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Tom Cruise is 58 today. As an actor and producer, his films have grossed over $10 billion worldwide and he shows no signs of slowing down. How do we know? Because he continues to climb mountains and fall from flying helicopters in his “Mission: Impossible” films, at least two of which are still in the works.
To wish the movie icon a good day, we’ll be sharing our 10 favorite movies from him. Seems fitting, Cruise was born on July 3, right?
We’ll cover plenty of hits you know and love, but also include lesser-known titles that deserve the love. What are your favorite Tom Cruise movies? Read our picks (and honorable mentions) below:
Risky Business (1983)
You’ve seen glimpses of Cruise’s movie-star potential in “Taps” and “Losin’ It,” but Paul Brickman’s coming-of-age comedy about a fun-seeking up-and-coming Chicago teenager home while her parents are out of town before things got out of hand thanks to a date with a prostitute gave us the cruise we would know and love forever. At just 21, Cruise has impressed Hollywood enough to not only secure him starring roles in movies like “Legend” and “Top Gun,” but also to work with big-name filmmakers like Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, and Martin Scorsese.
Superior Gun (1986)
The mega-hit that once again propelled Cruise to absolute stardom. As students at the US Navy’s elite combat arms school compete for the best of the class, a daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that aren’t taught in the classroom. Thanks also in large part to the late director Tony Scott (with whom he would also direct the NASCAR version “Days of Thunder”), it remains to this day one of the purest experiments of the 1980s: call signs (Maverick , Goose, Iceman, etc.), beach volleyball, Kenny Loggins. Oh, and the thrilling fighter jet sequences. Cruise had only just begun to reach the peak of his powers. Everything is still standing, and the sequel is on the way (and looks spectacular).
Rain Man (1988)
Dustin Hoffman received rave reviews in Barry Levinson’s Best Picture, but Cruise’s performance remains just as good as his Oscar-winning counterpart. As a selfish yuppie whose father left his scholarly brother a fortune, he takes her across the country through a series of frustrating left turns that help her learn communication, patience, and family in this who remains one of his best actors to this day.
Mission Impossible franchise (since 1996)
Franchise is a force of nature, so it’s hard to pick just one. Each brings enough energy and action and jaw-dropping stunts to earn their own spot (yes, haters, even “M:I2”), and it’s clearly what will define Cruise’s legacy as a star. movie star and true Hollywood’s latest action hero. If we have to choose one, we’ll take “Fallout”, quite simply one of the greatest action movies ever made. The process of introducing this sixth entry in the ever-evolving “Mission: Impossible” franchise (and its spectacular set pieces and stunts) is fascinating, but sometimes you just have to marvel at what’s on screen, mostly Cruise, who is literally risking his life to entertain us. Never mind that this is a fifth sequel in a 22-year-old series, it stands up to the greatest of all time. Writer/director Chris McQuarrie and Cruise also seem determined to outdo each other (and have signed on for two more entries), so watch out.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Arguably the most Tom Cruise movie of all time? He plays a sports agent who has a moral epiphany and gets fired for voicing it, as he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as a freelance agent with the only athlete left with him and his former secretary. Cruise, Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger give winning performances. From writer/director Cameron Crowe, with whom he would later direct ‘Vanilla Sky’. At the time, it looked like the pinnacle of Cruise’s career as a movie star and actor (capping an incredible box office run of the 1990s), though he would lose the Oscar to Geoffrey Rush. . All of Cruise’s big-screen charisma is on display, and at the same time, it’s all maniacally flowing to further prove his willingness to stretch himself creatively, especially at the hands of another performer like Crowe.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
The great Stanley Kubrick’s latest film stars then-married couple Cruise and Nicole Kidman as husbands in need of an answer as they embark on a dangerous overnight odyssey of sexual discovery and morals after his wife admitted she almost cheated on him. on him. Great performances from the protagonists and truly disturbing pacing and visuals sent a master like Kubrick in appropriate style. With “Days of Thunder” and “Far and Away” under their belts, Cruise and Kidman deliver their strongest work yet, complete with a knockout scene in which Kidman counters him.
Magnolia (1999)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s jam-packed mosaic of fragile and flawed characters in the San Fernando Valley ran for an epic three hours, going for another home run after its dynamic “Boogie Nights.” He enlisted super-duper-star Cruise, who has established himself as a movie icon who should never get top billing, to shed that mystique and take on a supporting role that would challenge his Hollywood as well as his skills as a serious opposite actor. the likes of Jason Robards and Philip Seymour Hoffman. As a motivational speaker and a bit of a quack selling a pickup artist tutorial, Cruise rises to the occasion, certainly stealing scenes but beautifully sharing the load with a gifted ensemble of actors eager to explore the human condition.
Minority report (2002)
Cruise’s collaborations with Steven Spielberg deserve a spot on this list, and while we dig “War of the Worlds,” we’ll opt for this nifty adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s short story about a future where a special police unit is capable of arresting murderers before they commit their crimes, and an officer of this unit is himself charged with a future murder. Spielberg’s racing direction, snazzy special effects and John Williams’ thrilling score help supercharge this man-on-the-run adventure, which certainly lasts longer than it should, but it’s power and seriousness. from Cruise who really get things done.
Collateral (2004)
Michael Mann’s crime film about a taxi driver who finds himself hostage to a hiring hitman (Cruise) as he makes his hit-and-miss rounds during a night in Los Angeles. Despite his best efforts in “Interview with the Vampire,” Cruise had yet to really frighten us on screen (and the couch jumping would come a year later), so his portrayal of mysterious and brutal (and gray) hitman Vince caught us off guard in a series of violent “works” that plunge Foxx’s driver into even deeper trouble than he anticipated.
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
If no one wants to make a ’90s-style sci-fi action movie in the mid-2010s, we can count on Cruise to give it a shot, even giving Bill Paxton a tasty role in the process. He plays a smarmy military PR officer pushed to the front lines in an apocalyptic battle against deadly aliens, all the while reliving the same day over and over again, the day starting anew each time he dies. So it’s basically “Groundhog Day” meets “Starship Troopers,” but even more impressive than it sounds. For some, it might just be a fun B-movie with the star on his game, but thanks to Cruise, co-star Emily Blunt, director Doug Liman (“The Bourne Identiy”) and co-writer Christopher McQuarrie, we one get a thoughtful treatment of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s source material and another send-off of Cruise’s character in arguably the greatest video game movie not based on an actual video game.
Honorable mentions: The Color of Money (1986), Born on the 4th of July (1989), Days of Thunder (1990), Far and Away (1992), A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993)
