With The Fall Guy now released on the big screen we thought we’d celebrate the unsung heroes of film as they put their bodies and lives on the line for our entertainment. Let’s take a look at the most awe-inspiring stunts captured on film.
Stunts, the heart-pounding feats that often leave us breathless in our seats, have become an integral part of the cinematic experience. From death-defying leaps to gravity-defying car chases, the silver screen has been graced with some truly remarkable displays of skill and daring.
Let’s take a look at some of our most iconic stunts see on film.
Helicopter Chase – Mission: Impossible – Fallout
I’m absolutely certain that I could write a whole article about the ins and outs of Tom Cruise stunts as he could have his very own Top 100 stunts list but this one is next level.
If he’s not climbing up the Burj Khalifa one minute he’s involved in jaw-dropping helicopter chase sequences.
Well known for performing his own stunts Cruise pilots a helicopter through a treacherous mountainous landscape, engaging in a dizzying aerial ballet of twists, turns, and barrel rolls.
The sheer audacity and technical prowess on display here solidify this sequence as one of the most exhilarating in cinematic history.
Skyscraper Leap – The Dark Knight
Christopher Nolan’s gritty reboot of the Batman franchise, The Dark Knight stunned audiences with its realism and intensity.
Arguably one of the best films of all time but one particular Gotham City stunt stands out from the rest and that’s the skyscraper leap.
Batman leaps from a towering building, spreading his cape to glide through the night sky.
The seamless blend of practical effects and visual wizardry creates a moment of pure cinematic magic, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats.
Whilst Christian himself wanted to stand atop the building for that epic shot (a stunt in itself) it was his double Buster Reeves who smashed this particular leap.
High Wire Stunt – The Walk
Certainly not a film to watch if you’re scared of heights as this true story of Philippe Petit’s daring tightrope walk between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974 is heart-in-the-mouth viewing.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future) the film offers a visual feast of vertigo-inducing proportions.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, portraying Petit, delivers a mesmerizing performance as he navigates the dizzying heights of the skyscrapers on nothing but a thin wire.
Whilst Joseph did train for the role and did some wire work it was stuntwoman Jade Kindar-Martin who was the main star of this show!
Mad Max: Fury Road Car Chase
Whilst I’m not a huge fan of the movie (sorry) I do admire that they chose to shoot practical effects with minimal use of CGI as the car chases are really brought to life with raw intensity and visceral impact.
From leaps between vehicles to explosions and more, it’s a symphony of chaos and I’m absolutely here for it.
Burj Khalifa Tower Climb – Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol
Ok, ok I couldn’t resist. This particular stunt is so incredible it’s actually played to tourists who go up the Burj Khalifa on tours.
I remember going up to the top of the building (we recorded a VLOG here) and there were videos of the stunt being performed playing on your way up to the top.
In a breathtaking display of vertigo-inducing proportions, Cruise performs the climb himself, without the use of a stunt double or green screen trickery.
Climbing the surface with nothing but a pair of gloves, Tom Cruise is one of the greatest when it comes to acting / his own stunt work and there’s not refuting that.
Chariot Race – Ben Hur (1959)
The scale and length it took to shoot this particular scene you just wouldn’t be able to do it today.
Rumours were awash with reports of a stuntman dying on set during the big chariot race but it was finally debunked many years later but a stunt actor was nearly badly hurt as Heston’s stunt double Joe Canutt was flipped over the front of the chariot and the shot was left in the film.
Boulder Dash – Raiders of the Lost Ark
Arguably one of the most iconic stunts captured on film as a giant boulder is rolling at breakneck speed from a sprinting Indiana Jones.
The actor prop wasn’t as heavy as a rock but still weighed 300 lbs crafted from plaster, wood and fiberglass and was controlled on a steel rod on a track in the wall hidden by fake rubber stones.
Harrison Ford loves doing as many of his own stunts as possible so ran ten times to get all the camera angles.
Spielberg once said it wouldn’t have looked as good if they used a stuntman concealing his face the whole time.
Hood Riding – Death Proof
In Tarantino’s grindhouse slasher we see Kurt Russell as an aging stuntman who’s hellbent on killing all who cross his path.
Actress Zoë Bell was a stunt double for Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill movies but impressed Tarantino so much he cast her as one of the main characters in Death Proof.
In the movie, she plays a daring game with her friends as she climbs onto the front of a Dodge Challenger hanging on for dear life in this daring stunt.
Well, until Stuntman Mike (Russell) turns up to the rear end the car sending Bell flying through the air.
As technology continues to advance and boundaries are pushed ever further, one thing remains certain: the magic of the movies will always have the power to astonish and inspire and stuntmen and women are the real heroes of these productions sparking to life the stunts captured on film to all adoring fans.
Check out our IMAX review of The Fall Guy HERE
