Tom Cruise has long since become a brand and is one of the last great actors whose name alone guarantees mass audiences. It’s easy to see why: Tom Cruise not only promises spectacle, but also delivers images on the big screen that have never existed in this form before. That’s why he actually got in the cockpit to fly the jet for “Top Gun: Maverick”, while for “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part 1” he pulled off arguably the greatest stunt in movie history to date.
Yes, it’s pretty daring that Tom Cruise consistently performs his stunts himself. But the yield is huge, because what the superstar offers us time and time again is groundbreaking. Movies like “Top Gun 2” and Co. would have been almost denied us in this form, because during the shooting of the historical epic “last samuraiIt almost came to a catastrophe that would almost certainly have ended fatally for Tom Cruise – and it’s not even a breakneck stunt!
Tom Cruise almost lost his head
“Last Samurai” revolves around American war hero Nathan Algren (Cruise) who is assigned to help the Japanese military subdue rebel samurai Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). After a fatal defeat, Algren falls into the hands of the samurai and is gradually introduced to the traditional code of honor of the legendary warriors. In doing so, he not only learns to fight with a sword, but also rediscovers the self-esteem that he previously drowned in alcohol.
Among the many action scenes, which also included the use of knives, there was one moment that left everyone involved gasping in shock: Tom Cruise shot a sword fight scene with his co-star Hiroyuki Sanada. Cruise was on the back of a mechanical horse. The device was actually supposed to make sure he dived at the right time so Cruise could duck out of Sanada under the sword blow. But when it came down to it, the technology failed.
Fortunately, Sanada, who is also a trained martial artist, was able to slow down the momentum at the last minute. The knife stopped just inches from Tom Cruise’s neck. If Sanada hadn’t acted so quickly, Tom Cruise would have been beheaded in classic fashion. It was not a dummy that was used. Several real swords have even been purchased and used for Last Samurai. Tom Cruise certainly had fate on his side.