We’ve been hearing about this nutso Mission: Impossible — Fallout stunt for about a year, which involves Tom Cruise flying a helicopter in ways no helicopter should be flown. He trained for years to be able to do this, and in a new behind-the-scenes video we get to see exactly what doing this stunt entails. If you have vertigo or a rapid resting heart rate, watch at your own risk.

At some point during the course of the movie, Tom Cruise is being chased by Henry Cavill and his mustache via helicopter thousands of feet up in the air. For this, Cruise had to learn how to become a professional helicopter pilot able to attempt a bunch of crazy maneuvers that most pilots wouldn’t even try. The hardest and most impressive one is a 360 degree downward spiral, in which Cruise tilts the nose of the helicopter all the way down and spins in a corkscrew towards the ground. Why? Why would you do this? WHY WOULD ANYONE DO THIS?!

Tom Cruise would do it, and he does do it after a very cute couple of shots where he and the crew rehearse the sequence together holding little toy helicopters in their hands. It doesn’t look like Cavill had the same insane drive to learn how to fly. I assume someone may have asked him, “Hey, Henry, any interest in learning how to do a bunch of insanely dangerous stunts in a vehicle that by all laws of nature shouldn’t be allowed off the ground?” to which I assume he responded “LOL.”

There’s a great moment in this video where Cruise asks “McQ” in one of the helicopters used for filming how a take looked, and Christopher McQuarrie replies, “Very upsetting here.” You can say that again.

Mission: Impossible — Fallout hits theaters July 27.

Gallery – Ranking the Best Tom Cruise Action Movies:

 

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