Tom Cruise’s joints in his fingers ‘separated from force’ while filming plane stunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning

Tom Cruise never films an action scene without pushing his body to the limit, and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning was no exception.

The blockbuster’s breathtaking finale featured Cruise hanging off the side of a biplane as it flipped upside down, which was a stunt so wild it left even his director wincing.

Audiences saw the thrill, but what they didn’t see was the painful toll it took on the actor behind the scenes.

Suffice to say, Cruise walked away from the set with more than just bragging rights.

VISIT SBX CARS – View live supercar auctions powered by Supercar Blondie

Behind the scenes of the famous Tom Cruise stunt

The scene in question was teased even before the movie officially released, when leaked photos from the set of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning showed Tom Cruise hanging from an upside-down plane.

The full story behind the scene, however, came to light in a bonus feature included with the movie’s digital release.

During the scene commentary, Cruise admits with a laugh that the sequence ‘almost broke his back’.

Director Christopher McQuarrie then drops the real bombshell: the sheer force of the stunt was so intense that it physically separated the joints in Cruise’s fingers.

By the time the cameras stopped rolling, the actor’s hands were swollen and battered.

Cruise himself can be heard groaning, ‘Oh God, that was brutal,’ as he grips onto the seatbelt strap that kept him tethered to the aircraft.

McQuarrie points out that audiences may not realize just how much pain Cruise was in at that moment, remarking that it was ‘so painful to watch’ because they knew how intense it was on the body.

Still, in typical Tom Cruise fashion, he powered through the stunt without complaint, proving once again that he’s Hollywood’s most unstoppable action hero.

The biggest debut in the Mission: Impossible franchise

Despite the punishment, the risk clearly paid off.

Released in May after a high-profile Cannes Film Festival premiere, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning roared to a $200 million global opening.

While the other seven movies were big hits as well, the finale fittingly became the biggest debut in the franchise’s history.

It has since soared to $596 million worldwide, cementing its place as one of 2024’s biggest box-office successes.

While the film was promoted as Cruise’s swan song as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, the star has remained coy about his future.

When asked if this really was the end of the line, he simply replied, “I’d rather just people see it and enjoy… everything is the culmination has come to this moment right now.”

For now, fans can relive the edge-of-your-seat action (and the finger-separating stunt) from the safety of their couches, with the film available on streaming platforms, and arriving on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on October 14.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie