Tom Cruise is without a doubt one of our world’s greatest actors. Even though the word “movie star” is becoming less and less common in modern Hollywood, Cruise is still a fantastic performer who is truly a legend of the silver screen.
Losin’ It
Losin’ It, the lowest-rated Tom Cruise movie in our list, with a pitiful 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. This teen comedy, one of the actor’s first films, is around four high school friends who go to Mexico with the sole intention of losing their virginities first before trip is done. Losin’ It’s position here shouldn’t be a surprise because it is dull and unfunny.
Cocktail
In order to raise money for a finance degree and satisfy his desire for a high-paying profession, Brian Flanagan chooses to work as a bartender in Jamaica. The issue? Well, hardly much occurs in this one, and Cocktail’s ridiculous conclusion only makes things worse. Critics criticised it for being shallow and dry, while viewers gave it a pitiful 9% bad rating.
Lions for Lambs
Following Cruise’s PR problems, Robert Redford’s 2007 drama was initially anticipated as a potential return again for actor, but it turned out to be Cruise’s final step into the realm of straight drama. It’s unclear if that was a result of Cruise’s perceived image problems or the movie’s poor quality, but Lions for Lambs is the actor’s poorest feature to date.
Rock of Ages
Tom Cruise sings into Malin Akerman’s butt in the movie Rock of Ages, but nonetheless Cruise manages to be pretty much the only redeeming quality in Adam Shankman’s musical adaption. Given Cruise’s dedication to each and every character, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but his continuously endearing portrayal as Stacee Jaxx is actually rather remarkable.
The Mummy
One of Tom Cruise’s most talented performances in recent memory, The Mummy, was completely wasted. He completely devoids his Nick Morton character of any endearing or distinctive character features, giving us a blank-slate protagonist who merely reacts to plot elements and advances the narrative without grace or agency.
Mission: Impossible II
The only subpar Mission: Impossible film is Mission: Impossible II. After a string of intense action roles with in late 1990s, Cruise was understandingly eager to get back to the franchise, but this action remake is essentially a totally unnecessary chore of a movie because director John Woo just never happens to come close to creating anything closely resembles a thrilling series or no—during the entire running time of the picture.
The Last Samurai
Although The Last Samurai received favourable reviews from critics, its premise makes it one of the least enjoyable Tom Cruise films. It’s the ideal white saviour movie in many ways, adhering to problematic plot elements with such accuracy that, when recounted, they sound like they belong in a parody about white saviour movies.
Legend
Tom Cruise’s character sets off on a quest to preserve the unicorns of the world in this mediocre fantasy movie from the 1980s. Furthermore, there is a guy called The Lord of Darkness, so we’ll let you make your own assumptions about how cliché that is.
Oblivion
Another relatively unsuccessful attempt by Cruise to regain his footing in the 2010s was the sci-fi drama Oblivion. This Tom Cruise film is watchable despite its predictability and excruciatingly extended moments.
Valkyrie
The 1944 film Valkyrie dramatises a plot by German officers to kill Hitler. The premise has clearly got some promise. Of course, Inglourious Basterds (2009) has the advantage of being more comic and featuring Jewish characters as the main protagonists.
Minority Report
Tom Cruise was an obvious choice for the lead role in Steven Spielberg’s “on-the-run” sci-fi neo-noir Minority Investigations because he is without a doubt Hollywood’s best on-screen runner. The movie was Spielberg and Cruise’s first joint project, and it turned out to be a tremendously successful one.
Collateral
Although Cruise has had many varied characters to play during his career, just one of those roles has seen him play a villain straight up, and that was in Michael Mann’s superb, pulse-pounding thriller Collateral.
Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow is a sci-fi actioner that is endlessly witty, entertaining, and most importantly distinctive, making it a rarefied find and quite probably the most wonderful experience of the decade so far.
A Few Good Men
Come on, really. I’m aware that a movie’s ability to be quoted doesn’t always indicate how good it is, but A Few Good Men stands out because so many of its memorable lines have stuck with us not just because they are catchy or funny, but also because they have such an effect that they are essentially permanently ingrained in our culture.
Perhaps Tom Cruise’s most human film till date is this one. Jerry Maguire is a bit of an unusual duck since, despite not technically adhering to the typical formula for romantic comedies, it is a love story through and through.
The Outsiders
The Outsiders, one of Cruise’s debut full-length movies, is a film version of the same-named young adult novel by S.E. Hinton. Francis Ford Coppola, the film’s director, had anticipated for more immediate success.
Risky Business
Tom Cruise’s official movie career began with this movie, and with good reason. Risky Business’s actor’s performance is the epitome of a star-making one; it’s endearing, relatable, and unforgettably memorable.
Top Gun
You might call Top Gun corny or too homoerotic, but wow, is it a great movie and the ultimate Tom Cruise performance. When Tony Scott’s biography of elite fighter pilots debuted in 1986, it became an instant hit and cemented its position in the American cultural zeitgeist for future generations. It is still a tonne of fun.
