Riding a motorcycle off the edge of a cliff is not the only death-defying stunt Tom Cruise pulls off in the upcoming “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” A new featurette on the making of the Paramount action tentpole reveals Cruise learned how to speed-fly, which director Christopher McQuarrie calls “one of the most dangerous sports in the world.”
“While it may look similar, speed-flying is not skydiving,” the filmmaker said. “Skydiving is fairly predictable. Speed-flying is very unpredictable.”
Speed-flying is more akin to paragliding, although the flyer is meant to stay closer to the slope as to pick up more speed. Staying closer to the slope increases the chance of collision with land, which is why the sport is so dangerous. Flyers race down mountains with their feet closer to the ground.
Insightful piece
Insightful piece