Overview

• Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible stunts, including scaling the Burj Khalifa and a motorcycle cliff jump, underscore his dedication to performing high-risk sequences without CGI or doubles.
• Buster Keaton, the silent film pioneer, similarly executed death-defying stunts, such as crashing through windows and navigating runaway trains, emphasizing authenticity through real effects.
• Keaton’s creative control diminished with the advent of sound films and studio interference, contrasting with Cruise’s sustained production influence over the Mission: Impossible franchise.
• Cruise’s stunts are integrated into epic, world-threatening narratives, while Keaton’s were rooted in everyday life scenarios inspired by his vaudeville background.
• Retrospectives draw parallels between Keaton’s ‘do it on the level’ philosophy and Cruise’s modern embodiment of authentic stunt performance, celebrating their shared cinematic impact.