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His work has launch the gamut.
42.Rock of Ages(2012)
The worst thing a star can do is refuse to grow.
Watching Cruise shirtless-singing to 80s metal hits likePour Some Sugar on Metips into self-parody.
Hes known for that manic energy and sheer force of will that marks so much of his work.
It doesnt help that the film is more or less terrible, but sometimes Cruise can rise above that.
Not this time: His performance comes up empty.
It has none of the vitality to hint at the star Cruise would become later in the decade.
(Also, 19-year old Cruise has a surprisingly high-pitched, annoying voice.)
They are failures to be sure, but forgettable enough to not rank lower.
Theres not enough appeal here to make this more than a masochistic exercise for Tom Cruise completists.
Its an argument I disagree with for a number of reasons.
Cruise gives it his all.
But hes an actor best suited for our times, coming across as uncomfortable in period dressing.
But it isnt enough to craft a strong emotional center to what is an ultimately bland performance.
as he goes on the run.
Co-star Ken Watanabe provides the authenticity and complexity that Cruise lacks, leading him to steal the film entirely.
A part of me actually enjoys his chemistry with leading lady Thandie Newton, who plays an amoral thief.
Despite his considerable efforts, Cruise often gets lost in the movies bombast.
Its a capably structured legal thriller but not much else.
Mark this as another solid but otherwise uneventful performance.
28.The Outsiders(1983)
With a supporting role in Francis Ford Coppolas adaptation of S.E.
Good: The franchise is pure thrill-ride cotton candy.
Still, not all thrill rides are created equal.
Its fun one, if a bit weightless.
Post-accident Ames is disfigured and plagued by visions that question the nature of his reality.
22.Jack Reacher(2012)
What makes a truly good action film?
Cruise is notably completely wrong if youre looking for a direct adaptation of the Lee Childs hero.
His fights are more brutal and occur in closer range.
His humor veers from dry to downright caustic.
Hes a bit darker-edged than the typical lead Cruise tends to adopt.
It isnt a wholly terrible performance.
20.Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol(2011)
Ghost Protocolsees theMIfranchise eschew even the semblance of reality.
Ethan Hunt is a bit more world-weary here than hes been before (can you blame him?
But Cruises approach to the character is the chilling undercurrent he lends Grossman.
He ends up reliving his final day again and again, dying in creative ways each time.
There is, of course, the first story of how their stardom happened.
Cruise matches the bravura of the film around him with gusto.
He has rarely felt so vulnerable onscreen.
Its easy to see why this performance has left such an impact on the pop-culture imagination.
His physical bravado, confidence, and joyfulness cast a spell.
ButMission: Impossibleis when he became the real-life action figure we know him as today.
And what a doozy it is.
Helmed by Brian de Palma, in the film Cruise effortlessly toggles between espionage-thriller mood and impactful physicality.
As Anderton, Cruise marries the best of his genre-film talents into one impressively gripping performance.
Theres a haunted quality to his Anderton, the kind of man who carries his past wounds with him.
Cruise proves to be extremely potent as a neo-noir lead.
Ive lamented Cruises work in period pieces, but he works well in this films 60s and 70s prefs.
Most directors miss out on this quality, but Michael Mann capitalized on it.
Cruises charisma is finally used as a weapon, not a lure.
2.Eyes Wide Shut(1999)
Dr. Bill Hartford is an unlikely part for Cruise.
Hes languid and frightening, lupine and menacing.
It lets Cruise be something hes rarely been archly humorous, disturbingly erotic, truly dangerous.
It isnt a perfect performance its better than that.
Beguiling and malevolently anti-charismatic, Cruise has never been more fun to watch.
