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Mission: Impossible is an American action spy film series based on the 1966 TV show created by Bruce Geller. Tom Cruise serves as the lead producer and portrays Ethan Hunt, an agent of the Impossible Mission Force (IMF).
Debuting in 1996, the films—set six years after the events of the previous TV sequel series—follow Hunt and his IMF team as they take on missions to thwart global threats. The series maintains an ensemble structure similar to the original show, featuring recurring characters like Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg).
The eighth installment, The Final Reckoning, is set for release in May 2025.
The franchise delivers thrilling action, from daring stunts to explosive chases. Iconic moments like the Burj Khalifa climb keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Here is a list of the ten best action sequences from the Mission: Impossible franchise.
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Disclaimer: The following list is ranked in no particular order, and the opinions expressed below belong solely to the author.
Daring Burj Khalifa climb, and other action sequences from the Mission: Impossible franchise
Daring Burj Khalifa climb (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)
The top action sequence in Ghost Protocol (2011) is often hailed as one of the best in the franchise.
Filmed in IMAX, the scene’s realism is heightened by Tom Cruise performing the stunt himself, battling high-altitude winds. The tension peaks when Hunt, missing his mark, is yanked back inside by his team using a fire hose.
Helicopter Chase (Mission: Impossible - Fallout)
The most exciting sequence in this movie involves Ethan Hunt flying a helicopter through a high-voltage aerial chase over the Himalayas in Kashmir. The stunt, using real aerial flights and stunts, has Tom Cruise flying the helicopter and pulling off risky moves.
As Hunt chases August Walker (Henry Cavill), the scene escalates into a mid-air struggle, culminating in a cliffside brawl. The intense cinematography, combined with real stunts, makes this one of the franchise’s most breathtaking and fan-beloved action sequences.
Langley heist (Mission: Impossible)
In a masterclass of tension, Ethan is lowered silently into the vault from an air duct, a nod to Topkapi. Brian De Palma's recourse to silence heightens suspense, and every detail—the rope, Jean Reno's hands, a bead of sweat—is one that counts. And then, when tension is at its peak, a rat emerges.
Paris chase (Mission: Impossible – Fallout)
The franchise’s best land-based chase unfolds in multiple thrilling stages, each making use of Paris’s geography to build tension.
It begins with Ethan outmaneuvering the police in a truck after improvising a new plan to break Solomon Lane out. He then springs onto a motorcycle, swerving past automobiles in a life-risking drive in the wrong direction on the Arc de Triomphe.
Only just as the mission seems successful, the chase accelerates again—this time, Ethan speeds against Ilsa, who is determined to kill Lane.
Motorcycle chase (Mission: Impossible II)
John Woo's Mission: Impossible 2 features an over-the-top climax where there is a series of aerial stunts and action sequences. The climax features Ethan shooting down an attacker from a speeding motorcycle, braking hard to miss an explosion, and doing a front-wheelie spin to destroy a chasing car.
The action cumulates to a frenetic motorcycle joust between the bad guy Sean Ambrose (Dougray Scott) and Hunt, in which the riders leap off the motorbikes in mid-air so that they can collide and explode with each other.
The sequence culminates in a beach hand-to-hand combat.
Kremlin infiltration (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol)
The sequence of events in Ghost Protocol is parallel to the Langley heist, the first film with the same level of calculation and a silence score rather than a musical score to build tension.
A key element of the scene is a projection screen designed to conceal Ethan Hunt and Benji Dunn from the security guard’s view. The device plays a crucial role in the operation and also provides a comedic moment when Benji’s face unexpectedly appears on the screen.
Benji’s presence introduces an additional dynamic, as his mix of nerves and excitement about working with Hunt adds both tension and humor to the sequence.
Bridge attack (Mission: Impossible III)
One of the film’s most striking sequences is Owen Davian’s (arms dealer) escape from IMF custody. A team of unidentified mercenaries ambushes Ethan and his team, using advanced weaponry—including a distinctive gel-like explosive—to breach the armored transport and secure Davian’s release.
Rome car chase (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One)
In Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Grace (Hayley Atwell) navigate a high-speed car chase through the streets and stairways of Rome, pursued by law enforcement and rival operatives.
Grace fumbles behind the wheel, introducing uncertainty to the pursuit. Midway through, the pair changes from a regular police car to a tiny Fiat, providing a jarring contrast with the large, heavily armored Land Rover behind them.
Train climax (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One)
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One concludes with a train sequence designed as a literal cliffhanger, setting up the events of the next installment.
Ethan Hunt performs a stunt, driving a motorcycle off a cliff and parachuting onto a moving train. The sequence starts with a rooftop fistfight and continues with a long climactic sequence rife with mounting obstacles.
Bathroom fight (Mission: Impossible - Fallout)
The bathroom fight is noteworthy for its ferocious intensity, precise choreography, and intense setting. The tight quarters put Ethan Hunt, August Walker, and John Lark into a raw, violent fight where mirrors, sinks, and pipes become makeshift weapons.
The battle concludes with a darkly comedic twist when Ilsa Faust quickly kills Lark, defying expectations. This set piece is one of the series' finest at practical stunts and memorable action.
Viewers can stream all seven released Mission: Impossible movies on Prime Video
