Tom Cruise has returned after a four-year absence from the big screen in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One for another adventure. With the actor set to continue his long career, it’s interesting to look at the elements that make up the formula for nearly all of his movies.
Whether it’s a comedy like The Firm, there are certain aspects that can be found in almost every film featuring the actor. While a few exceptions might be there over the years, the general outline of a standard Tom Cruise feature carries these elements, and fans should keep an eye out for them in Top Gun: Maverick.
The Protagonist Has An Epiphany
Tom Cruise’s characters generally spend the runtime of the films confused over their purpose before something happens to cause an epiphany. This was seen in movies like Magnolia, where Frank sees his hated father on his deathbed and realizes he never truly despised him, along with Vanilla Sky, where he concludes that he needs a leap of faith to wake up from his sleep.
The epiphany is highlighted as the turning point of the movie, in that it usually ushers in the climax or a change of tone. In The Firm, it’s when Mitch realizes the true nature of his company, while War of the Worlds saw the world realizing that the aliens were susceptible to the Earth’s atmosphere.
Someone Wants To Sabotage The Other's Plans
There’s usually some kind of conspiracy or scheme going around in Tom Cruise’s films that leads to two opposing sides. In smaller-scale movies like Collateral, Jamie Foxx’s Max routinely attempts to stop Cruise’s Vincent’s assassination attempts of his targets; large-scale films like War of the Worlds have the humans defying the aliens’ invasion.
The Tom Cruise’s films ranked well among fans since anything could happen at any point.
The Protagonist Realizes They Can't Trust Everyone
Whether Cruise is playing the main hero or a ing role, his movies usually have the lead character realizing not everyone is their friend. In a comedy such as Tropic Thunder, the heroes accept that they’re trapped in the jungle with characters like Cruise’s Les Grossman abandoning them.
In a thriller like Mission: Impossible, Ethan finds out his boss and friend Jim is the bad guy all along. In romantic comedies like Jerry Maguire, the titular protagonist is let go from the agency he was loyal to and has to start from scratch after their betrayal. This aspect is usually needed so that the protagonists can stand out on their own.
Tom Cruise's Character Isolates Himself At Least Once
This feature is present in just about all of Tom Cruise’s best films, as it places focus on his character. It can either be part of the epiphany he experiences or just be for comedic purposes, but Cruise will be seen alone at one point where he has a moment of reflection.
In Tropic Thunder, Les Grossman waited for everyone to be gone before busting into a dance number, while Minority Report, John Anderton took a moment to reflect on his pursuit of the Precogs, and in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol had Ethan walk away alone after completing his mission and reuniting with his wife from afar.
There's A Notable Quote Intended For Audiences To
There are more than a few Top Gun, where the “Need for Speed” quote was notable; later works like Mission: Impossible had Ethan exclaim “Mission Accomplished!”
Character-driven movies have quotes placed in such a way that things are put entirely into perspective. In A Few Good Men, Daniel Kaffee shouts “I want the truth!” in court that gets colonel Jessup to retaliate with “You can’t handle the truth!” In Jerry Maguire, the protagonist’s “You complete me” line enables him to reconcile with his wife.
Someone Has A Secret
There’s generally an underlying secret in Tom Cruise’s movies that is revealed late in the story to usher in the next act. In Cocktail, it’s when Brian learns the artist girlfriend he was unfaithful to is not only wealthy, but pregnant with his child, while Knight and Day reveals that Roy Miller’s secret identity is Matthew Knight.
The Mission: Impossible movies always have this aspect in play to stay true to their spy thriller premise. Mission: Impossible – Fallout contained this the most, with everyone from the White Widow, August Walker, and even Ethan Hunt’s team keeping secret plans of their own.
Tom Cruise's Character Learns A Big Flaw About Himself
In just about all of American Made.
In The Mummy, Nick realizes his obsession with finding the tomb of Princess Ahmanet led to the movie’s events and he vows to keep the powers of Set within him to make amends. In Jerry Maguire, the titular character promises his wife he won’t treat her as secondary to his career anymore, leading to their reconciliation.
Tom Cruise's Character Runs
The biggest trademark of Tom Cruise’s career is the run his character completes in almost every film. It doesn’t matter if it’s an action movie or a drama, Cruise will generally run for one reason or another. In Edge of Tomorrow, he even managed to run in a massive and heavy exo-suit.
His role as Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible has seen him engage in the most sprints, with the third film providing a real-time run without any camera cuts. In dramas like Vanilla Sky, Eyes Wide Shut, and Jerry Maguire, the running coincides with his character’s epiphany and he sets off to try and fix the mess he’s created.
