Evel Knievel is the household name for death-defying stunts. When you think of motorcycle stunts, you likely picture him in his Elvis-inspired costumes, leaping over rows of cars and buses. To many, he is still the greatest stuntman of all time and arguably the most famous.

However, records are made to be broken, and stunt performers are always pushing the boundaries of what’s considered possible. Believe it or not, over the last several years, some people have pulled stunts that make Knievel’s look tame by comparison.

10 Danny Way Ollies The Great Wall Of China On A Skateboard

A skateboarder doing something crazier than Evel Knievel? “That’s ridiculous!” I hear you say, but it’s true.

In 2005, Danny Way stunned the world by ollying over the Great Wall of China on a skateboard. If Way, who had previously leaped out of a helicopter on a skateboard and built a seven-story ramp, wasn’t already the Knievel of skateboarding, this certainly sealed the deal. He had a custom ramp built around the tallest portion of the Great Wall (since, you know, jumping the lower portions wouldn’t cut it). The ramp was tall enough that the top swayed in the wind.

During a practice run, he accidentally broke his foot, but instead of getting surgery right away (like a sane person), Way wrapped his foot to prevent it from swelling and jumped the wall anyway. On his way down, he rolled onto the ramp, and everyone’s heart skipped a beat—he not only jumped the Great Wall but performed a breathtaking 360, thus conquering it like a Mongol!^[1]

9 Kyle Loza Performs The Electric Death

Kyle Loza is one insane man. As proof, consider how he cheated death during the 2008 Summer X-Games Best Trick competition.

In mere seconds, he launched his bike three stories into the air, and while keeping just one hand on the bars, he did a handstand in midair and flipped his body all the way around—briefly touching the hand of death—before returning to his seat. He then landed and simply rolled away like it was an everyday occurrence!^[2]

8 Brian Deegan Performs A 360 Flatspin While Injured

Brian Deegan is the original bad boy of freestyle motocross. He practically invented the sport when he “ghost rode” his bike across the finish line in celebration after winning the 1997 LA Supercross. The American Motorcyclist Association disapproved of this stunt, and he was fined for it, but the crowd ate it up. Deegan then teamed up with Larry Linkogle to form the freestyle motocross (FMX) team Metal Mulisha and soon began dominating the early days of FMX competition.

Despite still nursing an injury he received from the prior Winter X-Games, Deegan entered the 2004 Summer X-Games FMX Best Trick competition. With his punk rock attitude, he launched toward the ramp and shot into the air, performing a jaw-dropping 360-degree flatspin. This dangerous maneuver combines a backflip with a horizontal rotation. This stunt is tough enough to pull off when healthy but nearly impossible to do when injured!^[3]

7 Night Of Records 2006

In 1996, Seth Enslow technically broke Evel Knievel’s long distance jump record. During the filming of the FMX video Crusty Demons of Dirt 2: Twisted Metal, he took his Suzuki and jumped from one desert dune to another, traveling a distance of about 60 meters (200 ft)—breaking Knievel’s record of 43 meters (141 ft). However, he crash-landed onto a crowd of people and bikes. Fortunately, no one was injured, but since Enslow crashed, the record didn’t count. (Knievel crashed at the end of his jump, too.)

However, in 2006, a gathering of FMX riders arrived in Queensland, Australia, for the Night of Records. This was a FMX event where a few riders would attempt to break Doug Danger’s record of 77 meters (251 ft). (Danger had since broke Knievel’s long distance jump record.) Seth Enslow was scheduled but had to back out after injuring himself during a practice run. This gave Metal Mulisha founder Larry “Link” Linkogle a chance to break the record, which he did by jumping 78 meters (255 ft). He was the new world record holder . . . for a whole couple of hours.

On that same night, FMX rider Trigger Gumm, as if he were a rocket soaring to the Moon, flew an incredible 84 meters (277 ft) on his motorcycle, shattering both Danger’s and Linkogle’s records in a single night!^[4]

6 Carey Hart Lands The Holy Grail: The Backflip

Throughout the 1990s, motocross riders were pushing the envelope of the sport. This is when riders such as Jeremy McGrath and Mike Metzger began performing BMX tricks on their motorcycles, leading to the creation of freestyle motocross. Metzger and mutual rival Carey Hart wanted to adapt the ultimate BMX trick to the moto: the backflip.

However, both of them failed their attempts and visited the ER a number of times.

By the end of the 1990s, performing a backflip on a motorcycle was thought to be impossible. However, at the 2000 Gravity Games (the X-Games’ forgotten younger sister) Carey Hart made everyone’s heart stop when he launched his bike toward a dirt jump. In the blink of an eye, he was three stories in the air, inverse rotating his bike and landing the Holy Grail of FMX! The impossible was made possible, paving the way for a whole new era of freestyle motocross.^[5]

5 Mike Metzger Backflips Over The Caesars Palace Fountains

In 1967, Evel Knievel saw the Fountains at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and knew jumping them would be the ultimate thrill. If he could pull it off, he would forever be a legend. So he organized the jump with the casino’s CEO through some clever social engineering by posing as a fake corporation (Evel Knievel Enterprises), even going as far as making calls to the CEO claiming to be from ABC and Sports Illustrated to organize the jump.

On December 31, 1967, Knievel, after a shot of whiskey, jumped the fountains and landed on the ramp but came up short. Knievel ended up crashing, breaking a shopping list’s worth of bones, and spent 29 days in a coma.

In 2006, as a tribute to his childhood hero, Mike Metzger—the Godfather of freestyle motocross himself—wowed a crowd of spectators when he backflipped his 100-kilogram (220 lb) bike over the fountains at Caesars Palace, somersaulting 38 meters (125 ft) through the air.^[6]

4 Robbie Madison Backflips No-Handed Over Tower Bridge

No one in their right mind has ever jumped London’s historic Tower Bridge.

That was until an early summer morning in 2009, when FMX rider Robbie Maddison (“Maddo”) did exactly that. Tower bridge was shut down by the police and moved to the raised position to become the world’s deadliest ramp. If Maddo were to fail, he would have been in serious trouble in the dark waters of the River Thames. He took his 120-kilogram (265 lb) bike and not only jumped across the raised bridge but performed a backflip during the jump.

This wasn’t an ordinary backflip, either, because as he rotated around, he let go of the bars as if to taunt the Grim Reaper himself and say, “Hey, Death! Look what I can do!”^[7]

3 Travis Pastrana Performs A Double Backflip

From a young age, Travis Pastrana has always been successful on a motorcycle. At 16, he competed in the first-ever X-Games Freestyle Motocross Competition and invented his own trick: the Lazy Boy.

At 17, he was crowned the 2000 125cc Motocross champion, and at 18, he won the 2001 125cc Supercross Championship. His most daring feat on a motorcycle came during the 2006 Summer X-Games. During the FMX Best Trick competition, he was going to attempt the new Holy Grail—the double backflip. If he failed, he could have ended up seriously injured or even killed. But Travis, being Travis, was all right with that, as he “was just having fun.”

In front of the packed Staples Center crowd with his adrenaline pumping, he took his Suzuki, sped toward the ramp, leaned back, and at that moment, it looked as if time stood still while he performed two full rotations in midair!

An absolutely incredible achievement.^[8]

2 Josh Sheehan Performs A Triple Backflip

Nine years after Travis Pastrana stunned the world with his double backflip, Josh Sheehan wanted to push the envelope a little further—by going for three. With the help of none other than Pastrana himself, they built a custom ramp in Travis’s backyard, a ramp tall enough for the bike to gain enough altitude for Sheehan to perform three full rotations.

With nerves of steel and a lot of guts, Sheehan fired his Honda to life and raced toward the ramp. After launching from the ramp, he leaned back, and like something straight from a Hollywood movie scene, things moved in slow motion as he performed the deadly triple backflip. He touched down safely, threw his bike to the side, and held his arms up like he was the king of the world. He was then mobbed in celebration by the Nitro Circus crew.^[9]

1 Robbie Madison Jumps On The Vegas Arc De Triomphe And Back Down

Time and time again, Robbie Madison has raised the bar in FMX. In 2005, he set the record for longest jump while performing a trick. In 2008, he broke Trigger Gumm’s long distance record with a jump of 107 meters (351 ft). On New Year’s Eve 2008, Madison raised the bar to impossible heights. In font of 300,000 onlookers, he raced his Yamaha toward a ramp and rocketed ten stories into the air, landing on the 12-meter-wide (40 ft) platform of the Arc de Triomphe at the Paris Las Vegas hotel.

Maddo now had to get back down, and he wasn’t about to take a safe helicopter like some kind of wuss. Instead, he took his bike and simply rode off the side into a 15-meter (50 ft) free fall! Fortunately, there was a ramp waiting for him to land on and roll away safely. He was just as stunned as anyone in the crowd that he pulled off this incredible, daring stunt and lived.^[10]

Joshua Courter is an automotive journalist who enjoys writing about cars, hot rods, and drag racing history. On occasion, he has written about baseball, action sports, and music.

Movie stunts come in all shapes and sizes, but no matter the scale, that doesn’t make them any less impressive. Whether it is riding something gasoline-fueled off a cliff or stuffing something live and deadly into your mouth, some actors are willing to go all the way, encouraging or, at the very least, entertaining their directors’ flair for authenticity and really showing up.

The result? Painstakingly crafted scenes that, while they may look staged, were actually filmed for real. But don’t just take our word for it…

Related: 10 Craziest Skydiving Scenes Hollywood Has Ever Produced

10 Man on Fire: Extraction 2 (2023)

Sam Hargrave’s straight-to-Netflix action thriller Man on Fire (2020) may have seemed a one-off action star vehicle for Chris Hemsworth at the time, but the popularity of both the original movie and this year’s sequel tell a different story.

With Hemsworth returning to the lead role, both he and Hargrave knew they had to keep upping the ante—especially in a post-John Wick world, where audiences not only expect full-on action, but they want it to be as lifelike as possible. And what’s more lifelike than literally just doing it for real?

So for one of the big action set pieces of the movie—the prison escape fight sequence, in which Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) takes a Molotov to the arm—Hemsworth was actually lit up like a bonfire. According to stunt coordinator-turned-director Hargrave, the team used a sequence of different fire-proof jackets with layers designed specifically to protect the global superstar from actually burning to a crisp while shooting the scene many times over. ^[1]

9 Living Birdcage: Batman Returns (1992)

We now live in the era of the superhero, where every movie has a unifying visual style and is part of a bigger story. Still, back in the latter decades of the last century, auteurs like Tim Burton put a unique spin on our favorite comic book heroes.

While nowadays, the stars are protected from overexertion by waivers and clauses, leaving multi-million-dollar CGI to do the heavy lifting, films like Burton’s Batman Returns tell a different story for how things used to be. Although a wealth of sets, practical effects, and stunt teams were used to bring much of the director’s dark, moody Gotham and its citizens to life, Michelle Pfeiffer was convinced to play her part to the hilt.

Starring as Catwoman, Pfeiffer committed to the physicality of the role, doing most of the whip-work and acrobatics herself. But it is her most static stunt that has our jaws on the floor. In a scene with Danny DeVito’s Penguin, Pfeiffer stuffed a live bird in her mouth and held it there for longer than strictly sanitary or safe. While insurers would hit the roof today, Burton shot the scene in one take, and the rest, as they say, is history.^[2]

8 Canary Island High-Speed Tank Chase: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

While the Fast & Furious franchise has built itself a reputation for over-the-top, gravity- and logic-defying CGI sequences (they literally went to space!), a decade ago, Vin Diesel and company were still making action the old-fashioned way, stunts and all.

The sixth entry in the series sees Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his extended “family” take on a well-financed and heavily armored mercenary organization, leading to a series of big action sequences involving cars, planes, and even a tank. But rather than calling the tech guys in to paint a fake one over the footage, director Justin Lin and his crew used the real thing, putting it to work on the roads of the Canary Islands.

Custom-built using a WWII Chieftain tank, the production team created a monster of a vehicle that weighed 60 tons and could travel at 60mph (96.5 km/h), with a whole brand-new stretch of highway to wreak (government-approved) havoc on. They even fired it for real out the front of a 30-ton truck… and it should go without saying the results speak for themselves.^[3]

7 Bees for Breakfast: Candyman (1992)

Drawn from horror legend Clive Barker’s dark psyche, the legend of Candyman has made restless nights for teenagers and adults alike across the past three decades. And, with three sequels to date, the hook-handed horror doesn’t show any signs of going away.

But the thing that makes Candyman so scary, and the single element that has ensured the series’ longevity, is Tony Todd’s iconic performance as the folklore phantom. This includes everything, from his deep, haunting whisper of a voice to his thousand-yard stare. Todd did as much as he could with the part, and that includes swallowing his pride and taking one for the team in the first film’s infamous scene where bees come out of Candyman’s chest, hands, and mouth.

Amazingly, 200,000 live bees were used in the scene, and rather than glue fakes to his face and hands or regurgitate a bee-like substance, Todd allowed bees to be placed all over him, including a swarm in his mouth. Lucky for him, the actor had a good lawyer, and they negotiated an additional $1,000 payment for each sting..^[4]

6 The Trinity Test: Oppenheimer (2023)

As one of the biggest films of 2023 and of director Christopher Nolan’s career, Oppenheimer offered audiences a uniquely contemplative yet equally bombastic look into the life and legacy of the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer.

Cillian Murphy plays the misguided scientific genius from his college days through his rise and to his eventual fall from grace in the eyes of the public, the government, and even himself. Along the way, we are treated to the kind of all-out, ear-crushing spectacle Nolan is known for, and nowhere is this more pronounced than in the Trinity Test—the first detonation of a nuclear device.

While Nolan didn’t detonate a nuke, he did commit to shooting some major explosions for real to simulate one without the associated fallout. Working on location out in the desert in New Mexico, the largest explosion shot was created using stacks of 44-gallon fuel drums with high explosives rigged underneath them. Visual effects were used in post-production to string the shots of several different explosions together, but every eyebrow-scorching blast seen on screen was made for real.^[5]

5 Hood-Riding Car Battle: Death Proof (2007)

Created out of the adoration Quentin Tarantino holds for the grindhouse B-movie scene of the ’70s and ’80s, his exploitation flick Death Proof makes an art of its realer-than-real stunts. While the director is known for going old-school, shooting on film, and almost exclusively using practical effects in his films, this one takes things to another level. Lucky for everyone involved, Tarantino chose a bona fide, real-life stuntwoman—Zoe Bell—to play out the most extreme stunts caught on camera.

In the latter half of the film, Bell (playing a fictionalized version of herself) engages in a don’t-try-this-at-home game called Shipman’s Mast, riding the hood of a Dodge Challenger going at top speed. Tough enough, right? Far from content to leave things there, Tarantino had the film’s antagonist, Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell), attempt to ram her car off the road, with Bell still hanging on for dear life.

And every moment of it is real—Bell put her life on the line so the Pulp Fiction director could get his shots, and rather than take it slow and speed up the footage in post, they gunned the cars at 80-100mph (128-161 km/h) for the entire sequence.^[6]

4 222-Step Fall: John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Made by ex-stuntmen, the John Wick movies have been on a mission to go as traditional as possible with their action sequences, shooting in long, unbroken takes and choreographing the fights down to every last blow.

And series star Keanu Reeves has thrown himself in at the deep end every step of the way. But some things you can’t choreograph, like falling down a very long and very steep set of stairs—which is where the real stuntmen come in.

In Paris, 222 steps lead up Montmartre Hill to the famous basilica Sacre Coeur, and this is where director Chad Stahelski staged one of John Wick: Chapter 4’s most audacious and death-defying stunts. The scene sees Wick (Reeves) arriving at the foot of the staircase and having to battle an army of henchmen to reach the top in time for his dual with the main villain. Needless to say, he gets knocked, kicked, and tripped down the stairs several times. But in one painful sequence, as he has almost reached the top, he takes a tumble all the way back to the bottom. Vincent Bouillon, Reeves’ stunt double, bit the bullet and took the fall for real—twice over!^[7]

3 Anti-Gravity Hallway Fight: Inception (2010)

Seemingly determined to outdo himself with every subsequent film, Christopher Nolan nonetheless delivered a career-high with Inception that benefitted from a blend of mind-boggling sets, sparingly applied CGI, and some truly epic stunt work.

No scene is more impressive in this star-studded tour de force than the anti-gravity hallway fight. Stuck between dream levels in a hotel that is physically and metaphysically unstable due to the forces acting upon his body on the next level up (go with it, and it kind of makes sense), Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has to fight off a squad of goons while gravity and perspective shift around them.

Most directors would balk at the logistics of having to film something like this and instead use digital trickery, but Nolan opted instead to shoot the thing for real. Taking inspiration from the rotating structure used in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, he had his team construct two ginormous suspended hallway sets: a horizontal one capable of rotating 360 degrees, and a vertical, “zero-G” one capable of supporting stunt wires. Thus, Gordon-Levitt was suspended for a three-week shoot within a twisting, spinning set, gravity be damned!^[8]

2 Bungee Down a Dam: GoldenEye (1995)

The planets aligned when director Martin Campbell and star Pierce Brosnan came together on GoldenEye, the first of the ’90s James Bond movies and one of the best of the entire franchise. Keen to make his mark on the series from the get-go, Campbell went big and kicked things off with a pulse-pounding ten-minute sequence that begins on one of the craziest stunts of the franchise: a death-defying bungee jumping down a dam.

As the introduction of this new-and-improved 007 was crucial to setting the tone for the character and the film to follow, the sequence had to look as large and as real as possible. Stuntman Wayne Michaels got the honors of playing Brosnan’s part, plunging over 720 feet (220 meters) off Switzerland’s Verzasca Dam and breaking the record for the biggest fall of all time.

The stunt became so iconic that, due to popular demand, the dam was leased out to a commercial bungee jump operator soon after the film’s release. Thrill-seekers today are still making the same jump 007 made three decades ago.^[9]

1 Melee on the Orient Express: Mission: Impossible–Dead Reckoning Part 1 (2023)

The Mission: Impossible film series has, in recent years, become synonymous with all-out action and crazy stunt work, thanks to star Tom Cruise’s increasingly voracious appetite for danger. As such, there are numerous unthinkable stunts from across the seven films that would make an ideal addition to this list—but we had to choose only one. And what better way to go than the train-top fight from the franchise’s latest installment, Dead Reckoning.

Mirroring the action of the first film, which culminates in Ethan Hunt (Cruise) fighting double agent Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) atop the TGV train from London to Paris, Dead Reckoning sees Hunt take on global terrorist Gabriel (Esai Morales) on top of the Orient Express. Unlike the first film, however, they did it for real.

Director Christopher McQuarrie and his crew built a custom train that would allow for filming rigs and equipment and could actually function on a real track in Norway. The specially built locomotive was then able to travel at up to 60mph (96.5 km/h) during the shoot while both Cruise and Morales straddled the roof and sides, running and fighting while trying their best not to fall off.^[10]

The magic of movies can help us escape reality and get lost in the story portrayed on screen. But some of the risks taken in creating these scenes are very real and have resulted in serious injuries or even death. The most infamous example of this is the tragic tale of Brandon Lee on the set of The Crow. While filming a scene where his character got shot by thugs, an error from the production crew resulted in Lee getting shot for real and losing his life at the age of just 28.

Thankfully, these kinds of accidents are a rarity in Hollywood, particularly nowadays with all the experts and health and safety measures required on sets. However, there are still multiple examples of movie shoots that only narrowly avoided disaster and included stunts that almost killed famous actors. Here is a list of just 10 of these almost-tragic stunts.

Related: 10 Movie Scenes That Predicted Tragic Moments In Actors’ Lives

10 Eli Wallach
The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

During the production of The Good, the Bad & the Ugly, Eli Wallach, who played the role of Tuco, narrowly avoided possible death not once, not twice, but an incredible three times!

As revealed in Wallach’s 2005 memoir, The Good, the Bad, And Me, the actor had numerous close calls on set, which began when he accidentally drank some acid. Unbeknownst to Wallach, a crew member had poured some acid into a soda bottle and carelessly left it near Wallach’s drink. After consuming the acid, the actor was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors were able to pump the poison out of his stomach and prevent disaster.

Another scene called for Wallach to be sat on a horse with his hands tied behind his back. During the shoot, a gunshot spooked the horse that Wallach sat on, and it took off running, dragging the actor with it for almost a mile before members of the production were able to stop the horse.

If that wasn’t enough of a scare for Wallach, a third scary incident occurred when director Sergio Leone insisted that he perform a stunt that involved him laying next to a train track as a train sped by and cut him free from his handcuffs. The film crew failed to realize that the train had low-hanging steps protruding from the carriages. These steps missed Wallach’s head by a few inches, and if he had lifted his head at any point, he would have likely been decapitated.^[1]

9 Johnny Depp
The Lone Ranger

One of the most recognizable names in Hollywood barely avoided a catastrophic accident on the set of the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. Johnny Depp was thrown from his horse while shooting a scene.

Footage of the accident shows just how close Depp came to suffering a serious injury. In the clip, you can see Depp begin to slide down the side of the horse as it is galloping at full speed. The actor eventually falls to the ground and miraculously avoids getting trampled as the horse leaps over him.

Incredibly, Depp only suffered minor injuries during the incident and was able to continue shooting the movie after being checked over by medics.^[2]

8 Michael J. Fox
Back to the Future, Part III

In the mid-to-late ‘80s, the Back to the Future movies catapulted Michael J. Fox into the mainstream and made him a household name in Hollywood. However, a stunt went awry during the production of the third film that almost cost the actor his life.

In his rather aptly titled memoir Lucky Man, Fox described how when shooting the scene where Marty McFly is getting hanged by Buford “Mad Dog” Tannen and his gang, the drama got all too real. Although the scene had been rehearsed with the stunt coordinators many times, when it came to shooting the scene, the rope around Fox’s neck tightened too much, and he genuinely couldn’t breathe.

The scary thing was that the whole crew believed that he was simply acting and didn’t immediately realize they were watching a man fighting for his life. Luckily, the filmmakers recognized something was wrong in time to save him, although Fox did lose consciousness during the ordeal.^[3]

7 Isla Fisher
Now You See Me

Like Michael J. Fox, a real-life tragedy almost occurred on the first Now You See Me film set when the crew mistook a genuine struggle for a convincing piece of acting.

Fisher plays an escapologist in the movie and is shackled inside a tank of water in one particular scene. During the shooting of this stunt, the chains became entangled, and she was legitimately struggling to free herself.

But since the scene called for Fisher to bang on the glass in panic, the crew didn’t initially think anything was wrong. Fisher had to try and free herself from the danger but could not reach a safety button, which would have drained the water, and a safety diver with a canister of oxygen wasn’t close enough to help her.

The stunt coordinator eventually realized something was wrong and helped the Australian actress free herself. Fisher told the Daily Mail: “Luckily, I managed to get free and stay level-headed and got out before it went even more horribly wrong.”^[4]

6 Kate Winslet
Titanic

Although Titanic is the film that launched Kate Winslet’s career, she has often spoken about the difficulties she faced on set, particularly with director James Cameron.

Winslet genuinely feared for her life while shooting one scene when the coat she was wearing snagged on a gate, and she became briefly stuck and submerged underwater. The actress told the Los Angeles Times about the incident and spoke of Cameron’s unsympathetic nature, saying: “I had no breath left. I thought I’d burst. And Jim just said, ‘OK, let’s go again.’ That was his attitude.”

This isn’t the only time Cameron has almost had one of his actors drown on his set. Ed Harris also nearly drowned while shooting Cameron’s 1989 movie The Abyss. Perhaps actors should think twice before agreeing to a film with James Cameron involving scenes in and around water.^[5]

5 Viggo Mortensen
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The character of Aragorn is no stranger to a battle, but the actor behind the character also found himself in some dangerous situations while shooting the Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn, performed all his own stunts on set and also insisted on using real knives and swords where possible. Unfortunately, this almost came back to bite him while filming The Fellowship of the Ring when a real knife was inadvertently thrown directly at him, and he had to deflect it away with his sword—an incident that made it into the final cut of the movie.

Then, during the production of The Two Towers, Mortensen not only broke two of his toes after kicking a helmet, but he also nearly drowned while shooting the scene where Aragorn’s unconscious body floats down a river. The weight of the armor that the actor wore dragged him underwater, and he was caught in an undertow that could have put him in real danger.^[6]

4 Dylan O’Brien
Maze Runner: The Death Cure

The Maze Runner movies are a series of sci-fi films based on the novels of author James Dashner. So far, three movies have been made, and it was during the production of the third installment that lead actor, Dylan O’Brien, was involved in a terrifying accident.

On the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure, O’Brien was shooting a stunt when he was pulled from one vehicle and collided with another. The incident left the young actor with multiple serious injuries, including a concussion, a facial fracture, and brain trauma.

Production of the movie was shut down for almost a year while O’Brien spent time in the hospital, requiring reconstructive surgery. Thankfully, O’Brien was able to recover from his injuries and resume his acting career.^[7]

3 Jim Caviezel
The Passion of the Christ

There are not many bigger roles for an actor than that of Jesus Christ. So when Jim Caviezel was cast in the iconic role for Mel Gibson’s 2004 epic The Passion of the Christ, it must have felt like a blessing.

But the actor’s experience on set sounded like anything but a blessing, with Caviezel suffering multiple injuries during the shoot. Caviezel was left with multiple bruises and scars, as well as a dislocated shoulder; therefore, he may have been forgiven for believing he was somehow cursed by this role, particularly when he was struck by lightning!

While shooting the “Sermon on the Mount” scene, Caviezel was hit by a lightning bolt that reportedly saw him “lit up like a Christmas tree.” Incredibly, he was unharmed in the incident.^[8]

2 Sylvester Stallone
Rocky IV

The Rocky movie franchise is one of the most iconic in cinema history. The fourth installment is a firm favorite among fans of the series, as Rocky comes up against Russian boxer Ivan Drago.

During production, the writer, director, and star of the movie, Sylvester Stallone, had the bright idea to let the nearly 6’5” powerhouse Dolph Lundgren, who played Drago in the film, punch him for real. Stallone told Lundgren: “Just go out there and try to clock me.”

Shockingly, this didn’t go too well for the Rocky actor, and he ended up spending nine days in the hospital due to his heart being knocked against his breastbone, which cut off the blood and oxygen supply to the heart and caused it to swell.^[9]

1 Jackie Chan
Armour of God

Jackie Chan has had more than enough on-set injuries to make up a list like this all by himself. Chan is notorious for doing his own stunts in his movies and has broken almost every bone in his body throughout his career.

Some of his more infamous stunts include his terrifying fall on the set of Project A, when he drops from a clock tower through two cloth rooftops and lands on his head, almost breaking his neck. Or his incredible leap in Police Story, when he dives from a balcony in a mall, sliding down a pole of lights and smashing through a glass roof.

However, Chan’s closest brush with death came when shooting the 1987 film Armour of God. While leaping from a cliffside to a tree, one of the branches on the tree snapped, which sent Chan plummeting to the ground, landing on his back and smashing his head on a rock.

The collision with the rock fractured his skull and pushed a piece of bone into the actor’s brain. Chan admitted that he “almost died” after this accident, but that didn’t stop him from making more action movies and continuing to do his own stunts.^[10]

Damn, Jackie Chan, you scary.

Marketing is a tricky game. A lot of brands aren’t really selling anything anybody needs. A lot of promotion is about selling yourself as a company rather than the product you produce. This means brands have got to stay relevant, and they need to pull wacky stunts so that we notice them.

Mostly, these huge brands throw a bunch of money at a professional. The event passes by without any drama. Sometimes, though, they hire the wrong people, and it all goes disastrously wrong.

Related: 10 B.S. Myths We Believe Because Of Advertising

10 Jagermeister’s Pool Party

Imagine a Venn diagram with Jagermeister’s event team on the left and skilled chemists on the right. The middle section is likely sparse. In other words, best not to leave the Jagermeister team in charge of dangerous chemicals. At a brand promotion in Leon, Mexico, they proved they could not handle their liquid nitrogen well.

This particular event was a pool party in 2013 with about 200 young people in attendance. To increase the party atmosphere, the event managers decided that pouring liquid nitrogen over the swimming pool would create an awesome smoky effect. Unfortunately, they did not realize that liquid nitrogen combined with chlorine creates a toxic gas.

People soon started to fall unconscious. Never good news, but especially bad when a bunch of people are swimming. Fortunately, no one at the event died. However, a 21-year-old man ended up in a coma, and eight others were hospitalized.^[1]

9 Dr. Pepper’s Treasure Hunt

Sometimes it’s hard to fathom how these marketing ideas were born into existence. In this case, Cadbury Schweppes (who owned the soda at the time) decided to put on a treasure hunt for their soft drink, Dr. Pepper. In 2007, they hid coins worth various amounts of money around the city. Participants needed to locate them using clues to get the cash prize.

One clue led to a graveyard. A 347-year-old graveyard in Boston that was the resting place for, among others, John Hancock, Samuel Adams, and Robert Treat Paine. You have, by this point, likely spotted the glaring issue. The city quickly stopped the hunt after contestants started descending on the burial site. Yes, because they were afraid these people might start digging the place up. Dr. Pepper apologized, stating the coin should not have “been placed in such a hallowed site.” Something that really should have been obvious before people were running into a cemetery with shovels.^[2]

8 LG’s Accidental Riot

Yet another event that had not been thought through beyond the first move (it is unlikely many skilled chess players are on this list). In 2013, LG promoted an event where they would release 100 helium balloons, each containing a voucher for a free smartphone.

These were pricey smartphones that they were giving away—valued at more than $850US. Those that turned up were playing to win. When the balloons were released, the crowd underneath brought out BB guns and started firing. Twenty people were injured in the resulting scrum. LG decided it should probably cancel the remainder of similar events planned. Very wise.^[3]
6

7 Domino’s Tattooed Giveaway

Domino’s bit off more than they could chew with a bizarre marketing strategy in Russia in 2018. They asked fans to get a tattoo of the company’s logo in a prominent place on their body. Photos of said tattoo uploaded to social media would win the contestant a lifetimes supply of pizza. Unfortunately, they did not seem to realize how many would take them up on that offer.

They had planned to run this campaign for two months and award the pizza to anyone with a tattoo they shared on Russia’s Facebook-like social media platform. However, after five days, they had received so many pictures of tattoos they had to change the campaign to the first 350 people instead. You sure wouldn’t want to be number 351 who hadn’t heard about the change of plans.^[4]

6 Paramount’s Bomb Scares

Here we have another 1-D chess player. This time they took their idea to the L.A. streets. The Paramount marketing team, promoting the new Mission Impossible III, placed electronic devices in newspaper racks around the city. When the door was opened, they would play the theme music from the film.

Unfortunately, these devices looked an awful lot like homemade bombs. Many panicked citizens soon called the police. One news rack was blown up by the bomb squad in response to one of the suspected bomb reports. If this sounds a little extreme, know that this device was a plastic box with wires sticking haphazardly out of it attached to the inside of the newspaper boxes.

These were placed in 4,500 different newspaper vending machines, leaving the emergency services to field a lot of phone calls even after they were aware this was a music box. It caused more than a little outrage, and Paramount Pictures was subsequently sued. After an ensuing court case, Paramount was asked to pay $75,000 to settle negligence claims.^[5]

5 Snapple’s Downtown Flood

In this story, event planners failed to realize ice might melt on a hot day. Snapple had launched a set of frozen treats and decided to promote it with a record-breaking stunt. They wanted to create the biggest popsicle ever made and stand it in downtown New York. This resulted in them trying to remove a 25-foot-tall, 17.5-ton ice sculpture on a stick from a freezer truck in Manhattan on a summer day in 2005.

Before they could even put the giant Snap-icle upright, it began to melt. Strawberry-kiwi pink goo began to flow down the streets. Police had to close down the road as onlookers made a run to higher ground. Brand representatives have stated that there will be no second attempt to break the record.^[6]

4 Fiat’s Love Letters

In an ill-conceived stunt in Spain, Fiat mailed letters to 50,000 women claiming to be from a secret admirer. There was no signature. There was no indication of what or who was behind the letter. The letter pretended to be from someone who had noticed the woman while looking at them on the street. It further said, “I only need to be with you for a couple of minutes, and even if it doesn’t work out, I promise you won’t forget our little experience together.”

These were decidedly creepy letters to receive. Many women believed that they were being stalked. They stayed in their homes feeling fearful until a second letter arrived two weeks later. This letter explained that the first had been a marketing tactic and invited the women to their local Fiat dealer. The women, enraged, decided not to accept the offer. They decided it was more appropriate to sue Fiat instead.

These mail recipients won their case. However, the payout was quite small. Fortunately for Fiat, this campaign pre-dated the internet (1994), and so word of their creepy gaffe did not travel too far.^[7]

3 Lay’s Rainy Days

Lay’s (chips), which are known as Walkers (crisps) in the UK, decided to run a campaign where participants could bet on when and where it would rain. Unfortunately, the company, owned by PepsiCo in the USA, did not realize how easy a competition this would be in the UK, where it rains pretty much all the time.

Many bets were soon being won. Although contestants only received a payout of £10 for a correct bet, soon payouts were over $600,000, and the company could not continue. Walkers attempted to change their rules halfway through, limiting how much participants could bet. This led to backlash and a strict warning from the UK Watchdog for advertising standards. They banned the campaign from taking place again.^[8]

2 Amazon’s Nazi Trains

As a 2015 promotion stunt for The Man in the High Castle, their new TV show, Amazon plastered New York subway cars with themed decorations. Unfortunately, the show depicts the USA under Axis control in an alternate reality where Germany and Japan had won WWII. These themed decorations were versions of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan insignia.

On subway trains, seats and walls were entirely covered in these designs, including the American flag reimagined with the German Eagle and Iron Cross in place of the stars. They at least figured out not to include a swastika.

A spokesperson stated that advertising a show with this type of subject matter would always be difficult. Others deemed this move as pretty obviously insensitive and tasteless to plaster Nazi symbols inescapably all over the morning commute of the people of New York.^[9]

1 Cartoon Network’s Shady Boxes

The Cartoon Network managed to cause chaos and panic across Boston with a marketing stunt—poor Boston; this one was also in 2007, the same as the Dr. Pepper cemetery fiasco from above.

The marketing company they had hired decided to set up adverts on the city streets. They had an artist create boxes with LED lights depicting a character—Mooninite—from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a new show they were promoting, all over the city.

Many residents panicked at the sight of these and called emergency services. At least one of these devices was seen as so suspicious that it was detonated on site. Some residents thought that the panic was ridiculous and mocked it. They started a campaign placing stickers on devices like ATMs and parking meters reading “this is not a bomb.” Others, however, took it very seriously.

The artist behind the piece was arrested. Turner Broadcasting, the parent company of Cartoon Network, was ordered to pay out over $2 million to various security and law enforcement agencies that had been called out as a result.^[10]

Hollywood is known for fiddling with the truth—in their defense, they are famous for telling stories. Be it the number of six-packs and flat butts on the beaches of America, the time it takes a person to work out their inner demons and develop into a good parent, or even the optional laws of physics—it is all relative in Tinseltown.

Ignoring the countless times that keys are left in the ignition or the monstrous mismatch of sounds used for certain motorcycle engines, here are ten of the most impossible motorcycle scenes you will find in films. And yes, I know it’s the movies and not meant to be accurate, but still…

Spoiler alert ahead!

Related: 10 Modern Stunts That Make Evel Knievel’s Look Tame

10 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

John Wick, expertly portrayed by Keanu Reeves, has been gallantly slaying his foes since we were forced to sit through the burial of his beloved doggo Daisy. Although it is well known that Reeves is one of the most-liked stars who appear on the silver screen, not too many people know that he is a motorcycle enthusiast, even starting a motorcycle company as a passion project.

It is clear, however, that he left his experience of motorcycles in the hands of CGI stunt coordinators, hoping to thrill rather than nail the literal landing. The chase scene starts off as relatively believable, with John hounded by the world’s assassins. He punches and shoots his way through would-be attackers until his match pulls up next to him.

He then proceeds to stick his sword through the spokes of a speeding bike—an impossible move unless you are Spiderman who can shoot the wings off a fly—causing the bike to flip…backward? Even if it were possible to force a sword between the spokes, there is no logical explanation for the backflip. Almost as impossible as getting over the death of that dog. Why couldn’t it have just been his kid?^[1]

9 The Matrix Reloaded

In the second installment of the trilogy (I guess we should stop calling it a trilogy now?), the Wachowskis got to unleash the power of the One. Neo, the aptly named anagram, unleashes all hell on the agents of the matrix. However, it is the chase scene involving his love, Trinity, that bumps the film onto this list.

In a breathless chase through the streets of the matrix, Trinity attempts to save the Keymaker and keep the prophecy alive. At full tilt, she manages to drive a Ducati 996 off a moving truck with the Keymaker holding on for dear life, landing the bike in front of the moving truck with both driver and passenger safely on board before weaving her way through traffic.

This is impossible for three reasons: (1) Most people would have an anxiety attack and pass out. (2) A superbike would snap in half carrying two people if dropped from that height. And then there is (3)—a police car would never, in all the years of this planet, gain on a superbike on a highway.^[2]

8 Terminator 2: Judgment Day

After winning multiple Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia titles, Arnie went on to terminate the late eighties/early nineties and has not shown signs of letting up.

In one of his earlier renditions of the famed death machine, he chases down a truck in one of the most memorable motorcycle scenes in all of cinema history. It starts out with John Connor’s frustrating inability to lose an eighteen-wheeler on a scrambler. Then, enter the terminator and his Harley Davidson Fatboy. He follows the chase until he joins the fray by flying off the overpass, two stories high, before landing with nothing but a few sparks.

Considering the curb weight of the bike—around 322 kilograms (710 pounds)—and the combined weight of Schwarzenegger and little John, you have yourself one heavy mix of machinery likely to collapse like a poorly built Lego bridge from that height.^[3]

7 The Dark Knight

When Batman does something, he makes it look cool. That should be an excuse to do whatever he damn well pleases, shouldn’t it? We will allow Batman some artistic freedom (side-spinning wheels). However, some of the maneuvers defy Newton’s well-known theories.

Ignoring the thick tires that would make it almost impossible to turn, or the cape likely to be sucked under the wheels like dollar bills into a vending machine, turning Batman into, well, Splatman—the most unfeasible stunt would be the method used to bring the Batcycle to a halt. Driving up the wall, turning the motorcycle mid-air, and then landing it safely. It’s the great-looking, impossible stunt we deserve, not the one we need.^[4]

6 Avengers: Age of Ultron

Apart from James Spader making his Marvel debut as the voice of an all-knowing talking robot—not a far cry from his usual roles—Age of Ultron has gone down as the least successful Avengers movie in terms of box office returns. Yet it still managed a massive $1.4 billion global return.

It features a bike chase through the streets of Sokovia, the fictional European city within the MCU. The Black Widow, played by Scarlett Johannsen, makes an impression as a motorcycle expert, managing to do tricks with the two-wheeler no mortal human could. After being dropped from the sky onto her Project LiveWire Harley, which doesn’t shatter on impact—a superhero landing—she effortlessly glides her electric horse through the streets before dropping onto her side, bike clutched between her legs, skidding under a truck with no effort, no damage to the bike, and no chafed knees.

Shortly after that, she does what is called a “stoppie,” which involves pulling on the front brakes as hard as possible, lifting the back wheel of the bike, and putting it down safely. A stoppie is actually a less effective way of coming to a standstill as the brakes are in the air. It’s possible, but anybody who would know how to slide their motorcycle under a gasoline tanker should know not to show off when the chips are down. The fact that she also drops the clutch on an electric motorcycle might physically hurt some enthusiasts.^[5]

5 Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle

Much like many child stars’ film careers, what starts out as a realistic showpiece turns into somewhat of a cinematic nightmare. A casual motocross race on a purpose-built track, where an array of stuntmen do unnecessary tricks considering they are racing, but heck, it’s all fun and games. Enter the bad man, loaded with a knife boot and gun prowess that would put any redneck to shame.

He launches into what’s called a kiss of death and then does what no sane (or living) person would do—he lets go of the handlebars. There is more. He somehow draws two guns mid-air, shoots, and regains the flying death bike before landing safely. Not happening in real life. Shortly after that, we also see a very soulful Diaz launching off her seat safely onto a stationary bike conveniently held upright and pointing in the right direction for no apparent reason, ready for round two.^[6]

The racers are surprisingly nonchalant about people dying and motorcycles exploding. You know, like it should be with any serious motocross race.

4 Tomorrow Never Dies

As evident in many Bond films, 007 is no slouch when it comes to riding a bike. He is, however, known for pushing the envelope slightly with regard to what is possible. Like many of the films on the list, the scene starts out somewhat believable. However, as evident from the sound engineers that deemed it fit to attach a noise resembling that of a 50cc lawnmower to a BMW R1200C Cruiser, as used in this film, there are many flaws. It kicks off with our heroes’ hands cuffed together, dashing their way through the crowd. Unable to steer, they devise a master plan to allow one to control the clutch and the other to control the throttle and brake—an implausible solution, but not impossible.

The big no-no happens after they manage to dodge hundreds of bullets and avoid hitting any pedestrians. They find themselves on top of a building being chased by a helicopter. They accelerate, bursting through the concrete balustrades and over the spinning death blade of the flying helicopter, only to fall straight through the roof on the opposite side in a still-standing straight-up position. No more forward momentum, no broken bones or shattered skulls, and most importantly, no damage to the bike. Not bad for the second-best Bond of all time.^[7]

3 Knight and Day

Tom Cruise is well known as one of the people in Hollywood who do most, if not all, of their stunts. He has defied death and broken bones, all in the name of realism. And a reputation for being a badass in an industry that isn’t known for churning out real-life badasses.

Knight and Day is a fast-paced film that plays out across the world. It is in Spain during the running of the bulls where our heroes achieve the impossible. On his Ducati, Cruise and Diaz whizz their way between trains, people, and stampeding bulls, until the grand face-off with the master of all bulls in a small alley not meant for bikes or bulls.

They manage to dodge the rampaging bull by turning the bike onto one wheel and spinning it around, only to repeat the move on the back wheel and then, you guessed it, another spin on the front. The football equivalent of what I can only assume is called a triple-lunge 360, all while managing impeccable clutch control and keeping his lass stuck to his back. Marvelous what you can do with CGI—Cruise Going Insane.^[8]

2 Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins

The G.I. Joe who has been mute since 1964 has finally found his voice. In the scene, the one they call Snake Eyes had just angered a bunch of peeps hell-bent on taking him down. A few cars and three bikers chase him down a long straight then through a tunnel for cinematic effect.

He proceeds to do what every good biker should be able to do (*wink wink*), he releases the handlebars, essentially taking his hand off the throttle and brake, then turns in his seat to face backward. Two of the bikers close in on him as he draws his sword, ready to sting, and without breaking a sweat, he does a flip over their attack, landing safely on his bike and slashing his blade through the middle of the third driver’s machine. He quickly accelerates for a few seconds in time to avoid being smashed by the car behind him. Child’s play, right?^[9]

Oh, Snake, what would the Joes do without you?

1 Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

The Rock’s projects are the modern, slightly buffer variation of Touched by an Angel. Only, in his version, everything he touches turns to solid gold. Let’s face it, whether you love the movies or not, a franchise spanning 10 films and still raking in the big bucks need not change its recipe. Nor do they have to apply to realism school.

The scene goes: (1) dispute, (2) typical chase scene involving a few twists and turns, (3) ridiculous wall jump brought on by shooting wheel spokes, (4) driving over cars like they are opossums on their way to council the wise owl, and (5) turn bike into the world’s largest onyx vibrator and slither your way through the slightest of gaps ever seen on film, all the while not even remaining on the bike for the duration of the scene. Now that was exhausting. The most unrealistic form of bike cinema you will ever see, one that would make any motorhead’s motor head spin.^[10]

Now, if I can just get the Rock to touch a few things in and around my apartment, that would be dandy.