Tom Cruise narrowly avoided injury during his Mission: Impossible stunt at the top of the world's tallest building as he kept "slamming" into the skyscraper due to strong winds.

The actor reprises his role as agent Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and he took the action to new heights by scaling the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai for a high-flying sequence in the movie.

The stunt was far trickier than Cruise made it look and he was left battered after the first few takes.

He tells Britain's The Sun, "I remember I came slamming into the building, when I didn't quite make it around because I had to figure out actually how to fly.

"I had to figure out how to use my feet as a rudder because you have cross winds up there. It took a while to figure out how to not come into the building head first.

"So the first couple of times I was slamming into the building... and I'm like, 'It's OK, it's OK, I'm all right.' So it was really fun."

Cruise also reveals he turned down the chance to wear a parachute during the sequence, adding, "I remember the first safety briefings we were getting and Gregg Smrz - he's the stunt co-ordinator - said, 'Look Tom, I've just had a five-hour meeting and they want everyone to wear parachutes.' I said, 'Parachutes on the thing? That's more dangerous.' So I said, 'We need a new safety officer who's going to says it's OK.'"