Joey Magidson
Movie stars don’t come any bigger than Tom Cruise. Whether it’s early days in Risky Business or Top Gun, or later on with work like in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, or Rain Man, Cruise has underrated range. He’s an all-timer of an action hero, sure, but the charm he can put forth in a comedy or a drama is nearly unparalleled. He’s a movie star, plain and simple, with the films on his resume to back that up. As Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is about to open, it felt like a perfect time to finally dive in and rank the best performances from an actor who literally is one of the biggest in the business.
Back when Top Gun: Maverick came out, my review here said the following about him:
Tom Cruise slips easily back into this iconic role, while never shying away from the toll that time has taken on Maverick. Older, maybe a little bit wiser, but still very much who he was, we’re seeing a potential relic rage against the dying of the light. In terms of Cruise action roles, this flick gives him more drama to engage with than usual.
As for with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (reviewed here), I had this to say:
Tom Cruise is nothing less than totally committed here, once again. Intense yet suave in the dialogue scenes, the action sequences have him at as high a level as ever. The hook here has been his stunt work, and it does continue to make a difference. Seeing him here lends a tactile element that so many other action films don’t have.
Finally, just last week with Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (reviewed here), I spoke of Cruise like so:
Tom Cruise is front and center, as always, and this sequel asks him to be as intense as ever. There’s less humor to his role than we’ve seen previously, but he does wear the weight of the fate of the world with aplomb. Cruise knows how to play Ethan Hunt in his sleep, so it’s not surprising that he’s up to the task. As always, he’s at his best while doing insane stunts, letting the camera capture him in death defying situations. It’s a series staple and also just a strong use of Cruise throughout.
Below, you can see my ranking for Cruise. What you’ll notice is that I’ve focused more on his non-action roles, even though those are what have placed him in the stratosphere. For my money, Cruise is at his best when he’s the charming lead of a drama or a comedy. I’ve spoken about it for years, but I do hope that he gets back more to his auteur driven roles in the years to come, which we could see starting next year with his collaboration with Alejandro González Iñárritu. Cruise’s best performance so far is in Magnolia for Paul Thomas Anderson (while his most underrated is in All the Right Moves, which too few of you have seen), but this was a hard list to whittle down. I truly began with twenty and had to work for a while to even get to where I ended up. Your mileage may vary, but that’s how it goes for me, as you’re about to see…
Here now is my list of the best performances from Tom Cruise to date. Behold:
Honorable Mention: American Made, Edge of Tomorrow, Lions for Lambs, Top Gun: Maverick, Tropic Thunder, and Vanilla Sky
10. Minority Report
9. Eyes Wide Shut
8. Collateral
7. Risky Business
6. A Few Good Men
5. All the Right Moves
4. Jerry Maguire
3. Rain Man
2. Born on the Fourth of July
1. Magnolia
What are your favorite Tom Cruise performances? Let us know!
Tropic thunder