All-action man
Tom Cruise is famed for doing his own outrageous stunts — here are five of his most nail-biting escapades
5 _ Collateral – Night Club Shootout What happens:
Contract killer Vincent enters Fever nightclub to bump off his next target, Korean gangster Peter Lim. When the FBI also show up, it sparks a deadly shootout.
Why it’s so good: It’s thrilling to see Cruise shrug off his all-american, hot-shot hero image and instead play a ruthless, brutally efficient murderer, popping bullets in heads, jabbing knives in legs, and smacking batons across faces with utter coldness as the crowd dissolves into panic around him.
4 _ MISSION: impossible iii — bridge attack What happens:
IMF Agent Ethan Hunt has captured villain Owen Davian — but the arms dealer’s people attack the convoy on the Chesapeake Bay Bridgetunnel to break him out, forcing Hunt to make a desperate escape.
Why it’s so good: No other action star runs quite like Cruise, and here he’s running from everything — dashing away from missile blasts, chasing after Davian’s rescuers, and sprinting to jump a near-impossible gap in the bridge. He makes it, of course — but only just.
3_ Minority report — jetpack escape What happens:
On the run for a possible murder he hasn’t yet committed, Precrime Captain John Anderton is set upon by jetpack-wearing law enforcers. He throws himself onto an airborne officer, hitching a ride to blast away. Why it’s so good: Two blockbuster icons bring their A-game here — Cruise’s gritty, determined performance grounds director Steven Spielberg’s fantastical future-tech, creating a blast of pulpy fun in a smart and serious sci-fi thriller.
2 _ jack reacher — Car Chase What happens:
Former military man Jack Reacher is investigating the seemingly random shooting of five US civilians. When another body turns up in a motel, Reacher finds himself implicated in the case, entering into a high-speed car chase as the police hunt him down.
Why it’s so good: Never afraid to do his own stunts, Cruise took to the driving
seat of the Chevrolet Chevelle SS to pull off this incredible high-speed spectacle.
1 _ MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — VAULT BREAK-IN
What happens: IMF Agent Ethan Hunt slowly abseils into a condition-controlled CIA vault to extract top-secret data. When his fellow agent lets the rope slip, Hunt hurtles to the ground, left dangling millimetres from the floor — and then, a bead of sweat threatens to drip…
Why it’s so good: Cruise gives a thrillingly physical performance, using every ounce of strength to stay off the ground. Director Brian De Palma creates razor-sharp tension to ensure the viewer sweats too.