Best Tom Cruise Films?

So all the Cruise hate years back really irritated me. He seems like a nice enough guy and more importantly, he's starred in quite a few awesome films that I really enjoy. He is a very good actor in my opinion.

Of the ones I've seen, I think his performance as Lestat in Interview with the Vampire was his best role. I also loved him in A Few Good Men and Jerry Maguire.

But I made this topic because, despite my liking Cruise, I have yet to see a majority of his movies.

So what are the best Tom Cruise movies? Preferably you like teh movie because of his role in it.

People seem to like Born on the Fourth of July. It's a bit dated, but if you prefer pre-Top Gun Cruise (I do), then see it.

Anything post Eyes Wide Shut is a good bet. Vanilla Sky, Magnolia, The Last Samurai, Tropic Thunder, even Minority Report has a solid Cruise performance.

I stay away from Mission Impossible because of its general lack of interesting characters.

Mission Impossible Ghost Protocol and Valkyrie

edited 17th Dec '12 2:02:06 PM by Achaemenid

Top Gun, Minority Report, the Mission Impossible series (though 2 is weaker than the rest, and 4 notably revels in it's less-serious moments).

Philistines.

I've heard good things about him in Collateral.

And what's wrong with post-Top Gun Cruise?

Jerry Mc Guire and The Last Samurai are Cruise's best post-Top Gun films, beyond any shadow of a doubt. Collateral is quite good too but he plays very much against type in that one. I am not a fan of the Mission Impossible films. They took too many liberties with the source material for my liking.

It really depends on how you define "best". I think Tom Cruise is better when he's able to do some comedy rather than just action/drama... And that's one of the reasons why I have issues with The Last Samurai...

And, based on that, I think the performance Tom Cruise put in Knight and Day is one of his best(or second best, behind only Tropic Thunder)...

Actually yes, Last Samurai is actually good.

EDIT: Never mind, Tropic Thunder is best Tom Cruise movie.

edited 17th Dec '12 4:57:28 PM by disruptorfe404

A Few Good Men is easily his best film, helped by outstanding performances from the supporting cast as well as Cruise.

^ Maybe, but the thought of Jack Nicholson getting punked by Cruise that way makes my teeth itch.

To be fair, Jack kinda punks himself in that movie.

I don't think a real USMC colonel who needed to get rid of a turbulent boot would come up with such a cack-handed plan. Especially one with all the ribbons and commendations that Nicholson's character is carrying around on his chest.

^ Well, yeah... but Hollywood. Going solely by what Hollywood says, there's no such thing as an NCO who would address a "problem child" long before they came to the notice of a Colonel.

edited 18th Dec '12 2:15:15 PM by Nohbody

Ya know a movie I've heard a lot about since I was young is Rain Man. It's supposed to be quite amazing.

Yet it's never brought up when it comes to Tom Cruise's best films. (I've made this topic elsewhere)

Having mental health issues, I personally don't like Rain Man. I really don't. It makes me feel uncomfortable.

Rain Man is preeeeeeeeeeety dumb.

I mean, it's a road movie with a retarded man, so you would expect it to be campy, but they went the Oscar Bait route.

Personally I loved the first Mission Impossible film. Not just because of the well-written plot, but because Tom's 'Cruiseness' works for the movie well.

Seconded on A Few Good Men.

I hear he's good as a villain. Though the only one I can personally recommend is Collateral.

Lestat is more or less a villain and I thought he was perfect in the role. It was a role that demanded a charismatic and flamboyant actor who could make you both love and hate him.

I still think he was a foot too short for Lestat. Anne Rice may have reconciled herself to Cruise appearing as her most famous character but I still can't buy him in the role. Antonio Banderas may not have been perfect either but I would still have cast him as Lestat. For one, he is European, after all. For another, he is teh sexy. For yet another, he is really imposing when he wants to be.

Cruise would have been damned near perfect as Armand, the role that Banderas actually played. Not completely perfect as he would have been a bit too old to suit the depiction of him in the original novels, as seen here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_(The_Vampire_Chronicles)

but close enough for government work.

I always thought that his best role was in Collateral. Before this film, it probably would have been hard to see Cruise in a role so terrifying, and I think he nailed it there. I also rather like Valkyrie. I felt it was rather well done and accurate, and Cruise gave the role the respect it deserved, basically turning a What The Hell Casting Agency moment on its head, especially in the post-Oprah's Couch era.

Along with Collateral and Tropic Thunder, I recommend Knight And Day. As I told my wife, it's like someone listened to Coulton's "Tom Cruise Crazy" and said, "Hey, let's go with that."

I've read somewhere that Tom Cruise is too serious, and his attempts at self-parody fall flat for the most part. He's a last generation movie star, nothing like the meta-savvy actors today.

Tom Cruise? Not genre-savvy?

Really?

Maybe that's why he still has a film career and Mel Gibson doesn't?