Tom Cruise drifts an electric Fiat 500 one-handed in the new Mission Impossible film

The car scene in John Wick: Chapter 4 filmed around the Arc de Triomphe was a masterclass of movement and action, but as ever, Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible team have swung in to change the game yet again.

Or rather, drifted in to change the game, because in this teaser clip from upcoming flick Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, Cruise continues to demonstrate why he was once the fastest celebrity around the Top Gear test track.

“We’ll be screaming through the streets of Rome in motorcycles, cars… we’re doing it right. It all comes down to one thing: how do we involve the audience? I just want to give them that thrill,” said Cruise. Hoo boy, are we in for a thrill.

“We came to Rome to shoot a chase scene, something with a lot more ambition and unpredictability that we haven’t had in previous chases,” said director Chris McQuarrie. He noted the cobbled Roman roads meant all the cars and bikes had a heightened sense of unpredictable behaviour. Which sounds... scary.

Oh, and one more thing. “The best part is, Tom and [co-star] Hayley [Atwell], they’re handcuffed together.” Which meant Cruise had to drive/drift around congested streets one-handed. And just like Keanu, he did it for real – no cheating. “The key is, don’t crash,” Cruise said.

In this teaser clip, he’s seen hooning around in a BMW 5 Series and – hilariously – a modified electric Fiat 500 that’s as adorable as it is lairy. “We built this Fiat 500 so that it would be faster,” McQuarrie said, somewhat underselling the modded topolino’s pace and handling behaviour which the crew described as ‘treacherous’ and ‘possessed’.

Remember to keep your arms inside the carriage at all times…

We've done car chases in Mission: Impossible movies before. But nothing like this one. pic.twitter.com/4NH8ngFs41

— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 14, 2023