Tom Cruisewill put his body through just about anything in the name of cinema, but there's one stunt inMission: Impossible — The Final Reckoningthat nearly broke the camel's literal back. In an exclusive preview of bonus content from the film's digital release today, Cruise and directorChristopher McQuarriebreak down the actioner's pivotal biplane battle between Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and the villainous Gabriel (Esai Morales). "Oh, this almost broke my back," Cruise says in the commentary as the scene plays. At this point in the fight, Hunt has leapt from his plane onto Gabriel's, hanging onto the wing for dear life. Of course, Crusie performed the mid-air stunts himself. "You're talking about a lot of pain here," McQuarrie notes. At one point in the scene, Ethan grabs onto a seatbelt and dangles from it as the plane flies completely upside down. "Now watch this: The thing we haven't talked about, holding on to this belt," McQuarrie points out, as Cruise adds, "Oh God, that was brutal." Paramount Pictures and Skydance "This separated the joints in Tom's fingers from the force, so by the time we finished this sequence, your hands were absolutely swollen — oh my God, it was so painful to watch," the director explains. In the next part of the scene, Gabriel maneuvers the plane into a roll, forcing Ethan, who is still clinging to the seatbelt, to slam into the side of the plane. Watching it, Cruise winces and says, "Oh, that was brutal. That hit, that was a hard one." "And you improvised that, thank you very much. I appreciate that," McQuarrie tells his star. "You were like, 'I think we're gonna need that,' and I was like, 'I didn't ask you to do that.'" See Cruise and McQuarrie break down the full scene in the video above. Want more movie news? Sign up forEntertainment Weekly's free newsletterto get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more. Fans who purchase the film on digital can take a deep dive into the massive production with behind-the-scenes interviews, exclusive commentary, and deleted footage not seen in theaters. Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoningwill also arrive on 4k Ultra HD, DVD, and Blu-ray on Oct. 14. Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly
