Top 10: Tom Cruise Movies

The Mummy starring Tom Cruise is about to hit cinemas. We’ve gone back and chosen our Top 10 Tom Cruise movies in preparation for his fight against the supernatural.

10
Minority Report (2002)

An extremely underrated sci-fi movie, I think a lot of people have forgotten just how good Minority Report is. Loosely based off a Philip K. Dick story, Minority Report has Cruise as a member of PreCrime – a department that arrests criminals before they commit the crime, predicted from three “precogs”. When Cruise is predicted to commit murder in the next 36 hours, we get a great, sci-fi chase movie that has a surprising amount of depth to it. Exploring themes of free will, changing the future and deeply flawed characters.

Directed beautifully by Steven Spielberg and scored by John Williams, Minority Report is fun, re-watchable and a great movie to discuss among friends. 

9
Risky Business (1983)

This is the film that sent Tom Cruise into superstar status. What does everyone do when their parents go away? Throw a party of course (or dance in your underwear to ‘Old Time Rock and Roll‘). Risky Business is one of those older teen comedies like American Graffiti or The Breakfast Club that I have such a fun time watching.

It’s got great dialogue, an even better soundtrack, and a downright fantastic performance from Cruise, both funny and sincere. If you haven’t seen Risky Business, do yourself a favour and throw it on. Then go find a Bob Seger record. 

8
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

I’ve talked about my love for Edge of Tomorrow before and I’ll do it again now. Watching Cruise as Major William Cage cower from combat in the beginning of the film, only to grow into a complete bad-ass by the end is great. If you don’t know the story, aliens have invaded and Cage becomes infected by them – every time he dies, he wakes up at the start of the day. It’s Groundhog Day meets Independence DayIndependent Groundhog Day, if you will.

Not only is Cruise great, but Emily Blunt almost steals the film out from under him. She is a complete bad-ass and I’d love a Full Metal Bitch prequel. But until that film gets made (probably never) I can always return to Edge of Tomorrow and have an absolute blast watching it every time.

7
Magnolia (1999)

I’ve seen Magnolia 3 times in my life and I’ve picked up something new each and every time. Clocking in at 188 minutes, Magnolia can be a mission to get through, but if you make it, it is surely worth it. A twisting tale of coincidence performed by an ensemble cast, Magnolia earned Tom Cruise the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor – and he really earned it. Cruise completely switches gears in this film, bringing out a whole side of himself that hadn’t been seen before.

Not only is Cruise great, but the film is fantastic as well. Paul Thomas Anderson weaves so many characters and plots into a thought provoking (and sometimes confusing) movie. Check it out. 

6
Collateral (2004)

I love watching Tom Cruise as the bad guy, because he is damn good at it. Directed by Michael MannCollateral stars Cruise as professional hit-man Vincent and Jamie Foxx as his hostage/taxi driver. Cruise is electric as Vincent, completely cold-blooded and, like in Magnolia, shows even more of his acting range.

Collateral is fantastic as a neo-noir thriller, one that may have had a hand in inspiring some modern movies. Mann’s direction, the performances and slick action is handled so well that Collateral is one of my favourite films of 2004.

5
Mission: Impossible (1996)

How could this not be on the list? This was my introduction to Tom Cruise and a memorable one it was. Red light-green light, the theme song and of course Cruise hanging from the ceiling, inches from a sensor-ridden floor. Some of it might be cheesy by today’s standards, but there is no denying this is a fantastic action spy movie.

IMF Agent Ethan Hunt has become an iconic character, up there with the likes of John McClane and James Bond. It’s a character Cruise has made his own and it all started here. They say nothing beats the original, but…

4
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)

…this is where the franchise kicked into overdrive. Ghost Protocol was the perfect Mission Impossible movie in my opinion. Directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles), Ghost Protocol was the perfect mix of action and spy tech, along with a great team of characters that had been lacking in the series. Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg are great as Hunt’s team here with a lot of great scenes.

But it’s got to be Tom Cruise climbing the Burj Khalifa that takes the cake. One of the reasons I love Cruise is for his stunt work and here it was at some of his best and craziest (the plane sequence in Rogue Nation might outdo it). No matter what, Cruise gives it his all and he is such an important part that makes both Ghost Protocol and the Mission Impossible franchise such a success today. 

3
Rain Man (1988)

In my opinion, Rain Man is possibly the best road-trip movie of all time. It stars Cruise as Charlie and Dustin Hoffman as his autistic savant brother Raymond. We join them as they drive across the United States after Charlie’s plan to get half of the estate left by his father from Raymond fails. Cruise plays an abusive jerk in this movie and it is easy to hate him in the beginning. As their road trip progresses, not only do we learn more about Charlie and Raymond and watch their bond grow, we also get to see some pretty great, more subtle comedic moments.

Raymond is set in his ways and watching Cruise’s frustration as Charlie tries to deal with it is hilarious to me. Rain Man is probably the most decorated of Cruise’s films, nominated for eight Oscars. Hoffman and Cruise play off one another seamlessly and their bond, by films end, is one you really buy into and care about. It’s funny, touching and easily one of Cruise’s best movies to date.

2
A Few Good Men (1992)

I can’t remember a good legal drama film in recent memory – they just aren’t in style anymore. Luckily I don’t need one, because I’ll always have A Few Good Men. It was a film I knew of before I’d even seen it because of one oft-quoted line (“You can’t handle the truth!). That scene is certainly the highlight of the film and Jack Nicholson’s acting is off the charts and he is always the one talked about. But go back and watch the scene again and not only is Nicholson acting his ass off, but Cruise matches him beat for beat.

A Few Good Men has some of the best dialogue from writer Aaron Sorkin. Everyone here gives it their absolute all and it shows on screen. What could be a boring legal battle turns into an intense watch, your eyes and ears transfixed to the screen as the case progresses. It’s well directed, acted and builds to one of the best third acts of all time. 

1
Top Gun

Admit it, you knew it was coming. Top Gun is one of my favourite movies of all time and I remember watching it with my dad all the time when I was younger. It’s got everything you need. Intense dogfights, epic one-liners, a killer soundtrack, homo-eroticism in the locker room and the best game of beach volleyball ever put to film.

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is the coolest cat in the skies and Cruise plays him to perfection. He is cocky, arrogant and downright amicable. Director Tony Scott knew how to make a good film and he succeeded with flying colours here. With word of a sequel on the horizon, I personally can’t wait for Cruise to get back into the cockpit and lead us all to the danger zone again. Top Gun, for me, is easily Tom Cruise’s best film. 

What did you think of our list? Do you agree, disagree? Which ones did we miss? Sound off in the comments and on our Facebook page. Don’t forget to check back for our review of The Mummy coming soon.

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