Over four decades, forty-five feature films, and eighty-five nominative accolades, Tom Cruise has established himself as one of the most valuable names in Hollywood. Weeks away from his 60s, Cruise remains one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, aggregating over $10 billion at the worldwide box office with his movies.
Whether jumping across London rooftops or searching for the meaning of life, Cruise has delivered some of cinema's greatest and most iconic performances. Showing no signs of slowing down, his next film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, is scheduled to release in two chapters—Part One on July 14, 2023, and Part Two on June 28, 2024.
10 Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell In Top Gun (1986)
Directed by Tony Scott, Top Gun stars Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young naval aviator for the United States. His character is loosely based on Duke Cunningham, who served in the Vietnam War. Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerrit star in supporting performances.
In terms of slick ‘80s actioners, Top Gun sits at the summit of that list. Flawlessly cast, the film's intensity mirrors the competitive and wild personalities of the pilots themselves. Cruise’s turn as "Maverick" is as charming as it is charismatic; his performance is so indelible that it spawned a sequel over three decades later, with Top Gun: Maverick.
9 Joel Goodsen In Risky Business (1983)
Written and directed by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut, Risky Business stars Tom Cruise as Joel Goodsen, an upper-class, high-achieving high school student living with his wealthy parents in Glencoe, Illinois. The film explores themes of materialism, capitalism, loss of innocence, teen angst, and coming of age.
Best known as Cruise's breakout film, Risky Business sharply examines teen angst and the end of innocence in the advent of adulthood. His performance is heightened by writer-director Paul Brickman's eye for stylish filmmaking, fashioning an invigorating sex-comedy affair with enough social satire to make coming of age a witty proposition.
8 Ray Ferrier In War Of The Worlds (2005)
Directed by Steven Spielberg, War of the Worlds stars Tom Cruise in the role of Ray Ferrier, a divorced father who works as a crane operator in Brooklyn, New York. When an electromagnetic event sends pulses of lightning into the earth, society unfolds into anarchy after what is seemingly the beginning of an alien invasion.
Tom Cruise carries War of the Worlds with a standout performance, opposite some seriously talented work from a young Dakota Johnson playing his daughter. Steven Spielberg marries an affecting story with arresting imagery, and thrilling action set pieces, crafting an adrenaline-pumping disaster movie told from the perspective of a small-scale family drama.
7 Charlie Babbitt In Rain Man (1988)
Directed by Barry Levinson, Rain Man follows the story of Charlie Babbit (Tom Cruise), an abrasive young car dealer. Upon the death of his estranged father, Charlie travels back to his hometown in Cincinnati. There, he discovers that his father's multimillion-dollar inheritance has been left to his other son Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), who has autism, and whose existence to Charlie was unknown.
Barry Levinson's direction is masterfully stylish and astringent, but Rain Man's appeal lies solely in its weighty performances from Hoffman and Cruise. Everything about their acting is so exquisitely calibrated to abound with wit and charm, cheering up the audience without indulging sentimentality.
6 Major William Cage In Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)
Directed by Doug Liman from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie, Edge of Tomorrow stars Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, a public relations officer who has never seen combat. Forced by his superiors to join a landing operation against aliens attacking earth, Maj. Cage finds himself thrown into a time loop where he relives the same brutal fight – and his death – over and over again.
Tom Cruise invests a great deal of heart into Maj. Cage's action heroics, alongside equally audacious work from Emily Blunt. The strength of their leading performances elevates Edge of Tomorrow into a rip-roaring sci-fi actioner filled with explosions, gunfire, aliens, and a wicked sense of humor.
5 Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee In A Few Good Men (1992)
Based on Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play of the same name, A Few Good Men is directed by Rob Reiner and stars an ensemble cast. Led by Tom Cruise as Lieutenant (junior grade) Daniel Kaffe, the film follows the court-martial of two U.S. Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Jack Nicholson stars as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, alongside Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, and Kevin Pollack in supporting performances.
Cruise goes toe-to-toe with Nicholson in A Few Good Men; the story's driving force is watching Kaffe's character develop a backbone against Jessup's self-righteousness and bulldog visage. Both performances light up the screen and make for an unforgettable, poignant courtroom suspense thriller.
4 Les Grossman In Tropic Thunder (2008)
Co-written, directed by, and starring Ben Stiller, Tropic Thunder features an ensemble cast headed by Stiller, with Robert Downey Jr., Jack Black, Jay Baruchel, and Brandon T. Jackson. The group comprises a team of prima donna actors making a Vietnam War movie. Tom Cruise stars as the profane, ill-tempered studio exec producing Tropic Thunder, with supporting performances from Nick Nolte, Bill Hader, Danny McBride, and Matthew McConaughey.
Packed full of infinitely quotable dialogue and hysterical comedy, Tropic Thunder's satirical screenplay features a scene-stealing turn from Tom Cruise. His performance flaunts the tastelessness of Hollywood pomposity with a brazen recklessness and irreverence – exaggerating the eccentricities of Tinsel Town's big-wigs but never without a sense of satirical truth.
3 "Vincent" In Collateral (2004)
Directed by Michael Mann, Collateral stars Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx as "Vincent" and Max Durocher, respectively. The film follows a Los Angeles cab driver (Foxx) who realizes that his current fare (Cruise) is a hitman, and that he's been driving the killer from mark to mark until the last witnesses to his crimes are dead.
Driven by Michael Mann's distinctive visuals, Collateral succeeds as a stylish neo-noir thriller. Cruise's compelling turn as the villainous "Vincent" is nicely seasoned with the right amount of zest, opposite Foxx's pedestrian cabbie, who successfully persuades the audience to empathize with his character's plight.
2 Ron Kovic In Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Based on the 1976 autobiography by Ron Kovic, Born On The Fourth Of July is directed by Oliver Stone and co-written by Stone and Kovic. The film depicts the life of Kovic, played by Tom Cruise, across twenty years, detailing his childhood, military service, and transition to anti-war activism. Kyra Sedgwick, Frank Whaley, and Willem Dafoe star in supporting performances.
Cruise eclectically takes Kovic from clean-cut teenager to impassioned bewhiskered activist with stunning empathy and poignancy. His performance is admirably heartfelt, spinning a tale of American masculinity undone. Born On The Fourth Of July is deeply moving and unrelenting, anchored by Cruise's bravura presentation of steadfastness and strength.
1 Frank T.J. Mackey In Magnolia (1999)
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia features an ensemble cast headed by Jeremy Blackman and Tom Cruise, with supporting performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Alfred Molina, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Melinda Dillon, and Philip Baker Hall. The film follows a mosaic of interrelated characters, each searching for happiness, forgiveness, and the meaning of life.
Magnolia is one of the most exhilarating movies ever made. Paul Thomas Anderson directs a film that dares to expose the ugliness of society's reverence for power and materialism. Cruise's performance is nothing if not utterly enthralling, especially when he's at his most vulnerable. There's something ineffable in his character's mannerisms; the way he listens and watches is a fantastic display of acting, and it's one of the best performances (if not the best) of his career.