You’ve seen the photo. It’s 2010. Tom Cruise is sitting at the very tip of the Burj Khalifa. He’s barefoot. He isn’t wearing a visible harness. He looks like he’s just chilling on a park bench, except the "bench" is a lightning rod at the top of the world's tallest building.
Basically, it’s terrifying.
When Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol came out in 2011, people assumed it was green screen. They figured Hollywood magic did the heavy lifting. Honestly, I don't blame them. Who in their right mind actually hangs off a building 163 stories up? Well, Tom Cruise does. And the story behind Tom Cruise on Burj Khalifa is actually way more stressful than the movie scene itself.
The Stunt That Almost Didn't Happen
Director Brad Bird was making his live-action debut. He came from animation (The Incredibles, Ratatouille), where you can just draw the impossible. In the real world, physics is a bit more stubborn.
The production team spent months planning the "climb" sequence. The goal was to have Ethan Hunt scale the outside of the tower using "sticky gloves" to reach a server room. To make it look real, they had to do it for real. But the insurance companies weren't exactly thrilled.
Cruise actually had to fire the original safety coordinator. Why? Because the expert said the stunt was too dangerous. So, Tom did what Tom does: he found a new safety team that would say "yes."
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They built a glass wall rehearsal space in a hangar to practice. They studied the wind. They worried about the heat. At those heights, the temperature is actually cooler, but the sun reflecting off the glass is brutal. It can literally cook you.
Breaking the Burj
To get the cameras outside, they couldn't just open a window. The Burj Khalifa's windows are sealed shut to manage the immense pressure and wind. The crew actually had to get permission to smash out about 35 different windows.
Imagine being the building manager and hearing that.
Once the windows were out, they installed specialized rigs. Tom was attached to a series of high-tension wires that were thin enough to be digitally removed later. But don't let the wires fool you. He was still out there. If the wind picked up—which it did—he would be slammed against the glass like a ragdoll.
The Physics of Fear
The most iconic part of the sequence isn't just the climb. It's the "run." Cruise had to run vertically down the side of the building and then leap into an open window.
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Here is the thing about those wires: they were incredibly tight. To keep him flat against the building so he could actually run, the cables had to be winched with massive force. Cruise later admitted that the harness was so tight it was cutting off his circulation. His legs were going numb while he was trying to perform.
If you watch the behind-the-scenes footage, you can see the crew hanging out of the broken window frames, desperately trying to catch him as he swings back toward the building. One mistake and he’s a pendulum hitting a glass wall at 30 miles per hour.
That Barefoot Photo
Now, back to the photo of him at the top. This wasn't even for the movie.
After they finished the main filming, Cruise decided he wanted to go to the very, very top. The "spire." This is the narrow part that most people never see. He climbed up through the internal hatches and then out onto the ledge.
He didn't just sit there for a second. He spent time up there. He even etched his wife's name (at the time, Katie Holmes) into the spire. There is a famous shot taken from a helicopter where he’s just perched there, no shoes, smiling.
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It’s the ultimate "dad" vacation photo, except his backyard is the stratosphere.
Why Tom Cruise on Burj Khalifa Still Matters
We live in an era of "slop" and AI. You can generate a video of anyone doing anything now. But in 2011, this was a turning point for the Mission: Impossible franchise. It became the brand.
- Practicality over CGI: Even though they used digital tools to hide the wires, the sweat, the shaking hands, and the way the light hits his face—that’s all real.
- The IMAX Effect: Brad Bird shot the sequence on IMAX film. The cameras are huge and heavy, which made rigging them to the side of a skyscraper a nightmare. But the result was a vertiginous feeling that made audiences in theaters literally feel sick.
- The "Safety" Myth: People think movie stars are 100% safe. They aren't. Wires snap. Winds gust. Equipment fails.
When you see Ethan Hunt’s glove fail in the movie, the panic on Tom’s face isn’t just acting. He’s reacting to the genuine scale of the drop below him.
What You Can Do Now
If you’re a fan of the stunt or just fascinated by the logistics, there are a few ways to experience this beyond just re-watching the movie.
- Watch the "Capturing Dubai" Featurette: It’s available on the Blu-ray and most streaming "extras" sections. It shows the actual wind buffeting the crew and the red marks the harness left on Cruise's body.
- Visit the Burj Khalifa: You can't go to the spire (unless you're Tom Cruise), but the "At The Top" observation deck on the 124th and 125th floors gives you a terrifyingly clear view of what he was looking at.
- Check out the IMAX Version: If you can find a screening in a "true" IMAX theater (with the 1.43:1 aspect ratio), the Burj sequence expands to fill the entire height of the screen. It is a completely different experience than watching it on a phone.
The Burj Khalifa stunt changed how action movies are made. It forced other franchises to step up or get left behind in the "green screen" graveyard. It’s been over a decade, and honestly? No one has topped it.
To really appreciate the scale, look for the raw helicopter dailies on YouTube. Seeing the camera zoom out from his face until he's just a tiny, tiny speck on a silver needle is the only way to truly understand how high he actually was.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
Check out the Mission: Impossible – Fallout behind-the-scenes to compare the Burj climb with his HALO jump. It shows the evolution of how his team manages high-altitude stunts with even more advanced technology. Afterward, look into the specific IMAX lenses used by cinematographer Robert Elswit to see how they captured the "curving" effect of the Earth from the tower’s height.