Tom Cruise reveals near back injury filming Mission Impossible stunt with midair biplane fight

Tom Cruise says a biplane stunt in Mission Impossible nearly broke his back, with finger joints also injured.

Tom Cruise has revealed that a high-risk stunt in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning nearly left him with a broken back.

In newly released digital bonus content, Cruise and director Christopher McQuarrie described the making of one of the film’s most demanding sequences: a biplane battle between Cruise’s character Ethan Hunt and Gabriel, played by Esai Morales.

The scene involved Cruise leaping from one plane to another while holding on to the wing during a midair fight.

Reflecting on the stunt, Cruise admitted: “Oh, this almost broke my back.” McQuarrie added: “You’re talking about a lot of pain here.”

The actor was also seen gripping a seat belt as the plane flipped upside down. McQuarrie explained that the force “separated the joints in Tom’s fingers” and that by the end of filming his hands were “absolutely swollen.”

Cruise recalled colliding with the side of the aircraft during filming: “Oh, that was brutal. That hit, that was a hard one.”

McQuarrie revealed that the move was not planned, saying: “You improvised that, thank you very much. I appreciate that. I didn’t ask you to do that.”

Despite the physical toll, Cruise reaffirmed his dedication to action films. Earlier this year, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he intended to continue making movies well into his later years, comparing his career path to Harrison Ford’s ongoing work in Indiana Jones. “I will never stop,” Cruise said.

Cruise first appeared as Ethan Hunt in 1996 and has reprised the role across seven films. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is set as his last outing in the franchise, with Cruise confirming: “It’s the final! It’s not called ‘final’ for nothing.”