One of the longest-reigning movie stars in Hollywood is Tom Cruise, who began his career in the '80s with successes like Top Gun and Martin Scorsese's The Color of Money. The actor has had a wide variety of roles but has mainly focused on high-budget action pictures like the beloved Mission Impossible franchise.
Letterboxd fans are very ionate about watching a variety of films, so the scores can often be seen as well constructed and fair. His films ranged from lower-rated projects, like The Mummy (which still has its fanbase), to great critically acclaimed movies like Eyes Wide Shut and Magnolia.
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2015) 3.6/5
One of the higher-rated Cruise's best stunts to date.
The film is also one of the only live-action pictures worked on by renowned animation director, Brad Bird. Like all Mission Impossible installments, Rogue Nation is a memorable watch and is full of all the great action content one would expect from the series.
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011) 3.6/5
With the same rating as Rogue Nation, it's a toss-up if Ghost Protocol is better or worse, but the 2011 installment in the series did contain the legendary sequence where Cruise climbed the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Love him or hate him, fans have always been impressed by the massive risks Cruise is willing to take to make his movies the way he likes them.
The famous photo of Cruise sitting atop the Burj Khalifa shoeless and harness-less is part of what makes this film so iconic, as the internet boomed with excitement around his escalating stunt work. With the news that Cruise will be going to space for a feature film, who knows what's next for the actor.
Minority Report (2002) 3.7/5
When great actors work with great directors the result is oftentimes an excellent piece of work. Minority Report was one of those cases, as the combination of Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise, and the then Hollywood newcomer Colin Farrell, results in an epic science fiction thriller.
The film has many twists and turns and offers the usual fast-paced action one would expect from a Cruise film, as well as the mind-bending world-building seen in many of Spielberg's classics. The film also offers a great ing role for legend Max von Sydow.
Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) 3.7/5
It's like Groundhog Day but sci-fi -- Redditors to be one of the best alien invasion movies.
Cruise is spectacular in the role, offering some great stunts and performance. His on-screen chemistry with Emily Blunt is also what makes the movie work so well, and it's one of the two movies he worked on with action director Doug Liman.
Collateral (2004) 3.8/5
There aren't many directors who can make crime films like Michael Mann. Combining that with an action star like Tom Cruise and the final product ends up being a masterpiece like Collateral. A 3.8 may not sound like an incredibly high score, but even Mann's lowest-rated films are worth exploring.
Tom Cruise is spectacular in the movie, backed by a great script with awesome dialogue and world-building, as well as Mann's incredible talent for visuals. Cruise made some strange choices on set to prepare for the role of the hitman Vincent, which is always a fun read for viewers.
Rain Man (1988) 3.8/5
One of the earliest projects by Tom Cruise and one of the reasons for his long-term success was Rain Man. An unusual deviation from his usual sort, the film follows the emotional story of Charlie and Raymond Babbitt. Cruise's Charlie is hoping to collect a large inheritance following the death of their father.
The desire for wealth puts the two brothers in a situation together where they journey on a cross-country trip. Tom Cruise plays a character not unusual to his normal roles, but the development in the movie tasks him with stretching beyond that confident comfort zone into a vulnerable character.
A Few Good Men (1992) 3.8/5
A Few Good Men is one of the first works of legendary screenwriter Aaron Sorkin to reach the public eye, based on his play by the same name. Cruise plays the same over-confident young man that many were used to with the actor, after Top Gun.
For fans of courtroom dramas and incredible writing and dialogue, A Few Good Men is a joy to watch, with gripping drama from start to finish. The project also features strong ing performances from Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, and Kevin Bacon.
Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) 3.9/5
The most recent release in the Mission Impossible franchise is inarguably a great action film. The film received great reception from audiences due to the ing role of Henry Cavill and his great fist-reload stunt work. Of course, Tom Cruise is consistently solid in the role.
The idea of Cruise testing his limits by doing his own stunt work really took form in Fallout, as audiences were shocked by the great chase scenes on both foot, motorcycle, and of course, helicopter. The film was particularly notable for the clip of Cruise injuring his leg while attempting a stunt, and following through with it anyways.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 4/5
Stanley Kubrick is widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers ever, and Eyes Wide Shut is one of his masterworks. The mystery thriller starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman is far from the usual work of the actor, which is part of what makes it so great.
Cruise's greatest films are usually those that stray from his usual action blockbusters, and when he works with great directors. Eyes Wide Shut follows Cruise's character in his path of discovering a dangerous cult group after having a marital dispute with his wife. The results are gripping and thematically rich.
Magnolia (1999) 4.1/5
Tom Cruise is simply a member of the ensemble that makes up Magnolia, but his screen time is some of the best work of his career and earned him one of his only Oscar nominations, as well as a Golden Globe win.
Cruise captures the range of emotions the film displays so well, with some of the movie's funniest and also most emotionally dark scenes. Magnolia is a movie full of sensitivity, and Cruise's development throughout the film perfectly encapsulates the essence of Paul Thomas Anderson's work.
