Tom Cruise brought London to a halt Sunday morning -- not because he was showing visiting daughter Suri the sights, but because he was filming his new movie.
The heart of the city, Trafalgar Square and surrounding streets, was in shutdown mode for more than three hours as Cruise shot scenes for "All You Need Is Kill." The production blocked off a three-square-mile area that is home to some of the most visited tourist sites in the historic city.
"It was like a military operations. Trafalgar Square was covered with armored vehicles for hours. It made the whole city a nightmare traffic-wise as the knock-on effect to shutting down Trafalgar Square is huge," local Ann Savell told The Huffington Post. "I understand shutting the city down for a royal wedding, but for Tom Cruise!"
Landing in a RAF Puma chopper, the movie star shot his film on a busy pre-Christmas weekend, leaving tourists and locals livid.
"Road closure signs were everywhere with no explanation. The Strand, Charing Cross Road, Pall Mall and even Whitehall were all disaster areas," said London resident Jorg Betts. "I'm all for making films in the capital, but this was a little extreme."
A spokesman for the City of Westminster, the London borough that includes Trafalgar Square, said Londoners would not benefit financially from the filming, but added, "It raises the profile of the city and is good for tourism."
"Not many people can close down Trafalgar Square, fill it with tanks and helicopter," said British journalist Jessica Callan. "But Tom Cruise brought one of London's most famous landmarks to a standstill. The queen is probably the only other person who would manage it. But I doubt she'd bring tanks in."
Still, Callan said, "Tourists were thrilled to see such a big superstar like Tom in action while they were sightseeing."
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