Two and one-third years ago**, Tom Cruise performed a wild-ass, death-defying motorcycle jump off an up-sloping ramp in Hellesylt, Norway. It will presumably be the most hair-raising action stunt in Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One (Paramount, 7.14.23).
And the featurette is a fascinating proof of two things. One, the 60 year-old Cruise (58 when the stunt was performed) is utterly fearless. And two, the on-camera “Tom is the man!” testimonials by the filmmakers (including director-writer Chris McQuarrie) and stunt coordinators is relentless. Example: “He’s an amazing individual…the most aware person I’ve ever met.” If just one person had shrugged their shoulders and said, “Yeah, the stunt is really hairy but this is what Cruise has always done…it’s his brand and we’ve been watching him do this shit for several years so you can’t say it isn’t, you know, kinda familiar.”
Two questions: (1) The ramp was constructed by the Dead Reckoning engineers, but within the world of the film’s story, what’s it doing there? What’s the actual purpose? Who would build such a thing except to give an adventurous actor an opportunity to perform a terrific motorcycle stunt? (2) Why doesn’t the featurette let us see the motorcycle smashing into the rocky terrain below and exploding into pieces? I love watching vehicles get destroyed.
The sequel, Dead Reckoning Part Two, will be released on 6.28.24.
** Right in the middle of the pandemic, of course, as well as the Biden-Trump presidential campaign.