through the streets of Paris — on one occasion against the direction of the traffic — in a high-powered chase sequence. Without a helmet.

4.The Last Samurai

The final action scenes in this film is one of cinema’s more inspired moments. Tom Cruise rides like a pro and some of that physical technique is far more inspiring than all the wirework and harness-heavy stunts.

5. Mission Impossible

If imitation is the best form of flattery, this has to be THE stunt. Tom Cruise breaks into Langley, suspended from wires. As he hangs about 30 feet from ground, it is very clear that he is doing the stunt himself. Going by the actor’s body contortions and obvious struggle to maintain his balance, it is obvious that this stunt took a lot of effort.

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First Published: Jul 03, 2019 10:23 IST