25 best movie stunts ever

Cliffhanger (1993)

Sly Stallone paid $1m out of his own pocket for stunt man Simon Crane to slide between two planes at 15,000 feet – making it the most expensive aerial stunt ever. Funnily enough, though he managed it perfectly he couldn’t get inside the second plane so the end result is down to clever editing. You won’t be seeing this kind of stunt in European art-house anytime soon, it’s illegal on this continent.

Ben-Hur (1959)

It cost a million bucks (about US$7.5m today) and 78 horses (still 78 horses) to put together the classic chariot race finale to Ben-Hur. Charlton Heston and Stephen Boyd had to learn to charioteering for the scene, but it was a stuntman who nearly came a cropper when the sequence demanded a chariot jump over another. The original script for Ben-Hur describes the epic scene in just three words: the chariot race.

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Running around hurling himself through windows is just another day at the office for Jason Bourne. Less so for the cameraman who had to follow him to capture the jump shot seen at 01:05.

The Great Escape (1963)

Although Steve McQueen was no stranger to two-wheeled thrills, he gave over the saddle to stuntman Bud Ekins for the climactic jump towards the end of The Great Escape. The big wuss.

Death Proof (2007)

So impressed was Quentin Tarantino with Uma Thurman’s Kill Bill stunt double, Zoe Bell, he cast her in a leading role for his next film. The part? Clinging on to the bonnet of a speeding Dodge Challenger. Naturally. This sequence also made our 25 best movie car chases feature – it's that good.