Part of the grand appeal and excitement for theMission: Impossiblefranchise comes from the stunt work of Tom Cruise. There is no denying the electric performance of this quintessential Hollywood figure, and his on-screen work speaks for itself. Across allMission Impossiblemovies, Tom Cruise has committed to some daring stunts, andMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Onefeatures some of his very best yet.

RELATED:Tom Cruise’s Best Stunts, Ranked

InMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One, audiences can expect more than a few surprises, shocks, and thrills when it comes to the stunts that Tom Cruise pulls off. Tom Cruise’s best stunts inMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Onerangefrom a variety of exhilarating momentsto providing fans with exciting action.

This article contains spoilers for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

tom cruise riding a horse in the desert

6Horse Riding Through The Desert

Towards the beginning ofMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One, Tom Cruise is seen committing to some horse work in the desert. It’s always fun to see actors work with horses, as it harks back to the days of old with the Western genre. However, it cannot be understated that working with animals, especially in a film, can be dangerous work for both parties.

To see how Tom Cruise rides a horse, and how he manages to keep it on the ground for the needed scenes, is impressive work. Although it might not be as impressive asflying to spaceor climbing a building, it’s still noteworthy stunt work.

paris in an alleyway

5Alleyway Brawl

As Ethan Hunt is led astray by the disguise of The Entity, he finds himself cornered, trapped in a tight-fitted alleyway in Italy. In this alleyway, Ethan Hunt must fight off two attackers, with barely any room to breathe or stretch his muscles for an ensuing fight that ensures only one will survive in thistwo-vs-one battle.

RELATED:Action Movie Franchises That Have Never Dipped Below 50 On Rotten Tomatoes

tom cruise famous run

The fight itself shows the impressive choreography for this battle between Tom Cruise and his two aggressors. It’s fun to see him manage to pull off some exciting and tense fight scenes in such an uncomfortable and tight environment such as a dark and tightly fitted alleyway.

4Classic Tom Cruise Run

Everyone adores the Tom Cruise run. The famous actor and producer’s Twitter bio reads “Running in movies since 1981.” People adore his run for how unique it is, andhow unapologetically fast it is. This isn’t an ordinary run or jog from an actor who just wants to get from point A to point B, this is a run of dedication because there are lives on the line, and Tom Cruise proves that.

In everyMission: Impossiblemovie, Tom Cruise will run like the wind, andMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Oneis no different. There are a few scenes where fans can expect the Tom Cruise run, and considering just how fast he sprints, and with obstacles in the way, it’s impressive stunt work that he hasn’t collided head-first with a wall or tripped over.

ethan hunt and grace drive a fiat 500

3Driving A Fiat 500 (While Handcuffed)

In one of the many electrifying scenes inMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt is handcuffed to Grace, and the two use a getaway car of an electric Fiat 500 to make their escape from the Italian police, U.S. agents, and the mysterious antagonist, Paris. What’s so fun about this scene is how real the stunt work feels.

RELATED:Painfully Obvious Movie Traitors

Within this action-packed chase scene, Tom Cruise drives a Fiat 500 through the bustling streets of a populated Italian city. Although many mopeds were harmed during the making of this movie, it’s safe to say that Tom Cruise knows what he is doing behind the wheel, even if that is with one hand driving the gearshift and steering.

2Fighting On Top Of A Moving Train

Another fight scene that will excite audiences inMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Oneinvolves Tom Cruise fighting a knife-wielding assailant on top of a moving train. For most films, this would be simple choreography with a green screen, but as usual,Tom Cruise goes all out. The actor did stand on top of a moving train to film some parts of this fight.

It adds to the realism of the stunt work, and to see Tom Cruise on a moving train, all whilst remembering the well-choreographed fight of Ethan Hunt and Gabriel, makes for a more fitting and tense battle. Despite the realism of the train, let’s hope the knives were just props.

ethan hunt and gabriel fight on top of a train

1Riding A Motorcycle Off A Cliff (Then Parachuting)

Perhaps the largest part of marketing when it comes toMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Oneinvolves the death-defying stunt of Tom Cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff, in which he will jump from the motorcycle and deploy his parachute. The precision and timing must be perfect to pull this off, and one wrong move could spell the end, but as always,Tom Cruise knows what he is doing, and pulls it off.

The scene fromMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Onein which Tom Cruise rides a motorcycle off a cliff is nail-bitingly tense, and it’s one of hisbest pieces of stunt work yet. Considering how well the stunt was pulled off, and how masterfully Tom Cruise managed to guide his parachute through the air, it begs the question of what amazing stunts fans can expect inMission: Impossible– Dead Reckoning Part Two.

tom cruise riding a motorcycle off a cliff