All of Tom Cruise's big 'Mission: Impossible' stunts ranked from worst to best

• The "Mission: Impossible" franchise is best known for Tom Cruise's exhilarating stunts.

• Cruise has boasted that he's done most of the practical stunt work himself.

• The star even B.A.S.E. jumped off a mountain for 2023's "Dead Reckoning Part One."

17. Vatican wall-climb and abseil — "Mission: Impossible 3" (2005)

Like the fact that there are no bad "Mission: Impossible" movies, there are no bad "Mission: Impossible" stunts, but something has to go at the bottom – and it's the Vatican wall stunt.

Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) has to infiltrate Vatican City to attend the same party as arms dealer Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). So what does he do? He scales the side of the wall, before abseiling down the other side and quickly donning a disguise as a priest.

It's a fun, quick stunt that leans into the silliness of the franchise, while still looking cool. But it's far from the biggest sequence of the franchise.

16. Eye spy — "Mission: Impossible 2" (2000)

"Mission: Impossible 2" sees Hunt try and stop former IMF agent Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) from releasing a terrifying virus that would decimate the world's population, all so that he could make billions from also manufacturing the cure.

But when Hunt thwarts his plans, they wind up in a hand-to-hand brawl on a beach, with Ambrose nearly stabbing the hero through the eye with a knife. According to IMDb, Cruise requested that the knife, which was attached to a cable, come down to "one-quarter inch" away from his eyeball.

It's not worth thinking about what would've happened if the stunt went wrong. But that's child's play compared to all the other stunts Cruise has done over the years.

15. Infiltrating the CIA — "Mission: Impossible" (1996)

1996's "Mission: Impossible" introduced Cruise's hero to the world for the first time, and he definitely made an impression. The film's defining image comes from the scene where Hunt descends into a secure CIA vault to hack a secure computer.

The slightest noise or impact on the floor would trigger an alarm, with Hunt presumably being locked away for life.

So with help from Franz Krieger (Jean Reno), he gets lowered into the vault and hacks the computer. Although it nearly goes wrong when a rat in the air vent scares Krieger, who drops the cable that's holding Hunt in the air, and the spy has to steady himself an inch or two above the floor.

When looking back on the scene for the film's 25th anniversary, Cruise recalled that they only got the shot done on the last take because he kept hitting his face on the floor.

14. Shanghai leap of faith — "Mission: Impossible 3" (2006)

"Mission: Impossible 3" takes Ethan and the gang to Shanghai as they chase Owen Davian, the arms dealer in the possession of a dangerous object called the "Rabbit's Foot."

As part of the mission, Ethan has to steal the mysterious object out of a skyscraper — and he gets inside the building by swinging from one building and free-falling onto another. If Spider-Man was a spy for the IMF, this would be the outcome.

Although the scene is impressive, the frenetic editing style means the weight of what Cruise is putting himself through is lost. It doesn't match up to some of the star's other jumps later on in the series, which proves that Cruise wasn't lying to Insider when he said that he's always "pushing" to do better with each movie.

13. Free climb leap —"Mission Impossible 2" (2000)

"Mission: Impossible 2" gets a lot of criticism for its over-the-top action, cheesy script, and a peak-nineties soundtrack. But the way it reintroduces audiences to Ethan as he's free-climbing Dead Horse Point in Utah is nothing short of awesome.

While the film definitely overuses slow-motion, it works brilliantly when Hunt jumps from one ledge to another, scored to Zap Mama's song "Iko-Iko."

Surprisingly, the actor actually tore his shoulder muscle doing the jump. It wouldn't be the only time he'd get injured on a "Mission: Impossible" movie.

12. London rooftop chase — "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018)

Hunt chasing August Walker (Henry Cavill) across London rooftops in "Fallout" feels too generic to get any higher up the list, since it's the type of thing audiences have seen in other spy thrillers like the James Bond franchise or Matt Damon's "Bourne" movies.

But Cruise deserves a lot of credit for actually breaking his ankle during a moment where he leaps from one building to another.

Cruise admitted during an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show," that the take in which he broke his ankle was the one that actually made it into the final film.

11. Ethan's motorbike escape through Paris — "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018)

While "Fallout" contains some of the wildest moments in the franchise, the Paris motorbike chase feels a little bit average compared to the rest of the film.

It's still an entertaining sequence, as Hunt flees from both the authorities and the Mitsopolis goons, but it doesn't exactly reinvent the (motorbike) wheel.

The high point is definitely the moment Cruise hurtles his way through oncoming traffic at the Arc de Triomphe. Talk about road rage.

10. Train-top brawl — "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023)

The "Dead Reckoning Part One" finale is basically an endurance test for Cruise and the cast, as the star gets into a hand-to-hand brawl with villain Gabriel (Esai Morales) on top of the Orient Express as it chugs through an Austrian valley.

Yes, the crew really did shoot this choreographed fight on top of a moving train, and it paid off. The fight looks excellent, especially when Gabriel tries to repeatedly stab Hunt as they go through a tunnel.

But while the scene is made better because audiences can tell they were actually on top of the train, the actors were obviously restrained by what they could actually do in the fight.

This means it doesn't pack the same punch as other action franchises (we're looking at you, "John Wick") but it's still a feat of filmmaking nonetheless.

9. Train obstacle course — "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023)

While Christopher McQuarrie and Cruise shocked everyone with the mountain jump in "Dead Reckoning Part One," there's another surprising stunt in the climax that is equally commendable.

When the train that Hunt and Grace are on is about to plummet from a ruined bridge, they have to climb through each carriage as it dangles above a rocky ravine below, dodging a variety of objects as they go.

There's a "Looney Tunes"-level of ridiculousness that just keeps getting more extreme with each passing carriage. Whether it's falling furniture, a grand piano teetering on the edge, or a boiling hot vat of oil from the kitchen car.

McQuarrie just piles on the stress for the characters (and the audience) in the best way possible.

8. The Casablanca car chase — "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015)

"Rogue Nation" doesn't exactly give Ethan an easy ride. While it introduces audiences to the incomparable Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) for the first time, she betrays the IMF and steals a digital ledger for herself.

This leads to a huge chase through the streets of Casablanca and onto a nearby highway. There's so much carnage on the road, it may as well be a "Mad Max" outtake.

Christopher McQuarrie keeps things fun though, especially when Cruise and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) bounce their way down a set of stairs in a BMW. It's an electrifying sequence, as cinematographer Robert Elswit puts the audience right in the action, making it one of the most visceral car chases in the series.

Cruise oozes movie-star cool at one point in particular when he trades the BMW for a motorbike, and swoops across the road to avoid villains and civilians alike.

No wonder Paramount got McQuarrie back to direct "Fallout" and "Dead Reckoning" after seeing this.

7. The Fiat 500 Rome pursuit — "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023)

"Dead Reckoning Part One" aims to shock fans, creating high octane stunts that are as real as possible — including a thrilling pursuit through Rome.

Ethan and Grace (Hayley Atwell) flee from the police, bounty hunters, and a ferocious assassin named Paris (Pom Klementieff) in a BMW which gets absolutely wrecked in hectic traffic. The hair-raising sequence cranks up the tension, with Ethan and Grace crashing off course, and Paris hot on their heels in a hulking S.W.A.T. truck, the feisty killer reveling in the chaos.

McQuarrie adds a dash of comedy to the carnage when Hunt finds an IMF car to escape in, and it's a tiny, bright yellow Fiat 500. Yes, Cruise and Atwell are both crammed into the tiny car as they're flung all over the streets of Rome, and they even go hurtling down the Spanish Steps.

While most of the scene was shot on location, it seems highly likely that they replicated the Spanish Steps elsewhere for the scene, since Paris' truck destroys the tourist spot. Regardless, the riotous sequence is guaranteed to thrill audiences.

6. Flooded computer dive — "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015)

It says a lot about the franchise that Cruise's record-breaking dive isn't at the top of the list. In "Rogue Nation," Hunt has to dive into a flooded computer to add a login profile so Benji can walk into a facility undetected.

For the stunt, Cruise dived from a 120-foot high ledge, before holding his breath for six minutes while acting underwater. Stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood previously told Insider that Cruise actually blacked out several times while training for the dive, which helped him learn his limits.

While Hunt manages to get the profile into the computer, Ilsa Faust has to save him when he starts to black out. There's no wonder he has so much chemistry with the ferocious MI6 agent.

5. The take-off — "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015)

When Christopher McQuarrie took over the reins as director for the franchise for 2015's "Rogue Nation," he made his debut with style. The film kicks off with Ethan and Benji in the middle of a mission in Belarus, as a huge crate of nerve gas is being flown away by the Syndicate — a rogue group of former-intelligence agents.

In order to stop the Syndicate's plan, Hunt clings onto the side of the plane as it takes off — and eventually manages to get inside when Benji hacks the plane's security system. But it's just another perfect example of Cruise's commitment to these outrageous stunts.

It may have finally cracked the fearless Cruise though; in 2015 he told CinemaCon attendees that the plane stunt "scared him shitless."

The image of the star holding on for dear life as a plane takes off is one hell of a way to start the movie.

4. Burj Khalifa jump - "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (2011)

Tom Cruise. Dubai's Burj Khalifa. Need we say more? In Brad Bird's "Ghost Protocol," Cruise's hero has to climb the outside of the tallest building in the world, retrieve a set of nuclear codes, and then rappel back down.

Cruise effectively becomes Spider-Man thanks to a pair of high-tech sticky gloves, which are great, until they stop working.

There's something so visceral about the scene, whether it's the idea of falling from that height, or Cruise's terrified expression when one of the gloves starts to fail. Yikes.

Cruise did the whole thing himself (obviously) and even took a photo on top of the Burj Khalifa... Now that's just showing off.

3. Helicopter chase — "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018)

There's a reason why 2018's "Fallout" raked in $791 million at the box office, and it comes down to the unhinged action sequences that Cruise and the cast throw themselves into — like the helicopter chase through the mountains in the film's climax.

It's simple, August Walker (Henry Cavill) is flying away with a nuclear detonator, and Hunt needs to deactivate said detonator. It starts with Cruise hanging on for dear life to a net of cargo that one helicopter is carrying, before he eventually climbs up and forcibly takes control of the vehicle himself.

What follows is a breathtaking feat of aerial stunt work — with two helicopters swooping through a mountain range at break-neck speeds while the cameras try to keep up.

It all comes down to a literal cliffhanger before Hunt finally puts Walker down for good and saves the day. The nail biting sequence deserves every cliche movie description possible, as it pushes audiences to the edge of their seats in true "Mission: Impossible" fashion.

2. Paris sky dive — "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (2018)

"Fallout" sees Hunt skydive into Paris alongside August Walker to sneak into a secret meeting, and it's a visually stunning sequence because the camera dives with Cruise as he's falling through the sky.

Not only does it look gorgeous, but Hunt has to catch Walker in mid-air after a storm knocks him unconscious and his oxygen tank is disconnected. So there's a lot going on in what should be a straight forward skydive.

Then again, this is "Mission: Impossible," nothing's ever straight forward. The whole thing is only made better when Walker lands in Paris, completely unaware that Hunt actually saved his life and replaced his oxygen tank. Typical!

1. The mountain jump — "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023)

There's no question about it, "Dead Reckoning Part One" takes the top spot with Cruise's exhilarating Austrian mountain jump.

The scene sees Ethan try and catch the train where a deal for the AI is taking place — but the quickest way to do so is by riding a motorbike off the side of the mountain, and parachuting down to the locomotive… As you do.

Considering the risk involved, it's a miracle that Paramount even signed off on Cruise doing the stunt himself — but it paid off. The scene is nothing short of breathtaking, as the star falls through the valley and sails through the air, seemingly with ease.

It's a common thing for actors to say they do their own stunts, but Cruise really goes the extra mile for the audience. He told Extra that the jump is "something I've wanted to do for a long time. When I was a little kid, I used to build ramps and go off and have some terrible crashes on my bicycles, but it was a lot of fun doing that."

And when speaking to Insider on the "Dead Reckoning" red carpet, Cruise teased that he's trying to go bigger for "Part Two."

"I'm always pushing. I just remember, every time they say, 'Can you top it? Can you not top it?' we're always pushing," the star said. "Every film I do, whatever genre it's in, I want to make it as entertaining as possible for that audience. I know I can do things better."

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