10 Best Mission: Impossible Stunts

10. The CIA Chamber: Mission: Impossible (1996)

In a lot of ways the first Mission: Impossible movie is the most subtle, but there were still some admirable stunts. Let's not overlook the exploding water tank near the start of the movie, which Cruise was tasked with narrowly missing, and the exploding helicopter scene right at the end, where the explosion was fake, but the fan-flung Tom was surprisingly not fake.

The award, however, must go to the iconic CIA chamber scene, which required next to nothing in terms of effects or trickery. It simply involved Ethan Hunt, aka Tom Cruise being lowered via wire into a chamber, where pretty much any biological misdemeanour can trigger a plethora of alarms. The most admirable point is where he is dropped inches above the floor without being allowed to touch it. As is clearly visible in the film itself, the muscular control required is not something to be understated.

It might now be regarded as baby steps given what the later films provided, but it was still a risk and an exertion that most actors still probably wouldn't want to attempt today.