As Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning prepares to open in theaters on May 21 in the UAE, attention is once again focused on the extreme lengths Tom Cruise goes to for his signature action scenes. The latest installment in the long-running franchise features what may be Cruise’s most dangerous stunt yet—hanging between the wings of a biplane in mid-air, a maneuver deemed “impossible” by professional wing walkers.
Director Christopher McQuarrie, who reunites with Cruise for the fifth time, recently recounted the story in an interview with GQ. According to McQuarrie, Cruise wanted to perform a stunt that placed him between the wings of a vintage biplane, gripping the tension wires while the aircraft entered a zero-gravity dive. Experts who routinely perform aerial stunts told him flatly, “You can never do that.”
Cruise, unfazed, reportedly replied, “All right. Well, thank you for your time,” and proceeded to find a way to execute the stunt anyway. The moment has since become one of the most talked-about sequences in the film’s marketing campaign, symbolizing Cruise’s ongoing commitment to practical, high-risk filmmaking even after nearly 30 years in the role of Ethan Hunt.
The Final Reckoning is positioned as the closing chapter in the Mission: Impossible series, at least for now. While Rebecca Ferguson’s character Ilsa Faust is absent, the film brings back core cast members Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg. It also continues to expand the ensemble with actors like Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, and Holt McCallany, alongside appearances from Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, and Angela Bassett, among others.
Early critical response to the film has been positive. Following the review embargo lift, the film holds an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 76 reviews—a promising sign as it approaches its theatrical debut. That rating may shift with general audience feedback, but the early critical consensus suggests the film delivers on the action and scope expected from the franchise.
This latest entry follows Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, where Cruise famously rode a motorcycle off a cliff. The plane stunt in The Final Reckoning pushes that boundary even further, reinforcing the actor’s reputation for physically committing to scenes that most would hand off to digital effects or stunt doubles.
Whether The Final Reckoning truly concludes the franchise remains to be seen. But if this is Cruise’s final outing as Ethan Hunt, he appears determined to leave the series on a high—both literally and figuratively.
