Movies

CIA Expert Evaluates Tom Cruise’s Most Daring Mission Impossible Stunt

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As a devoted movie critic, I can assure fellow Tom Cruise enthusiasts that whenever the esteemed actor dons the mantle of Ethan Hunt in the Mission: Impossible series, they can expect nail-biting, heart-pounding action and death-defying stunts performed by the man himself. The latest installment, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, is currently captivating audiences during its second week in cinemas, and it has sparked a fascinating discussion about one of Cruise’s most iconic scenes from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), the fourth film in this thrilling spy franchise.

Intriguingly, Dawn Meyerriecks, a former Deputy Director with the Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of Science and Technology, has weighed in on the authenticity of Hunt’s daring ascent up the Burj Khalifa skyscraper, using his technologically advanced sticky gloves to replicate Spider-Man’s feats (as reported by Insider). Here’s what Meyerriecks had to share about the plausibility of that breathtaking sequence.

Let me share with you my thoughts on Mission: Impossible… This scene is quite funny because it seems rather implausible that someone would be hanging from a window while performing such a daring stunt. If we were to attempt something like this in real life, it’d be during the window cleaning day, wouldn’t it? Or perhaps there was some reason for him to be near the window. Doing this in broad daylight with advanced technology is almost as if they couldn’t come up with a more believable way to gain access to a restricted area. It’s quite dramatic, but it doesn’t align with our understanding of how one might sneak into a secured facility.

In the Mission: Impossible series, the thrilling scene atop the Burj Khalifa in Ghost Protocol, featuring Tom Cruise, is undoubtedly one of his most daring feats. In the movie, Hunt (Cruise), Brandt (Jeremy Renner), and Benji (Simon Pegg) decide that only Cruise’s character can execute the impossible task, which involves using the “blue for adhesion, red for destruction” gloves to climb the world’s tallest skyscraper and penetrate the server room. Indeed, it was Cruise himself performing the stunt, but it was something else that left former CIA member, Dawn Meyerriecks, truly amazed.

“Sometimes, Tech Fails” in Real Life & ‘Mission: Impossible’

The blockbuster hit “Mission: Impossible” is once again making waves at the box office, with Tom Cruise’s breathtaking stunts in “The Final Reckoning” such as his underwater and aerial feats captivating audiences. However, it was back in 2011 when Ethan Hunt’s exploits garnered the most attention. He scaled the Burj Khalifa skyscraper only to swiftly descend its side to complete his mission. What particularly impressed the former Deputy Director of Science and Technology at the CIA, Dawn Meyerriecks, wasn’t just the daring climb but Ethan Hunt’s foresight in having a backup plan. As she stated in the same video:

As a film enthusiast, I appreciate having a backup plan when technology falters. Rehearsing missions, especially for high-stress scenarios like these, is crucial. It’s better to brainstorm potential problems and their solutions beforehand rather than trying to figure it out in the heat of the moment. We follow the KISS principle – Keep it Simple, Stupid. This isn’t an insult, but a reminder that simpler tech is less likely to fail due to its simplicity. The more complex we make things, the higher the chance of something going wrong.

Eventually, Meyerriecks found it difficult to award such a high score to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper sequence in “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” as impressive as he found Tom Cruise’s character Hunt’s backup plan. Meyerriecks went on to add:

“Despite my admiration for the contingency plan, I couldn’t give it such a lofty evaluation.

As a movie enthusiast, I’d rate this film a 4 out of 10. The opening scenes were impressive, but the climax left me baffled. Instead of relying on the predictable cliché of hanging him on the side of a building in broad daylight, they could have explored more innovative ways to conclude the story.

Enjoy watching “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” for free on Pluto TV, a treat for those yet to experience Tom Cruise’s breathtaking stunt hanging 130 floors outside the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Meanwhile, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” is poised to secure the second spot at the box office during its second weekend of release, likely competing with the anticipated No. 1 movie, “Lilo & Stitch”, and the No. 3 contender, “Karate Kid: Legends”.

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2025-06-01 16:32

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