At first glance, Johnny Knoxville and Tom Cruise may not seem to share much in common. But when it comes to the world of adrenaline-pumping cinema, if you think about it, two franchises stand out for their jaw-dropping real-world stunts and heart-stopping action: Jackass and Mission: Impossible, which is why it's one of the very best action series. While they may seem worlds apart, the Bad Grandpa actor recently opened up about what makes the franchises' similarities as well as the stark differences between the two and how their approaches to stunts diverge.
On the surface, Jackass and Mission:Impossible definitely share a common thread of extreme stunts and death-defying feats performed by their stars. Tom Cruise’s most ridiculous M:I stunts have more in common with the bull stunt that left Johnny Knoxville with permanent brain damage than you might realize. However, The Ringer actor emphasized that there is a fundamental distinction between the two series, and it comes down to failure. While chatting with the A.V. Club, he explained:
Our stunts are designed to fail. I think his [stunts] have to succeed.
Fair enough. The stuntman’s comments make sense, given that Ethan Hunt’s extraordinary feats are designed to leave audiences in awe, while the Jackass crew’s shenanigans are more like cartoon set pieces designed for laughs. So by their very nature, if they don’t work out so well for our heroes, that’s a plus. But if the Top Gun star makes a mistake, it's doubtful audiences would even see the footage while, for the gang of ruffian MTV alums, that’s sort of the point.
In the "as of now" released six Mission: Impossible films, with the seventh hitting theaters this week, the 60-year-old Jerry Maguire actor certainly gives it his all when bringing the big-budget action movie set pieces to the silver screen. However, as real as the antics of the IMF agents seem, the film still employs movie magic like CGI, a tool that isn’t in the budget and would seem inappropriate in the world of Jackass. And according to Johnny Knoxville, gravity is also a contributing factor when it comes to his stunts:
Gravity, really, is the difference. Gravity and Newton’s Third Law of Motion really come into it.
Still, game recognizes game, and the Reboot alum tips his hat to Tom Cruise. The performer gave it up to Cruise and his need for speed while being on camera, saying:
To his credit, he does more stunts than any other Hollywood actor. He’s really trying and going for it, so more power to him. It’s just we do different things.
While Johnny Knoxville has suffered several injuries on camera, luckily, the most gruesome accident that has occurred to Tom Cruise is the gnarly ankle break during the filming of the sixth M:I adventure. And hopefully, with the second half of the Hollywood A-listers swan song to the series right around the corner, it'll remain that way and failure doesn't come into the equation as well.
If you want to take notes and compare the differences in both action-packed franchises, now you can because every installment of Jackass and the first six movies in the M:I series is now streaming for anyone with a Paramount+ subscription. Mission:Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One also hits theaters on July 12, with Part Two set for the 2024 movie release schedule. While you wait for its release, check out our schedule of 2023 new movie releases to see what else is heading to a theater near you.
