Not every movie is loaded up with a limitless budget and time for endless takes. Sometimes stunt teams only have one opportunity to get everything right the first time around... so they have to.
Here are 10 movie stunts that only had one take to get it right.
1
“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” The Burj Khalifa Climb
They don’t let just anyone climb on the side of the world’s tallest building, and Tom Cruise and co. had a 30 minute window to make this work. That meant getting everything right the first time.
2
“The Bridge on the River Kwai” Bridge Explosion
If you’re going to blow up a bridge as the climax for your movie, you better make sure it’s done right. In this instance, production had exactly one opportunity to destroy their film’s custom-built bridge, and they weren’t getting another one.
3
“The General” Bridge Collapse
Perhaps the most ambitious movie stunt ever attempted to that point, Buster Keaton had one try, and one try only in 1926 to collapse a bridge with a train. There was no budget, (or backup bridge), to try it again.
4
“The French Connection” Car Chase
This 1971 crime thriller featured a classic, and hyper-realistic car chase. Why? Because it was totally real. And when you’re going to illegally film a car chase on real city streets, you only get one chance. (Before you get in serious trouble.)
5
“The Dark Knight” Hospital Explosion
If you’re going to actually blow up a building, you’re probably only going to get one chance. Fortunately, Christopher Nolan had Heath Ledger at his disposal to help him nail the scene.
6
“Drive” Car Crash
Ryan Gosling’s 2011 action thriller was on its last car during this sequence. The stunt crash was apparently not exactly what was planned, but was still good enough to make it into the movie.
7
“The Man With The Golden Gun” Barrel Roll
One of the most iconic stunts in any Bond film, crew had one chance to launch their AMC Hornet over a river.
8
“Casino Royale” Aston Martin Roll
After practicing with BMWs, it came time to roll the Aston, with the help of an air cannon push. According to stunt driver Adam Kirley, “We were going to be happy with a couple of rolls, maybe three at a push,” but the air cannon was too strong, and the car rolled seven times. It set the record at the time for most rolls.
9
“Speed” Bus Jump
Due to cost reasons, (and there only being one bus), there was only one attempt made to jump the bus. Although the bus landed more gracefully than Jan de Bont wanted, the shot was good enough to make the film. That landing is part of what makes the stunt so cool to this day.
10
“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” Chest Waxing
While you might not consider this a stunt, the fact that Steve Carell decided to use his real chest hair and reactions, meant that there was really only one opportunity.
