- Joined
- Oct 24, 2004
- Messages
- 161,391
- Reaction score
- 10,924
- Points
- 203
My favourite movie star of all time, honourable mentions to Oblivion, Edge of Tomorrow and Rain Man!
10. Top Gun
If Risky Business put him on the map then Top Gun made him a box office superstar. It's one of the quintessential 80's popcorn blockbusters, loud, brash and cheesey, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson in their producing pomp as a duo and a whole lot of fun as Cruise charisma anchors the spectacle.
9. The Firm
My second favourite John Grisham adaption, it's a gripping legal thriller as Cruise's young, naive lawyer finds himself working for a prestigious law firm only to find out they are in bed with the mob and now he's caught between them and the Feds. I might be wrong but I think this is the film that debuted the now iconic Tom Cruise run.
8. War of the Worlds
I think Cruise being a regular family man trying to survive an alien invasion with his kids was an interesting approach to take by Spielberg, as opposed to Cruise being the military guy at the head of the fight back. He's not even a particularly great dad as he does his best to keep his son and daughter alive and get them to safety amid some spectacular sequences. The films standout section is arguably when Cruise and his daughter (played by a young Dakota Fanning) are bunkered down with Tim Robbins slightly unhinged survivor and the alien probes start hunting them in this confined space.
7. Colllateral
"I didn't kill him, the bullets and the fall killed him"......Tom Cruise's only heel role in his entire career and he nails it in Michael Mann's taught, tense thriller that all takes place in one night as Cruise's hitman Vincent travels around LA in Jamie Foxx's cab with a list of hits to carry out.
6. A Few Good Men
This was actually the first film of Cruise's I remember seeing, and the first time I realized he could act and wasn't just a pretty boy for the girls to pin posters up of. It's a fantastic, twisty courtroom thriller set within the murky world of the military and their own set of often morally questionable rules and code.
5. Jack Reacher
A lean throwback to the action thrillers of the 70's, the kind of movie Clint Eastwood would have made in his prime, featuring a great lead character that Cruise brings to life with intensity, an engrossing mystery and a fantastic car chase.
4. Jerry Maguire
My favourite Cameron Crowe movie, it's a simple romantic drama that just hits all the right notes, it's sentimental but never too much so IMO and the dynamic between Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr provides plenty of laughs. The film also contains one of cinemas most iconic romantic lines and Crowe's trademark ear for musical choices to fit the films key scenes is at it's zenith here.
3. Minority Report
The first team-up between Cruise and Spielberg and it's a cracking sci-fi noir thriller. It's not an action movie per se but does have one breathtaking sequence where Cruise's Pre-crime cop Anderton escapes his former unit, but at it's core it's a detective mystery centered around a morally challenging concept. Whisper it but this is my favourite movie based off Philp K. Dick's work!
2. The Last Samurai
Dances with Samurai as some called it, I think it's a beautifully shot film with a great performance from Cruise as soldier haunted by his past deeds who has lost his purpose without war and has become a mercenary for hire and a borderline alcoholic. Captured by a Samurai clan after a battle he finds his spirit healed and a new view on life as he recouperates in their village and is taught the ways of the Samurai and their philosophies by the clans leader, played brilliantly by Ken Watanabe. The film is a sweeping epic and intimate character piece that features a couple of wonderful sequences like the Ninja attack on the Samurai village during a Kabuki show and the stunning Ronin fight.
1. Mission Impossible Franchise
Ok so it's kinda cheating, but this will be arguably the biggest piece of his legacy and it's greater than just one movie, for me it's one of the greatest franchises of all time and like fine wine it has gotten better with age, filled with excitement, intrigue and some of the most iconic action sequences in movie history.
10. Top Gun
If Risky Business put him on the map then Top Gun made him a box office superstar. It's one of the quintessential 80's popcorn blockbusters, loud, brash and cheesey, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson in their producing pomp as a duo and a whole lot of fun as Cruise charisma anchors the spectacle.
9. The Firm
My second favourite John Grisham adaption, it's a gripping legal thriller as Cruise's young, naive lawyer finds himself working for a prestigious law firm only to find out they are in bed with the mob and now he's caught between them and the Feds. I might be wrong but I think this is the film that debuted the now iconic Tom Cruise run.
8. War of the Worlds
I think Cruise being a regular family man trying to survive an alien invasion with his kids was an interesting approach to take by Spielberg, as opposed to Cruise being the military guy at the head of the fight back. He's not even a particularly great dad as he does his best to keep his son and daughter alive and get them to safety amid some spectacular sequences. The films standout section is arguably when Cruise and his daughter (played by a young Dakota Fanning) are bunkered down with Tim Robbins slightly unhinged survivor and the alien probes start hunting them in this confined space.
7. Colllateral
"I didn't kill him, the bullets and the fall killed him"......Tom Cruise's only heel role in his entire career and he nails it in Michael Mann's taught, tense thriller that all takes place in one night as Cruise's hitman Vincent travels around LA in Jamie Foxx's cab with a list of hits to carry out.
6. A Few Good Men
This was actually the first film of Cruise's I remember seeing, and the first time I realized he could act and wasn't just a pretty boy for the girls to pin posters up of. It's a fantastic, twisty courtroom thriller set within the murky world of the military and their own set of often morally questionable rules and code.
5. Jack Reacher
A lean throwback to the action thrillers of the 70's, the kind of movie Clint Eastwood would have made in his prime, featuring a great lead character that Cruise brings to life with intensity, an engrossing mystery and a fantastic car chase.
4. Jerry Maguire
My favourite Cameron Crowe movie, it's a simple romantic drama that just hits all the right notes, it's sentimental but never too much so IMO and the dynamic between Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr provides plenty of laughs. The film also contains one of cinemas most iconic romantic lines and Crowe's trademark ear for musical choices to fit the films key scenes is at it's zenith here.
3. Minority Report
The first team-up between Cruise and Spielberg and it's a cracking sci-fi noir thriller. It's not an action movie per se but does have one breathtaking sequence where Cruise's Pre-crime cop Anderton escapes his former unit, but at it's core it's a detective mystery centered around a morally challenging concept. Whisper it but this is my favourite movie based off Philp K. Dick's work!
2. The Last Samurai
Dances with Samurai as some called it, I think it's a beautifully shot film with a great performance from Cruise as soldier haunted by his past deeds who has lost his purpose without war and has become a mercenary for hire and a borderline alcoholic. Captured by a Samurai clan after a battle he finds his spirit healed and a new view on life as he recouperates in their village and is taught the ways of the Samurai and their philosophies by the clans leader, played brilliantly by Ken Watanabe. The film is a sweeping epic and intimate character piece that features a couple of wonderful sequences like the Ninja attack on the Samurai village during a Kabuki show and the stunning Ronin fight.
1. Mission Impossible Franchise
Ok so it's kinda cheating, but this will be arguably the biggest piece of his legacy and it's greater than just one movie, for me it's one of the greatest franchises of all time and like fine wine it has gotten better with age, filled with excitement, intrigue and some of the most iconic action sequences in movie history.
