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The 40+ Best Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked By Fans

Vote up the films starring Tom Cruise that complete you.

When it comes to Hollywood royalty, few can hold a candle to Tom Cruise. Over the years, this megastar has delivered one jaw-dropping performance after another, solidifying his place as a cinematic legend. It's a formidable task to narrow down the best Tom Cruise movies of all time, but hey, someone's got to do it. From high-octane action flicks to soul-stirring dramas, Cruise's filmography is as versatile as it is impressive.

Take, for instance, Top Gun , the adrenaline-pumping story of competitive fighter pilots that catapulted Cruise to international stardom. Or A Few Good Men , where he delivered one of his most powerful performances, proving that he could handle weighty dialogues with the same ease as he does action-packed sequences. These films are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to top Tom Cruise films that have left an indelible mark on cinema.

But how did we curate such a coveted list? Well, it started with movie experts who have an eye for performances that define careers, creating a shortlist of films that truly showcase Tom Cruise at his best. Then, we turned it over to the fans, whose votes have shaped this definitive ranking. Whether you're a die-hard Cruise fan or just a movie buff looking to revisit some cinematic gold, this list has got you covered.

A Few Good Men

In this tense courtroom drama, audiences are captivated by the exceptional performance as a young military lawyer assigned to defend two Marines accused of killing a fellow comrade. Alongside powerful performances from Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, the film flawlessly showcases the protagonist's gradual transformation from a cocky, fresh-faced attorney into a fierce, skilled advocate determined to uncover the truth. The iconic line "You can't handle the truth!" immortalizes the film's memorable climax and solidifies the protagonist's status as one of Hollywood's most dynamic actors.

• # 26 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
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• # 33 of 191 on The Best Movies For Men

As an adrenaline-pumping display of aerial combat and rivalry, this movie takes viewers into the world of elite fighter pilots, with the lead actor embodying the brash, fearless pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. The audience follows Maverick's journey through the prestigious Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School as he battles his own ego, engages in astonishing dogfights, and learns the true meaning of teamwork. The sizzling on-screen chemistry with Kelly McGillis, the thrilling action sequences, and the beloved rendition of " Take My Breath Away " make it an unforgettable 80s classic.

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• # 110 of 264 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 79 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Top Gun: Maverick

Returning to the iconic role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell after decades, the anticipation for this sequel has been immense, and it promises to deliver the same captivating thrills and aerial combat sequences of the original. As a mentor to the next generation of fighter pilots, including the son of his late best friend Goose, the protagonist guides these young talents while still facing his own personal demons and unresolved past. The combination of a compelling storyline, breathtaking stunts, and a nostalgic return to the character that made him a household name ensures this will be another hit.

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• # 19 of 164 on The Best Movie Sequels Ever Made
• # 37 of 81 on The Most Rewatchable Action Movies

The lead character delivers a heart-wrenching performance as Charlie Babbitt, a hustler who discovers he has an autistic savant brother named Raymond after their father's death. Through their cross-country road trip, Charlie learns to appreciate the gentle genius of his older brother while he evolves from a selfish, money-driven man to a compassionate and loving brother. This emotional journey resulted in a Best Actor nomination, and the film itself won numerous awards, including Best Picture, highlighting the powerful and touching bond between the two main characters.

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• # 253 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Mission: Impossible

In the role of super-spy Ethan Hunt, the leading man had audiences on the edge of their seats with the thrilling action and elaborate plots of this espionage thriller series. As Hunt, he displays an unrivaled level of physicality and commitment to his craft, performing most of his own stunts, resulting in a rollercoaster ride of adventure and suspense for moviegoers. The franchise has become synonymous with jaw-dropping stunts, twisty plots, and an evolving ensemble cast that perfectly complements the main character's charisma and determination.

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• # 29 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
• # 86 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The 1990s

Jerry Maguire

In this romantic dramedy, the audience witnesses a sports agent's fall from grace and subsequent redemption through his relationship with his sole client and love interest. Audiences are charmed by the stunning performances, emotional vulnerability, and undeniable chemistry between the characters, as well as the classic line, "You complete me." The film earned the lead actor an Academy Award nomination and remains an enduring favorite for its heartwarming relationships, brilliant dialogue, and bittersweet exploration of ambition and love.

• # 41 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
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• # 120 of 379 on The Best Movies Of The 1990s

Edge of Tomorrow

Featuring a mix of action-packed sequences, science fiction elements, and dark humor, this film showcases the protagonist as a reluctant hero, forced to live the same day repeatedly while fighting alien invaders. The compelling story of survival and personal growth, alongside the intriguing concept of time loops, make this an unforgettable cinematic experience. Supported by a strong performance from Emily Blunt, this thrilling, fast-paced adventure cements its status as a modern sci-fi classic.

• # 136 of 264 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
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• # 24 of 166 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies

Minority Report

Set in a dystopian future where crime is predicted and prevented by a specialized police force, this Steven Spielberg-directed sci-fi thriller sees the lead actor as a detective accused of a crime he has yet to commit. With its unique premise, thought-provoking themes, and stunning visuals, the film became an instant classic and served as a showcase for the protagonist's range and versatility as an actor. The combination of gripping storytelling, groundbreaking special effects, and a strong ensemble cast cement its status as one of the best sci-fi films of the 21st century.

• # 29 of 166 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies
• # 147 of 675 on The Best Movies Roger Ebert Gave Four Stars
• # 22 of 92 on The 95+ Greatest Dystopian Action Movies

The Last Samurai

Set in 19th-century Japan, this epic historical drama follows the journey of Capt. Nathan Algren, an American military officer who becomes deeply immersed in the samurai culture. The protagonist brilliantly portrays a tortured soul seeking redemption and finding it through his connection with the titular warriors, resulting in a soulful and emotional performance. Aesthetically stunning and emotionally engaging, this film is impressively crafted and features outstanding performances from Ken Watanabe and the rest of the cast.

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• # 95 of 264 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 546 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Risky Business

As the high school senior who turns his family's home into a brothel after getting involved with a call girl, the lead actor delivers a charming and iconic performance that launched his career as a Hollywood heartthrob. The famous scene of the character dancing in his underwear to " Old Time Rock and Roll " has become a pop-culture staple, and the film itself remains a beloved 80s classic. With its unique blend of teen angst, dark comedy, and romance, this coming-of-age story showcases the beginnings of a truly remarkable talent.

• # 45 of 116 on The 100+ Best Movies About High School
• # 628 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 104 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The fourth installment in the adrenaline-fueled franchise sees the protagonist perform even more heart-stopping stunts, including scaling the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, further solidifying his reputation as a fearless action star. With a fresh team of dynamic actors, including Simon Pegg and Paula Patton, this film raises the stakes and balances its thrilling action with lighter moments of humor. Picking up where its predecessors left off, the film delivers an exhilarating, globetrotting adventure that leaves audiences eager for more.

• # 34 of 98 on The Best Movies Based On TV Shows
• # 21 of 81 on The Most Rewatchable Action Movies
• # 23 of 73 on The Greatest Movies About CIA Agents & Operatives

In this gripping adaptation of John Grisham's best-selling novel, the protagonist plays an ambitious young lawyer who becomes entangled in a dangerous web of deceit and corruption at his prestigious law firm. The intense plot and stellar performances from the ensemble cast, including Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, and David Strathairn, keep the audience absorbed and guessing until the very end. The smart script, thrilling twists, and central performance make it a must-watch for legal thriller enthusiasts and fans of the leading man alike.

• # 39 of 50 on The Biggest Movies Of The '90s, Ranked
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• # 122 of 375 on The Best Movies Based On Books

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

The fifth installment of the popular action franchise sees the protagonist reprise his role as Ethan Hunt, this time facing a powerful, clandestine organization known as the Syndicate. With incredible stunts, including a breathtaking underwater sequence and a thrilling motorcycle chase, the lead actor continues to push the boundaries of what's possible in action cinema. Alongside new additions to the cast such as Rebecca Ferguson and Sean Harris, this thrilling adventure offers non-stop excitement and intrigue that maintains the high standards of the series.

• # 15 of 99 on The Best Movies Of 2015
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• # 38 of 72 on The Greatest Movies About CIA Agents & Operatives

Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Portraying the tormented vampire Lestat in this adaptation of Anne Rice's novel, the protagonist delivers a mesmerizing and seductive performance that captivated audiences worldwide. Sharing the screen with Brad Pitt and a young Kirsten Dunst, the actor's portrayal of an immortal craving companionship and grappling with the morality of his actions is both chilling and heartbreaking. Though controversial at the time for its dark themes and explicit content, the film has since become a cult classic, showcasing a different side of the leading man's abilities.

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• # 205 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

In his sixth turn as super-spy Ethan Hunt, the main character's commitment to performing his own stunts reaches new heights with a harrowing high-altitude-low-opening (HALO) jump. Additionally, the film's electric helicopter chase and intense fight sequences showcase the actor's relentless dedication to delivering pulse-pounding action. With a gripping storyline that delves deeper into the personal life of Hunt and an exhilarating finale, this entry is widely regarded as one of the best in the long-running series.

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In a rare turn as the villain, the lead actor plays a cold and calculating contract killer in this crime thriller directed by Michael Mann. Sharing the screen with Jamie Foxx's unsuspecting taxi driver, the actor's menacing performance offers a fascinating look into the psyche of his character and contrasts sharply with the vulnerable, heroic roles that have defined his career. With its gritty atmosphere, taut pacing, and unforgettable performances, the film stands as a testament to the versatility and range of the protagonist.

• # 28 of 99 on The Best Movies Of 2004, Ranked
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The Outsiders

Based on the classic novel by S.E. Hinton, this coming-of-age drama set in the 1960s features the lead actor as part of an ensemble cast that includes Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, and Rob Lowe, among others. As the youngest member of the "Greasers" gang and the brother of Ralph Macchio's Johnny, the actor delivers a tender performance that showcases his talent at an early age. The film has since become a cult classic, with its heartfelt portrayal of friendship, loyalty, and the trials of growing up.

• # 309 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
• # 50 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 73 of 278 on 'Old' Movies Every Young Person Needs To Watch In Their Lifetime

Days of Thunder

Reuniting with the Top Gun director, the protagonist stars as hotshot NASCAR driver Cole Trickle in this high-octane racing drama. With thrilling race sequences and an exploration of the competitive world of stock car racing, the movie allows the lead character to demonstrate his undeniable screen presence and physical prowess. The electrifying on-screen chemistry between the actor and his future wife, Nicole Kidman, adds to the allure of this compelling sports drama.

• # 59 of 207 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
• # 28 of 90 on The Best Movies of 1990
• # 45 of 69 on The Greatest Sports Drama Movies of All Time

The Color of Money

In this sequel to the 1961 classic The Hustler, the lead character plays pool protegé Vincent Lauria, who is mentored by Paul Newman's "Fast" Eddie Felson. A dynamic on-screen duo, they brilliantly convey the tension and rivalry between their characters, making for a compelling examination of ambition, redemption, and the cost of success. The film stands as a worthy follow-up to its predecessor, with a superb performance that further cemented the protagonist's status as a versatile leading man.

• # 216 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 74 of 207 on The Best Sports Movies Ever Made
• # 101 of 164 on The Best Movie Sequels Ever Made

Jack Reacher

Adapted from Lee Child's bestselling novels, the movie features the leading man as the tough-as-nails former Army investigator and drifter who finds himself entangled in a complex conspiracy. Showcasing his impressive range as an actor, the protagonist delivers a gritty and physical performance that captivates audiences and brings the beloved literary character to life. The film's thrilling action sequences, unexpected twists, and solid supporting cast make it a standout in the action-thriller genre.

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• # 667 of 769 on The Most Rewatchable Movies
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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

The upcoming seventh installment in the blockbuster franchise promises to deliver even more breathtaking stunts, explosive action, and intriguing espionage as the lead character reprises his iconic role of Ethan Hunt. As the first part of a two-part cinematic event, the film will undoubtedly raise the stakes and further solidify the protagonist's status as an unstoppable action hero. With returning and new cast members, fans are eagerly anticipating the next thrilling chapter in the ever-evolving series.

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In this 80s drama, the leading man portrays an ambitious bartender who dreams of success and navigates the trials and tribulations of love and friendship. The role allows the protagonist to showcase his charm, charisma, and signature smile, resulting in a captivating performance that further establishes him as a Hollywood heartthrob. With memorable scenes and quotable dialogue, the film has earned a special place in pop culture nostalgia.

• # 178 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 153 of 232 on The Best '80s Comedy Movies, Ranked
• # 62 of 99 on The Greatest Movie Soundtracks Of All Time

Born on the Fourth of July

In a powerful and transformative performance, the lead actor takes on the real-life story of Ron Kovic, a disillusioned Vietnam War veteran who becomes an anti-war activist. Earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, the protagonist impeccably portrays the emotional turmoil, physical pain, and ultimate redemption of his character. The film's unflinching depiction of the war's aftermath and its impact on soldiers makes it a poignant and unforgettable viewing experience.

• # 210 of 264 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
• # 272 of 399 on The Best Movies Of The 1980s, Ranked
• # 83 of 133 on The Most Utterly Depressing Movies Ever Made

Mission: Impossible III

With J.J. Abrams at the helm, the third installment of the blockbuster franchise brings a personal and emotional depth to the series, as protagonist Ethan Hunt faces a ruthless villain with ties to his personal life. The leading man's captivating performance, along with an incredible supporting cast and intense action sequences, make this entry a standout in the spy thriller genre. Fans of the series appreciate the balance of character development, emotional stakes, and adrenaline-pumping action that this installment delivers.

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• # 23 of 101 on The Best Movies Of 2006

Tropic Thunder

In a surprising and hilarious turn, the protagonist takes on the role of an over-the-top Hollywood producer in this satirical war comedy. Sporting a bald cap and thick prosthetic makeup, he is nearly unrecognizable as he lampoons the movie industry with biting humor and infectious dance moves. His comedic prowess and willingness to poke fun at himself contribute to the film's status as a modern classic in the comedy genre.

• # 234 of 264 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
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In this gripping historical thriller, the lead actor portrays German army officer Claus von Stauffenberg, who leads a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler during World War II. With a strong supporting cast and a suspenseful narrative, the protagonist delivers a compelling performance that highlights his versatility as an actor. The film is a riveting exploration of moral courage and determination in the face of insurmountable odds.

• # 66 of 264 on The 200+ Best War Movies Of All Time
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In this visually stunning sci-fi thriller, the protagonist plays a drone repairman tasked with maintaining Earth's defense system after an alien invasion. Unraveling a twisted web of secrets and lies surrounding his mission, the lead actor delivers a gripping and emotional performance that keeps audiences engaged from start to finish. With its breathtaking cinematography, thought-provoking themes, and memorable score, the film solidifies its place as a captivating entry in the science fiction genre.

• # 61 of 166 on The 150+ Best Futuristic Dystopian Movies
• # 62 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 45 of 92 on The 95+ Greatest Dystopian Action Movies

War of the Worlds

In this modern adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic novel, the protagonist portrays a divorced father who must protect his children during a sudden alien invasion. Under the direction of Steven Spielberg, the lead actor excels in conveying the terror, desperation, and determination of his character while navigating a world on the brink of destruction. The film's riveting storyline, impressive special effects, and powerful performances create a thrilling and suspenseful ride for viewers.

• # 31 of 178 on The 150+ Best Movies With Aliens
• # 218 of 375 on The Best Movies Based On Books
• # 11 of 143 on The Best Movies of 2005

Far and Away

Starring alongside Nicole Kidman, the protagonist takes on the role of an Irish immigrant seeking his fortune in America in this sweeping romantic epic. The film's lush landscapes and stirring score provide an exquisite backdrop for the passionate love story between the main characters. Despite some mixed critical reception, the undeniable chemistry between the lead actors and the film's grand scope make it a memorable viewing experience.

American Made

Based on a true story, the protagonist plays a commercial airline pilot turned drug smuggler and CIA informant in this fast-paced crime drama. The lead actor's charismatic performance, combined with a fascinating real-life plot and a vibrant 80s aesthetic, makes for an entertaining and thrilling ride. The film showcases the protagonist's ability to tackle complex characters and deliver engaging performances in diverse roles.

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All about the life and career of the ageless actor Tom Cruise.

All 44 Tom Cruise movies, ranked from worst to best

• Tom Cruise has done every type of movie you can think of over his nearly 40-year career.
• Here we rank every one from worst to best.
• See where his latest, "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," ranks in his career filmography.

43. "Rock of Ages" (2012)

Somehow Cruise got roped into being part of this feature-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. But leave it to him to lay it all out there.

Though the movie is unwatchable, Cruise provides its only memorable moments when his rock-star character belts out classic songs like "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Wanted Dead or Alive."

42. "Endless Love" (1981)

Cruise's first appearance in a movie is this 1980s teen romance drama starring Brooke Shields that's best known for giving us the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie title song.

Cruise gets a brief bit of screen time as one of the male lead's friends. It's quite forgettable, but it's still better than "Rock of Ages."

41. "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016)

Between "Mission: Impossible" movies, Cruise tried to kick off another action franchise by bringing the main character of the Lee Child novel series to the big screen.

Though the first movie just got over the $200 million mark at the worldwide box office, the performance (or lack thereof) by the sequel indicated no one wanted any more Mr. Reacher. It barely made $162 million worldwide.

40. "The Mummy" (2017)

Cruise was all set to be the Robert Downey Jr. of Universal's Dark Universe with the release of this movie and promises of more creature pictures to come. But playing a soldier of fortune who tries to stop an ancient Egyptian princess from taking over the world didn't grab audiences. It was another franchise not meant to be.

39. "Losin' It" (1983)

Still getting his legs under him in the movie biz, Cruise signed onto this teen comedy in which he's one of four friends who go on a hard-partying road trip to Tijuana in hopes of losing their virginity. Yes, even Cruise couldn't hide from the teen-sex-comedy genre when he started his career.

38. "Mission: Impossible II" (2000)

Man, John Woo deserved better than this. The legendary Hong Kong director took over the "Mission: Impossible" reins after Brian De Palma kicked things off with the first movie, but Woo didn't find the same success.

"Mission: Impossible II" did go on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2000, with over $546 million earned worldwide, but with its weak plot and character development, it has not aged anywhere near as well as the first movie (or the other movies in the franchise).

37. "Jack Reacher" (2012)

Though "Jack Reacher" was the first time Cruise worked with his longtime "Mission: Impossible" director, Christopher McQuarrie, and it features the legendary director Werner Herzog as the movie's villain, Cruise as Jack Reacher is a seen-it-before character who isn't exciting.

36. "Oblivion" (2013)

Here, Cruise attempted to go the sci-fi route in hopes of having a breakthrough "Minority Report"-like experience for the audience. But the story was nowhere as sharp, and its postapocalyptic vibe left us all feeling uninterested.

35. "Lions for Lambs" (2007)

Marking the first movie released by United Artists after Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner took over (the two left UA after a couple of years) was "Lions for Lambs," a tense drama set around the war in Afghanistan and directed by Robert Redford.

Cruise gave his all playing an agenda-pushing senator and has some strong scenes opposite Meryl Streep. But the movie is just dull.

34. "Far and Away" (1992)

Cruise and his wife at the time, Nicole Kidman, paired together in this 1890s-set epic directed by Ron Howard. The two play Irish immigrants seeking a fortune in America. Outside the lush photography, there isn't much to enjoy about this movie. And don't get me started on Cruise's awful Irish accent.

33. "Vanilla Sky" (2001)

At the tail end of Cruise's heartthrob phase, the director Cameron Crowe teamed with him again after their hugely successful collaboration on "Jerry Maguire" to make a very different love story.

Based on the Spanish movie "Open Your Eyes," Cruise plays a vain New York City media playboy who has a different outlook on life after being in a horrific car crash. Though Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Penélope Cruz (who also starred in "Open Your Eyes") all give top performances, Crowe goes too weird with the story, leaving viewers out in the void by the time the movie gets into the home stretch.

32. "American Made" (2017)

Mixing action and dark comedy in telling the real-life story of the drug runner Barry Seal seemed like a nice pivot for Cruise, but at the end of the day, the director Doug Liman's movie is just too glossy to be taken seriously. (Accent update: Cruise delivers a tolerable Southern drawl.)

31. "The Last Samurai" (2003)

Cruise stars as an American soldier in 19th-century Japan who embraces the samurai culture. The movie went on to receive four Oscar nominations, but it's the kind of title in which one viewing is enough.

And on a side note: Wow, would this movie get hammered on social media if it came out today.

30. "Valkyrie" (2008)

Another release from the time Cruise was calling the shots at UA, "Valkyrie" sees him playing one of the rogue Nazi officers who attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

(Accent update: Cruise — and basically most of the other Nazi officers — decided to not even bother with a German accent. Good choice; the audience didn't even notice [ holds back giggles ].)

29. "Cocktail" (1988)

It's one of the movies in Cruise's career that ride fully on his good looks. Honestly, this movie should have just been titled "Sex." Cruise plays a hot New York City bartender who has dreams of making it big, and it's his hotness that's going to get him to the top. It's classic Hot Guy Cruise — who cares that the story is garbage.

28. "War of the Worlds" (2005)

Steven Spielberg teamed up with Cruise after "Minority Report" for this blockbuster remake of the classic sci-fi movie. Though it made a lot of money, it was dark in tone — maybe a little too dark. Be honest: Have you wanted to see this movie again?

27. "Knight and Day" (2010)

This is one of those movies that don't get enough credit. The director James Mangold cleverly takes all the common action-hero traits and has Cruise make fun of them. You might want to give this one another viewing.

26. "Taps" (1981)

Unlike in "Endless Love," Cruise really capitalized on this small role. As a military cadet who takes his responsibilities way too seriously, Cruise is a standout in the movie and showed audiences (and Hollywood executives) that he had leading-man potential.

25. "Mission: Impossible III" (2006)

J.J. Abrams takes over the franchise for this one and does an impressive job. It also helps that you have the talents of Philip Seymour Hoffman playing the villain. It's better than "Mission: Impossible II," so we're going in the right direction.

24. "The Outsiders" (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of the classic novel brought all the biggest names from young Hollywood together, and Cruise was right there in the mix. With Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, and Rob Lowe, the movie is pretty heavy-handed with the drama, but it's fun to watch all these amazing talents on the screen together.

23. "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" (2015)

Rebounding from the so-so performance of "Jack Reacher," McQuarrie jumps on the "Mission: Impossible" franchise and ups the action stakes. Yep, this is the one where Cruise hangs from the side of a giant plane taking off. The movie also got an extra jolt with the inclusion of Rebecca Ferguson in the supporting cast.

22. "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" (2018)

This "Mission: Impossible" could go down as one of the best action movies ever — its stunts and action sequences are that amazing. This time, McQuarrie gives us a deeper look at what makes Ethan Hunt tick and the values he lives by. But it's really the action that stays with you.

21. "Minority Report" (2002)

With its breakthroughs in CGI and tech, the first teaming of Spielberg and Cruise lived up to the hype. This movie was so advanced in its execution and what it showcased that it had a "Jurassic Park"-style ripple effect, in the sense that it has influenced countless action and sci-fi movies since.

20. "Tropic Thunder" (2008)

Though Cruise doesn't have a lot of screen time, his presence in this movie cannot be ignored. Playing a despicable movie executive named Les Grossman, he brings that patented intensity to a role that for most actors would have been a mail-it-in cameo role. In Cruise's hands, it's one of the best comedic performances of the early 2000s.

19. "All the Right Moves" (1983)

Two months after Cruise hit theaters with his first lead movie, "Risky Business," he was back again with this very different movie about a Pennsylvania high-school football player who clashes with his coach.

"Risky Business" showed that Cruise had no problem being the face of a movie, but "All the Right Moves" proved he could be more than the charming lead with good looks. This one showed he could be a serious actor.

18. "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" (2011)

It's the movie that breathed life back into the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. It came five years after "Mission: Impossible III," and in that time Cruise struggled with an image problem and a string of underperforming movies. He had a lot to prove with this one. And with the casting of Jeremy Renner, Cruise probably sensed he could lose his beloved franchise if the movie didn't work.

However, Brad Bird's direction and Cruise's disregard for common sense — in this one he climbs the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai — put him back on top, as the movie became a global hit.

17. "Top Gun" (1986)

Before "Days of Thunder," Cruise and Tony Scott teamed up for what would become one of the actor's most iconic roles: the fighter pilot Maverick. What Cruise doesn't pull off acting-wise he makes up for with brooding looks and shirtless volleyball skills.

16. "The Firm" (1993)

In "The Firm," based on the best-selling John Grisham novel, Cruise gives a fantastic performance as a hotshot lawyer who signs on with one of the most prestigious US law firms only to find it has quite a dark side. The era of "Tom Cruise runs" really launched with this movie.

15. "Legend" (1985)

Ridley Scott's beautiful fantasy movie is still a marvel of moviemaking. The practical effects and production design put into this movie, made back when CGI was scarce, are a treasure. And at the center is a fresh-faced Cruise who tries to get his girl back from the villain who gave me the most nightmares as a kid, Darkness (played perfectly by Tim Curry).

14. "Collateral" (2004)

We really don't talk enough about this one enough. Michael Mann's slow-burn crime movie stars Cruise as a hitman who forces a cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to drive him around Los Angeles as he goes on his "jobs." The acting by both Cruise and Foxx in this movie is some of their best work.

13. "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023)

There are many things to love about the "Mission: Impossible" franchise: Its James Bond-like gadgets. Cruise's disregard for his life and safety when it comes to pulling off amazing stunts . But the biggest thing to love is that the films just seem to get better and better.

The first "M:I," directed by Brian De Palma, set the bar very high. However, since McQuarrie took the reins in 2015 with "Rogue Nation," the franchise has gotten a jolt in the arm. It seems to always outdo itself, and "Dead Reckoning" makes good on that promise.

The high stakes, the timely villain being AI, and, of course, Tom Cruise in the middle of some amazing thrills makes this film one of the best in the franchise.

13. "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999)

Cruise and Kidman teamed up again, this time under the watch of Stanley Kubrick in what would be his final movie. Both actors are pushed to the limits as the movie explores a marriage at a crossroads. Though "Eyes Wide Shut" is not close to Kubrick's best work, Cruise and Kidman are riveting.

12. "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

Thirty-six years after playing Pete "Maverick" Mitchell he returns to the role in the rare legacy sequel that's better than the original movie.

Though Tony Scott's landmark "Top Gun" made Cruise a superstar and became an instant 1980s classic, the director Joseph Kosinski has elevated the story with more death-defying dogfight jet stunts and a more compelling story.

This time Maverick returns to the Top Gun school to be a teacher of the new hot-shot pilots. But he must deal with his own demons as one of the students is the son of his best friend, Goose, who died in his arms in the first movie.

Cruise delivers one of his best performances in years.

11. "Days of Thunder" (1990)

It's pretty much everything you would think would be in a Tony Scott movie: lots of fast cars and big egos. Cruise is in his glory in every scene playing the hot-shot Nascar driver Cole Trickle (and Kidman appears as his love interest).

10. "Risky Business" (1983)

It's the movie that made Cruise a star. The coming-of-age story doesn't shy away from its mature storyline, and Cruise delivers a playful performance but also shows sparks of his dramatic chops that he'll showcase in the decade to come.

9. "Mission: Impossible" (1996)

Boy have things changed since the first "Mission: Impossible." With De Palma at the helm, the movie had its action, but it was encased in a tense whodunit thriller. Since then the action has only gotten bigger (and the story, well, less of a concern), but Cruise has always been fantastic as Hunt.

The first movie is his best acting work of the franchise. (Accent update: Cruise delivers another Southern accent while disguised at the beginning of the movie — one of those classic face-rip-off disguises. It's brief but effective in the scene.)

8. "Interview with the Vampire" (1994)

Cruise gives one of his best performances as Lestat, a vampire from the 1700s who finds a lot of drama in his undead life once he recruits Louis (Brad Pitt). (Accent update: His little hint of a French accent to stay true to the character's portrayal in the classic Anne Rice book is perfectly subtle.)

7. "Edge of Tomorrow" (2014)

Whether you want to call it "Edge of Tomorrow" or "Live. Die. Repeat.," it's just a really great action movie. With Liman directing and McQuarrie as a screenwriter, Cruise is surrounded by people he trusts to make a risky project: a soldier who relives the same day. But the MVP of the movie is Emily Blunt, who delivers a performance that makes Cruise kick it up a few notches.

6. "Rain Man" (1988)

Always at his best when he's playing a character with major conflict, Cruise plays a guy always looking to capitalize on the angles until he's finally in a situation in which he has to be on the level: building a relationship with his autistic savant brother (Dustin Hoffman).

5. "Jerry Maguire" (1996)

Receiving a best-actor nomination for his performance as a slick sports agent whose life turns upside down after having a moment of clarity, Cruise was, thanks to this movie, at his height of stardom and power in Hollywood.

4. "A Few Good Men" (1992)

Rob Reiner's courtroom drama has Cruise going up against Jack Nicholson, and it's pure magic. Yes, there's the "can't handle the truth" scene, but for us, it starts earlier in the movie when the two characters meet for the first time.

Thanks to the incredible dialogue by Aaron Sorkin, both actors subtly trade off with each other, but it's the fire being held back that makes the ending when they are face-to-face again so memorable.

3. "Magnolia" (1999)

No matter what you think of Paul Thomas Anderson's epic look at family, love, and forgiveness, it's hard to dispute that it has the most powerful performance of Cruise's career.

Playing a pickup artist who uses his talents to build a public-speaking career, Cruise appears as we've never seen him before. Anderson and Cruise connected over dealing with the loss of their fathers and use that darkness to create the character of Frank T. J. Mackey.

2. "The Color of Money" (1986)

Paul Newman won only one Oscar in his iconic career, and it was for this movie. But you have to give a big assist to Cruise.

Playing the protégé to the pool player "Fast Eddie" Felson — the role Newman first played in 1961's "The Hustler" — Cruise is a cocky player, and you can never tell whether he's on the level with Felson. Cruise proved once again that he's more than just a pretty face.

1. "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989)

Cruise got an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the veteran and activist Ron Kovic, who was paralyzed fighting in Vietnam. Oliver Stone traces Kovic's journey from being a wide-eyed soldier thinking he's doing what's right for America to coming home from the war to find everything has changed. Including the way he views his own country.

Cruise has never been better as he delivers a tour de force performance that still gives us chills.

• Main content

Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked From Worst to Best

He's more than a guy who looks good in Ray-Bans and runs a lot.

A movie so bad, it was the first and last entry in Universal’s planned monster movie cinematic universe.

Rock of Ages

Amazon Hulu

In this extremely unfortunate musical about ‘80s hair metal, Tom Cruise plays a karaoke version of a rock and roll god named Stacee Jaxx.

Amazon Tubi

Released the same year as Risky Business , Tom Cruise plays the hunk in this high school sex comedy that time forgot. Get it? They’re "losin’ it"—as in their virginity.

Endless Love

In his first on-screen appearance, Tom Cruise is some random shirtless kid in Daisy Dukes bragging about being a pyromaniac.

Lions for Lambs

Nearly a decade before Trump coined the term “Fake News,” Tom Cruise plays a morally corrupt senator making a presidential bid by planting a story through a journalist played by Meryl Streep. In the end, this pretentious and convoluted plot says very little about its moving parts.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Though the tagline warns to never go back, Cruise unfortunately did go back to play the titular Jack Reacher, in a sequel that plays out like dumb, less tech-savvy Mission: Impossible.

Tom Cruise and Mia Sara try to protect the last of the unicorns from Tim Curry, who is some sort of awesome devil muppet. It’s also the only straight-up fantasy movie Cruise has ever done—and it’s pretty obvious why.

Far and Away

Seven years before they co-starred in Eyes Wide Shut (and two years after their wedding), Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman played star-crossed lovers and Irish immigrants trying to make it in America.

In this post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller, Cruise is a drone repairman who’s also into American sports. When he finds a group of survivors (led by Morgan Freeman), he begins to question the nature of his entire reality. As always, Cruise holds down what is otherwise a pretty clunky plot.

YouTube Pluto TV

Tom Cruise plays a German officer with an American accent who leads a group of German soldiers with British accents in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler during WWII. It’s based on an actual military plot that could have entered some intriguing territory, had it not settled for being average historical escapism.

Knight and Day

In this action comedy, Cruise is once again a secret agent who accidentally ropes Cameron Diaz into an international conspiracy. For all his macho spy stuff, Cruise proves in Knight and Day that he can take this hero stuff lightly too.

Mission: Impossible II

Paramount+ Netflix

The worst of Cruise’s six Mission: Impossible movies, this one sees Ethan Hunt trying to stop a deadly weaponized virus that’s going to be released by terrorists. Unfortunately, director John Woo’s style didn’t quite fit with the international espionage of this franchise.

Jack Reacher

In his first of two movies playing the titular former military police-officer-turned-vigilante-drifter, Cruise’s character tries to stop a military sniper on a killing spree. Of course, Cruise also did all his own driving stunts.

The Outsiders

Coming down from the golden phase of his career, Francis Ford Coppola assembled an incredible upcoming cast for The Outsiders that included Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, and Diane Lane.

In his second-ever onscreen role, Cruise plays David Shawn, one of the military cadets who attempt to protect their academy from being torn down for local condo developers. Pretty low stakes as far as military dramas go.

War of the Worlds

In this Steven Spielberg re-imagining of the H.G. Wells novel, Cruise plays a father attempting to keep his children safe throughout an alien invasion. Though it has all the highlights of a Spielbergian sci-fi, it wasn’t quite enough to cause riots like Orson Welles’s infamous radio broadcast.

The Last Samurai

Amazon Netflix

A white savior complex brings down what is otherwise a well-acted period period piece about an American Civil War veteran sent to train a 19th century Japanese army.

Mission: Impossible III

Before he was put in charge of both Star Wars and Star Trek , J.J. Abrams’s big Hollywood blockbuster movie directorial debut was at the helm of Mission: Impossible III , which saw a retired Ethan Hunt brought back in the game to stop an excellent Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Vanilla Sky

Cruise stars in this philosophical thriller as a man haunted by the specter of a former flame after becoming disfigured in a car crash. (Fun fact: Penelope Cruz plays the same character in this remake of her Spanish film, Abre los Ojos .)

Days of Thunder

NASCAR moved into the mainstream thanks to this movie in which Cruise plays a promising driver hoping to making it in the big leagues.

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Fifteen of the best Tom Cruise movies — from Risky Business to Top Gun 2

We pick the best Tom Cruise movies from the star who's as underrated as he is prolific.

Say what you want about Tom Cruise — it's probably true. The best Tom Cruise movies also happen to be some of the best movies, period . He's one of the greatest living actors. He's overrated. He's underrated. He's way too old to be doing his own stunts. Scientology. Motorcycles. He's an anachronism. He's immortal.

You can argue for and against any and all of those things — and that's just for starters. But it's hard to argue that Tom Malpother Cruise IV hasn't been one of the most fascinating actors of a generation. Maybe not as prolific as, say, Kevin Bacon (the two are just four years apart in age) — but right up there in terms of range.

From the sweaty adrenaline cliché that is Top Gun (and the equally sweaty sequel, Top Gun: Maverick ) to the likes of the nearly indescribable Vanilla Sky or Eyes Wide Shut , the dude has range — even if it seems like in many ways he's merely playing different versions of himself. But that's what makes a good actor. We know that it's Tom Cruise in a fighter jet, or as a Vietnam War veteran. Or as an oversexed doctor. Or as a Pre-Crime cop. Or as a hotshot lawyer, backed by one hell of a lawyer.

Maybe you can argue that Tom Cruise is even better at choosing roles than he is as an actor. Maybe that's what distinguishes our list of the best Tom Cruise movies.

In any case, it's one hell of a list. Let's go through it. We've chosen date order — because we've got no hope of actually choosing between these babies.

Taps (1981)

The cadets of Bunker Hill Academy love their school, and when condo developers plan to bulldoze it, the cadets become the ultimate NIMBYs. They occupy the school, ending in a real-live war game these young men might not have bargained for.

This is not a "Tom Cruise" movie in the sense that his name is not above the fold. It's a George C. Scott and Timothy Hutton (with a little Sean Penn thrown in for added spice) movie on that score. But the hotheaded, gung-ho David Shawn that Cruise delivers is one of his rare bad guys, a hint that there is more behind those eyes than endless variations on Joel from Risky Business. With the exception of Magnolia, no one since has really had Cruise dig into the wound-too-tight, jagged edges he shows here.

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The Outsiders (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola's coming-of-age teen drama, The Outsiders is a hidden gem with a call sheet featuring the prime of 1980s acting talent including Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe and Diane Lane. The film, adapted from S.E. Hinton's novel, focuses on the class rivalry between groups from a small town in Oklahoma — the working-class Greasers and the wealthy Socs (short for socials). Tom Cruise only has a small role but, as scrappy greaser Steve Randle, he showcases his ability to switch off his megawatt movie star smile and sink into a character part.

The Outsiders made stars of its young " Brat Pack " talent, including one Tom Cruise — who despite his fleeting appearance in the film would go on to become arguably the biggest movie star in the world.

Risky Business (1983)

What's your first memory of Tom Cruise? Is it of the young man in an Oxford shirt and briefs, falling for (and falling under the spell of) the one and only Rebecca De Mornay? If so, you're absolutely not alone.

But it's also easy to forget that Risky Business isn't Tom Cruise's first movie. Even if it's a standout in a sea of memorable roles.

All the Right Moves (1983)

Released the same year as Risky Business , All the Right Moves , is often overshadowed by its slicker, sexier cousin. It shouldn't be.

For teens who grew up in coal and steel towns like this — or in any one-company, one-industry town — this movie was the celluloid version of the struggle to find a different path in a place that only offers so many choices. This Tom Cruise hero has flaws and he doesn't just skate by on that big smile. Plus he has a great foil in the criminally underrated Craig T. Nelson.

Top Gun (1986)

I feel the need ... the need ... to quote this movie within an inch of its life. There's just something about the swagger that actors like Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Tom Skerritt have playing fighter pilots, that's ridiculously badass.

And let us not forget the late, great Goose — Anthony Edwards with hair! And James Tolkan and his threat to have Maverick flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong. And Michael Ironside reminding us that you never — ever — leave your wingman.

Cocktail (1988)

Cocktail is what you get if you combine Risky Business with Top Gun . Brian Flanagan (Tom Cruise) is just a guy looking to make his way in the world, but intent on doing it his own way. That's right, bartender man. He is... dangerous.

Don't let anyone tell you Cocktail isn't a good movie. It's got great Aussie actor, Bryan Brown, as Brian's grizzled mentor, Elisabeth Shue as Brian's long-suffering girlfriend, a tropical island for a backdrop and a cracking soundtrack that includes The Beach Boys "Kokomo". Enjoy.

Rain Man (1988)

The last thing Charlie Babbitt wants is a brother — let alone one with autism. But that's what he discovers he has. In Rain Man, Tom Cruise is slick, charming and awful and yet strangely empathetic. It was a revelation. Not least because he manages to give that masterful performance alongside Dustin Hoffman. The Dustin Hoffman.

Rain Man is a rare example of a box office smash hit that also hits the right note with critics, winning four Academy Awards including Best Picture. Sadly the Best Actor role went to Tom Cruise's acting partner, Hoffman. Good try though.

Days of Thunder (1990)

It's Top Gun on four wheels. Cole Trickle may just be the most NASCAR name ever. And this may well be the most Tom Cruise movie of them all. Speed. Danger. Silly names. Nicole Kidman. (As in the future ex-Mrs. Tom Cruise.)

Plus Robert Duvall. Randy Quaid. Carey Elwes, just a couple of years out from The Princess Bride and sandwiched between Glory and Hot Shots!. And the ageless Michael Rooker. It's also probably the best use of the Spencer Davis Group in a film — right when Steve Winwood was getting big as a solo act.

A Few Good Men (1992)

One of the most memorable movie scenes ever comes from this flick — and it wasn't even Tom Cruise's line that capped it. That's OK — if you've got to play second fiddle to someone, let it be Jack Nicholson.

The military courtroom drama is a little tough for anyone who knows anything about courtrooms to watch — there's absolutely no way a lawyer anywhere would be allowed to behave that way. But art doesn't always imitate life and so a little deus ex machina and dialog by one of the best in the business — Aaron Sorkin — gave Tom Cruise yet another notch on his dramatic acting belt.

Plus an insolent (is there any other kind?) Kiefer Sutherland, the always awesome J.T. Walsh, Kevins Bacon and Pollak, Demi Moore and a baby Noah Wyle.

Jerry Maguire (1996)

This is the epitome of mid-1990s movies. Tom Cruise stars as Tom Cruise in love. Renee Zellweger does her schtick. Cameron Crowe does his thing with the script and behind the camera.

And it has that Sorkin-esque speech that feels like it was made for Tom Cruise. Plus Cuba Gooding Jr. in a role that makes you wonder where the rest of his career went.

Mission: Impossible (1996)

There's something about the first movie in this franchise reboot that maybe doesn't hold up so well 25 years later. But that's OK. Tom Cruise holds his own as Ethan Hunt alongside (and against) the likes of Jon Voight, Jean Reno and Ving Rhames. And it paved the way for something like 17 sequels, with casts that have morphed over two decades.

But it still manages to keep the soul of the original movie — and of the original M:I series.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

What the hell is this movie about? Is it about Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman? (Very much so.) Is it about some weird secret sex party society in New York? (Most definitely.) Is it about the fallout between those two things? (Yep.)

It's also about this being Stanley Kubrick's final film before he died. And it's about Chris Isaak's baby doing a bad, bad thing.

Vanilla Sky (2001)

This is one of those trailers that absolutely does not do the movie — or Tom Cruise — justice. (Same goes for Cameron Crowe, who wrote it.) Sure it captures the Tom Cruise who can do no wrong, get any woman he wants, drive the coolest car — you know, standard Tom Cruise stuff. And, sure, it captures the broken and confused Tom Cruise. And it captures the nexus between those things.

But damned if I can make sense of it two decades later. Still, it's an excellent Tom Cruise movie.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

There's just something about this movie that makes it watchable every time it's on. Maybe it's Tom Cruise as a PR flak in the military as it's combating a crazy alien invasion. Maybe it's Emily Blunt and her badass triceps. Maybe it's the late Bill Paxton's drawl. "Edge of the knaaaaaaf."

You know how this movie is going to turn out. You know Tom Cruise will be OK and save the day and everything will work itself out. And you know that look he gives at the very end of the movie means something — you just don't know what.

Or maybe it's just the mere idea of Tom Cruise ending up in a situation in which he's not in total control and doesn't know what's going to happen.

Top Gun Maverick (2022)

A whopping 36 years after the first Top Gun film , Tom Cruise is back with more death-defying aerial action and he hasn't let the fact that he's approaching his 60th birthday slow him down. We've got all the stunts, quips, bonding and spectacle of the first film with added anticipation and nostalgia. In fact, our (spoiler-free) review of Top Gun: Maverick described it as "a stratospheric sequel" where the only negative point was how long we've had to wait for it. 

In a crazy world, where not much seems to make sense, watching Tom Cruise back in the saddle as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is comfortingly familiar yet excitingly entertaining. See it on the biggest screen you can.

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The 27 best tom cruise movies of all-time, ranked, we're looking at some of his best.

Tom Cruise’s official film debut was in 1981. It is now 2023. Over forty years later, and the man is still on top; He closed out 2022 with the second highest grossing movie of the year, and the new Mission Impossible flick is poised to be a hit. There’s been an on-going debate about the topic of star power when it comes to today’s current movie scene. Sure you have franchises (Marvel for example) that are sure to get people to come out to the theater, but it appears as though the days of movie stars being the sole reason for tickets being sold and butts being put in seats are long gone compared to the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s for example. Only a handful of stars still have that power, and Tom Cruise is one of them. And with one of the best Tom Cruise movies of all time released recently, it's clear the power he still holds.

You shouldn’t need any proof of what we’re saying, but for extra measure, the box office revenue for Top Gun: Maverick was $1.454 billion (yes billion), making it the highest-grossing film of Cruise’s career on June 17th, 2022 (his previous high was $800 million). This, ladies and gentlemen, is with the movie actually being the follow-up to the original film that came out in 1986. That means Tom Cruise was able to take the sequel to a movie that was made 36 years ago, and not only outperform that film, but every single film he has ever made up to this point… bruh.

RELATED: The 13 Best Morgan Freeman Movies, Ranked

When it comes to the topic of which Tom Cruise movie is the best, well, what do you do? Do you include every single movie he has ever made? What about the Mission Impossible franchise? Should every Mission Impossible be included? That, our friends, has left us with an incredibly tough task, but we’re going to try. Below is a list of the best Tom Cruise movies according to ONE37pm.

Here. We. Go.

The Best Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked

27. mission: impossible – dead reckoning part one, year released: 2023.

• Director: Christopher McQuarrie
• Writer: Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson

While Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One is still on the new side (literally) we feel confident putting it as in all-time Tom Cruise film, and we'll probably be bumping it up in the weeks and months to come. Just saying.

26. The Mummy

Year released: 2017.

• Director: Alex Kurtzman
• Writer: Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, Jon Spaihts
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Annabelle Wallis

Okay, we know The Mummy didn't perform well at the box office and received poor reviews from critics. However, we ask that you reconsider because the approach to streaming has changed significantly since 2017. Had this movie gone straight to streaming, we think the reaction would have been different. This is a weekend movie that you put on while you're chilling at the house, so we think you should give it another shot.

25. The Outsiders

Year released: 1983.

• Director: Francis Ford Coppola
• Writer: Francis Ford Coppola and S.E. Hinton
• Stars: Matt Dillion, Tom Cruise, C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe

It’s always interesting going back in time and seeing an actor’s journey before hitting it big. While not officially a household name yet, Cruise’s role as a nonchalant cool youngster named Steve Randle was the blueprint attitude wise for the types of characters that we would see him portray in the earlier part of his career. Paving the way for Risky Business so to speak.

24. Risky Business

• Director: Paul Brickman
• Writer: Paul Brickman
• Stars: Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay

Speaking of Risky Business , this is the movie that would officially launch Tom Cruise into Hollywood superstardom. The movie centers around high school senior Joel Goodsen (Cruise) who makes the decision to hire the services of a call girl. Upon receiving the bill the next morning, the teenager goes into a state of panic, which only gets worse after he crashes his father’s Porsche. You’ll have to watch the movie to see what happens next.

23. Top Gun

Year released: 1986.

• Director: Tony Scott
• Writer: Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.
• Stars: Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis

The movie that got it all started. The original 1986 version featured a young Tom Cruise as a cocky fire pilot named Maverick, who is sent to the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School where he is determined to be the top fighter, all while rubbing everybody the wrong way with his nasty attitude while in the process. Oh, and he’s trying to get a hot girl too. Lots to unpack here.

22. Mission Impossible

Year released: 1996.

• Director: Brian De Palma
• Writer: David Koepp and Robert Towne
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, Jean Reno

Alright, here we go with the Mission Impossible franchise. First released in 1996, the story is about U.S. government agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) who along with his mentor Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), embarks on an assignment that in turn results in Jim being killed. Now a murder suspect, Ethan recruits both a hacker (Ving Rhames) and a maverick pilot (Jean Reno) to help him sneak into the CIA to retrieve a file that will prove his innocence.

21. Mission Impossible 2

Year released: 2000.

• Director: John Woo
• Writer: Robert Towne
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott, Ving Rhames

Many thought that Mission Impossible was a one-off movie because it ended with him proving his innocence. Many were wrong. Four years later, a sequel was released, this time with Ethan Hunt leading his IMF team on a basically mission to capture a deadly German virus before being released by terrorists. This was also the beginning of the “Tom Cruise haircut” phase that was heavily talked about in the early 2000s.

20. Jack Reacher

Year released: 2012.

• Writer: Christopher McQuarrie
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Lee Child, Rosamund Pike

When in doubt, go get Jack Reacher to handle your business for you. Released in 2012, Jack Reacher tells the tale of Jack Reacher having to take on a tough assignment when a town is hit by a vicious shooting attack that leaves five people dead. As Reacher digs deeper into the investigation, he realizes that there is much more to the story then he initially thought.

19. Interview With The Vampire

Year released: 1994.

• Director: Neil Jordan
• Writer: Anne Rice
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater

Going back to 1994, Interview With The Vampire chronicles an 18th century lord, Louis, who is now a bicentennial vampire with an urge to tell his story to a biographer (hence Interview With The Vampire). Louis’ recent years have been filled with tragedy after the loss of his entire family, and with Louis struggling to find the motivation to go on, he just so happens to meet another Vampire named Lestat who becomes his friend and helps him out.

18. The Last Samurai

Year released: 2003.

• Director: Edward Zwick
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanbe, Hiroyuki Sanada

When you have a film catalog as deep as Tom Cruise, it sparks a debate as to which should be included in your “best movies” list. For some, The Last Samurai doesn’t make the cut. For us, it does. The film focuses on the story of an American Military officer (Cruise) who’s caught in the middle of two completely different worlds when he is hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country’s first army in modern warfare.

This is actually one of our favorite Tom Cruise movies of all-time. It’s also very reflective of 2003 movie culture in terms of the films that came out during that era.

17. The Firm

Year released: 1993.

• Director: Sydney Pollack
• Writer: David Rabe, Robert Towne, David Rayfield
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, David Straitharn, Gary Busey

Going back ten years earlier to 1993, The Firm really highlighted Cruise’s acting chops as he portrayed a young lawyer joining an established law firm, only to discover that there is quite a bit of illegal activity going on behind closed doors. Soon enough the FBI is involved, and with his life threatened, he basically has to make a decision on whether or not he is going to snitch. Does he end up snitching? Watch and find out.

16. Mission Impossible III

Year released: 2006.

• Director: J.J. Abrams
• Writer: J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Michelle Monaghan

It’s looking like we are indeed going to end up including every single Mission Impossible film on this list. Next up in the series is the third installment, in which Ethan Hunt is now a retiree focusing on training the next Mission Impossible recruits. As you probably guessed, the retirement doesn’t last for long as Hunt has to get back out there ASAP when he and the love of his life become the target of a new villain in the mix.

15. A Few Good Men

Year released: 1992.

• Director: Rob Reiner
• Writer: Aaron Sorkin
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore

Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, and Demi Moore all being together in one movie is the epitome of early 1990s Hollywood, and boy is it good. Really good. You’ll definitely want to check this classic out for sure. That’s all we’re going to say.

14. Tropic Thunder

• Director: Ben Stiller
• Writer: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux, Etan Cohen
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr.

2008 was a pretty good year for movies when you look at everything that came out that year, and Tropic Thunder is one of them. Starring Tom Cruise, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downing Jr. (talk about an A-List cast), Tropic Thunder is about a war movie that is in the process of being filmed. With the actors lacking motivation, the director decides to liven things up a bit by moving them to a real jungle. The situation goes awry when the actors realize after some bad luck that they are actually caught in the middle of a real-time war happening.

13. Magnolia

Year released: 1999.

• Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour

Backing it to 1999, Cruise starred in the drama film Magnolia alongside Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour, which was a multiple-plot story about a dying father, young wife, a police officer falling head over heels in love, a genius, an ex-boy genius, a gameshow host, and an estranged daughter who all end up together on a random day in San Fernando Valley. This is definitely a movie where you have to be paying attention at all times because you will be confused if you don’t. Trust us.

12. Jerry Maguire

• Director: Cameron Crowe
• Writer: Cameron Crowe
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston

When sports agent Jerry Maguire (Cruise) has a bad moment of judgment that leads to him getting fired, he is left with no other option but to start his own management firm. In the process of trying to launch his business, Jerry also ends up falling in love. Sports and love stories are always a good watch.

11. War of the Worlds

Year released: 2005.

• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Writer: Josh Friedman, David Koepp
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Miranda Otto, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin

Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise joined forces on 2005’s War of the Worlds which was about a dockworker (Cruise) struggling to maintain a relationship with his two children. When the kids are dropped off by his ex-wife (Miranda Otto), the weekend takes an unexpected turn when an alien invasion happens. Classic Spielberg. War of the Worlds wound up grossing over $600 million at the box office. Not bad for a movie that originally had a $132 million budget.

10. Collateral

Year released: 2004.

• Director: Michael Mann
• Writer: Stuart Beattie
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardham

The year prior, Cruise also experienced box office success with the film Collateral , which also starred Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Mark Ruffalo, and Javier Bardham. The film is about an LA taxi driver named Max (Foxx) ready to call it a day, when he receives $600 from a sniper in disguise as a businessman (Cruise) to make six extra stops. As it turns out, those six extra stops are actually designated hit checkpoints that Max is now caught in the middle of. It’s not often that we get to see Tom Cruise as the bad guy, so this is a fun one.

9. Rain Man

Year released: 1988.

• Director: Barry Levinson
• Writer: Barry Morrow
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Dustin Hoffman

Rain Man is another Tom Cruise movie that sparks debates over how high it should be ranked, but you can’t deny its emotional heart-tugging effect. Cruise and Dustin Hoffman also made for a pretty good team if you ask us. Grab your tissues because this is definitely one of those films that make you tear up a bit.

8. Born on the Fourth of July

Year released: 1989.

• Director: Oliver Stone
• Writer: Ron Kovic
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Oliver Stone, Willem Dafoe

Another 1980s Tom Cruise classic, Born on the Fourth of July is about a suburban NY teenager who decides to enlist in the marines to honor his patriotism. In his second year of active duty, the teen encounters some difficult challenges when he accidentally kills a fellow soldier and later ends up paralyzed during a battle. 

7. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Year released: 2011.

• Director: Brad Bird
• Writer: Jon Applebaum, André Nemec, Christopher McQuarrie
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner

Cruise returned as Ethan Hunt for the fourth installment of the Mission Impossible series, this time around having to deal with the blame for the terrorist attack on Kremlin. This marks the second time in his career where Hunt has received the blame for something completely out of his control, and once again he is forced to clear his name.

6. Minority Report

Year released: 2002.

• Writer: Scott Frank, Jon Cohen
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Samantha Morton, Colin Ferrell, Kathryn Morris

A thriller set in the year 2054, Minority Report is based on the story “Minority Report” by science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick, which is about a police station in Washington D.C. that utilizes psychic technology to help arrest and convict murders before they commit their crimes. Looking back, Minority Report was actually ahead of the game as many films since have mirrored its approach. 

5. Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Year released: 2015.

• Stars: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner

Rogue Nation is actually considered the most exciting Mission Impossible film to date (although that can be subjective). Now we’re at the point where the IMF is disbanded, and not only is it dead and gone completely with Hunt being kind of assed out, there’s also a new threat called the Syndicate that is now an immediate problem. It never ends for Ethan Hunt. It just never does.

4. Mission Impossible: Fallout

Year released: 2018.

• Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Henry Cavill

And since it never ends for Ethan Hunt, the sixth film in the series, Fallout , is about the newly rebranded IMF coming together with a CIA assassin to prevent yet another catastrophic event in the making that involves nuclear attacks on the Vatican, Jerusalem, and Saudi Arabia. How we got here from where we started in 1996, we don’t know. What we do know, however, is that Mission Impossible 7 , Dead Reckoning Part One is due out July 14th, 2023.

And apparently it doesn’t end there because Part Two is due out June 2024. Like we said earlier, it never ends for Ethan Hunt. Now would be the time to catch up if you haven’t already.

3. The Color of Money

• Director: Martin Scorsese
• Writer: Richard Price
• Stars: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise

We’re going to take one final trip back to the 80s. The same year Top Gun was released, Cruise also starred in the film The Color of Money alongside Paul Newman, which was about a former pool hustler named Fast Eddie (Newman) who decides to make a return to the game with new young protege Vincent Lauria (Cruise). 

2. Edge of Tomorrow

Year released: 2014.

• Director: Doug Limon
• Writer: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton

Whether you have Edge of Tomorrow in your personal Tom Cruise top three or not, we can all agree that it is a heck of a film. Just about any movie that has the word “edge” in it is, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.

1. Top Gun: Maverick

Year released: 2022.

• Director: Joseph Kosinski
• Writer: Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie
• Stars: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell

We had to save the best for last. The highest grossing movie of Tom Cruise’s career which is sitting pretty at $1.4 billion, Cruise proved that he once again is that dude. Not bad for somebody who just turned 60. 

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The 21 Best Tom Cruise Movies to Watch Now

Our list, should you chose to accept it.

Here are the 21 best Tom Cruise movies to remind you of all those feats, as well as the fact that Cruise can actually hold his own in other genres. Our favorite Cruise? It's gotta be fat suit Cruise.

So strap in and check out our list, should you chose to accept it. No stunt double needed.

21. Valykrie (2008)

Based on a real-life assassination plot that just left Hitler with a ringing in his ears, Valkyrie is your staple WWII suspense flick. Which makes it surprising that Cruise takes lead here. Great for an afternoon watch.

20. Oblivion (2013)

Oblivion is something of a sci-fi hybrid, meaning it takes several tropes from the genre and just kind of smashes them all together. Still, we think critics got this one wrong. At the end of the day, the film is still more than a solid sci-fi story ... even if it kind of steals its twist from Duncan Jones' Moon .

19. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Certainly not the worst of the MI series (that particular film didn't make our list), but not quite its best. This JJ Abrams-directed installment was a leap in the right direction, even if the family drama felt a little off brand for Cruise's Ethan Hunt.

18. American Made (2017)

Based on the story of Barry Seal, a pilot-turned-CIA drug runner, American Made hits the right kind of Saturday afternoon action comedy tone . Directed by Doug Liman ( The Bourne Identity).

17. Top Gun (1986)

Sure, it's an iconic role with some iconic lines and more than a few iconic aviators. Still, maybe not the greatest Cruise film—let's be honest.

16. Mission: Impossible (1996)

After decades of British spy thrillers, an American action espionage hero was born. Based on the 1966 TV series, Mission Impossible reimagined a cultural staple into a brand new (and decades-long) blockbuster franchise.

15. Collateral (2005)

Collateral is just classic Michael Mann: crime, cityscapes, nightscapes, and beautiful digital camera work. Watch for the direction, stay for Cruise and and co-star Jamie Foxx. The two just kill. Literally.

14. Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2016)

At some point, MI just turned into an action fest and, probably, an excuse for Cruise to drive and fly and try new stunts. We don't mind at all.

13. Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011)

It was a tossup between Ghost Protocol and Rogue Nation, but we felt like the 2011 MI installment (c'mon with it's iconic skyscraper-scaling scene) edges out its successor.

12. Tropic Thunder (2008)

If Cruise had more of a leading role, we would put this in the top ten for sure. Ben Stiller's unabashedly offensive movie about making a movie may have been the first comedy we remember Cruise appearing in. And oh boy, does Cruise make an appearance. Definitely stay for the credits.

11. Minority Report (2002)

Based on the short story by Phillip K. Dick, Minority Report was the perfect high-concept sci-fi thriller with just the right amount of social reality. It was Black Mirror before Black Mirror .

10. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

EOT may be the most criminally underrated sci-fi film of the past decade. Something like Groundhog Day meets Saving Private Ryan , the film manages to be totally original and infinitely rewatchable. It was probably the poor marketing campaign that kept this film under the radar. Shoulda stuck with the original graphic novel title: All You Need Is Kill .

9. Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018)

While it may not be Cruise's best film, it's still his most famous role. Fallout is also arguably the best of the MI films, if only for its all-in action attitude. Face-swapping, stunt-defying, plotline-stupefying ... it's got everything that makes an MI film an MI film. Plus, Henry Cavill co-stars.

8. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Based on the book by Ron Kovic, this Oliver Stone film gave Cruise his first Oscar nomination. It also has a banging soundtrack and holds its own against the myriad of Vietnam dramas of the time.

7. Jerry Maguire (1996)

Semi-fictional sports agent Jerry Maguire, after having a moral epiphany so uncommon in the sports business world, breaks rank to start his own thing.

6. Risky Business (1983)

It's not just a quintessential Tom Cruise movie. It's also a quintessential piece of 80's cinema. And the film that spawned a thousand sock-sliding concussions.

5. The Color of Money (1986)

Maybe not one of Cruise's iconic roles, but still one of his best movies. The Color of Money finds Cruise across from pool shark Paul Newman (who won an Oscar for the performance) in Cruise's best supporting role since ... well, #1.

4. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

This was director Stanley Kubrick's final film, and, by god, was it something else. We never thought we wanted to see Cruise exploring an underground occult sex ring. But I guess we're glad we did? ... It's a weird movie.

3. A Few Good Men (1992)

The legal drama features perhaps the most famous courtroom scene in all of cinema. It also features Cruise at the top of his game, sparring with actors as formidable as Jack Nicholson.

2. Magnolia (1999)

As blockbuster action-oriented as Cruise has been for much of his career, he's worked with some incredible directors outside that genre. Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia is an epic of a film and worth all 3 mindblowing hours of your time.

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Tom Cruise’s 10 Best Movies Ranked

The ‘ Tom Cruise movie’ might as well be its own genre. When you sit down to watch a Tom Cruise film, there are things you know you’ll see: Running, really fast? Check. A performance of magnetic intensity? Check. Feats of physical endurance and stunt-based spectacle? Mostly, check. Through the years, Cruise has proved that there are few vehicles or buildings he won’t cling to or jump from; no skill he can’t master to showcase on screen; no story he can’t hone into its most crowd-pleasing shape. There’s a reason he’s still one of Hollywood’s biggest stars and made Empire 's list of the 50 Greatest Actors of all time: the man makes amazing movies.

He’s also had a fascinating career – one that began with a series of roles that dialled into his charisma and confidence as an upstart, before moving into more nuanced character dramas, and then into blockbuster spectacle. And through all those career modes, there’s a sense of sincerity in the stories being told and the characters being brought to life – one that, today, finds him pushing the limits of on-screen action further than most thought possible. Empire ’s ranking of the 10 best Tom Cruise movies spans his entire career – early works, curiosities, all-time American classics, and pulse-pounding adventures – going (spoiler alert!) right up to the thrilling, nostalgic, and emotional Top Gun: Maverick . The highway to the danger zone begins here…

Tom Cruise's 10 Best Movies Ranked

10) Mission: Impossible

When Brian De Palma first brought '60s spy series Mission: Impossible to the big screen in the mid-'90s (with Cruise producing as well as starring), it wasn't yet an action juggernaut – the height of spectacle here is an exploding fish tank, or the helicopter-in-a-train-tunnel chase (which perhaps began Cruise's fondness for clinging to speeding vehicles). But the DNA of the ultimate Tom Cruise franchise all comes from this first entry. There's the twisty, double-triple-crossing plot which turned memories of the original show upside down. There are rubber mask rug-pulls. There's that iconic lit-fuse title sequence and theme tune. And at the centre of it all is Cruise's Ethan Hunt, perpetually on the backfoot, barely surviving near-impossible predicaments by the skin of his teeth. Even back in '96, the Mission movies were all about breathless setpieces – though at that point, they were more about beads of sweat pooling on Hunt's forehead while he dangles in a temperature-controlled computer vault, than strapping himself to an aeroplane while it takes off.

9) Minority Report

If you know someone's about to commit a crime, can you punish them before they do it? That's the knotty question at the heart of Minority Report , which saw Cruise team up with the one and only Steven Spielberg for a gritty, noirish thriller with a lot on its mind. Cruise is John Anderton, an officer in the Pre-Crime unit of 2054, which uses the visions of three psychic siblings (the 'precogs') to proudly reduce the murder rate in Washington DC to zero. But when his own face comes up as the unit's next criminal to catch, it throws the entire system – and Anderton's beliefs around it – into question. This meeting of legendary cinematic minds produced something darker and more dystopian than you might expect, but Cruise is on impeccable screen-swiping form as an action hero, a care-taker for precog Agatha ( Samantha Morton ), and a man whose entire world-view is shattering around him, desperate to clear his name. Plus, we get to see him have eyeball surgery. Feast your illegally transplanted retinas on that.

8) The Color Of Money

Released in the same year as the original Top Gun , this lesser-known Martin Scorsese banger is absolutely the former's equal in displaying the young Cruise's prodigious talent, captivating charisma, and cocksure confidence. His pool-hall wizard Vince (so self-adoring that he literally walks around in a t-shirt with his own name on it) simply cannot help showing off, broadcasting his considerable skills with a cue for all to see – even if it means imploding the hustling scheme he's cooked up with Paul Newman 's veteran Fast Eddie. (This is a legacy sequel before they were a thing, with Newman reprising his role from 1961's The Hustler .) The pool sequences are electrifying and all-out Scorsese cinematic – and an early example of Cruise dedicating himself to learning new skills for his art, clearly potting all the balls himself in extended takes – but the character drama is just as captivating, with Vince stepping into his power, Eddie facing his own decline, and the hustler becoming the hustled.

7) Collateral

Silver-haired, super-focused, and stalking through the shadows of an LA night, Cruise's Vincent (we never learn his last name) is one of the actor's great assholes – a tunnel-visioned assassin who drags Jamie Foxx 's reluctant and goodnatured cabbie, Max, into a night of murderous mayhem, Michael Mann -style. Sleek and cool but also sociopathic and callous, Cruise has rarely been more controlled as he rides around in the back of Max's taxi, dispensing hot takes and hotter lead to victims; but it's in the way he slowly, painstakingly depicts the way Vincent loses control as the night begins to run away from him that's so impressive. He really should play more grade-A shits.

6) Top Gun: Maverick

A sequel 36 years in the making, besieged by pandemic-induced release date delays, with a brand new writer and director on board, and the follow-up to one of the most beloved action movies of a generation? Top Gun: Maverick had a lot to prove. Incredibly, it soars higher, faster and even more full-throttle than anyone could have predicted. Returning to the cockpit with decades of experience in pushing the boundaries of action filmmaking, Cruise, Mission collaborator Christopher McQuarrie (on writing duties here) and director Joseph Kosinski deliver aerial acrobatics (yes, the actors are actually in those planes) that will leave you awe-struck, heart in your mouth, fist punching the air with glee. As with Tony Scott 's original, the character work is just as rich as the stunts – Cruise slips back into Maverick's roguish charm with the ease of putting on a familiar patch-covered aviator jacket, but also perfectly evokes the effect that years of tension with his superiors and grief over Goose have had on him – his ever-present over-confidence cracking, just a little. All these years later, it's clear Cruise really did feel the need to return to Top Gun – and on this evidence, it's easy to see why.

5) Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Frankly, multiple spots in a list of Tom Cruise's greatest movies could be filled by Mission: Impossible films. To do so (as we've chosen not to) would perhaps overwhelm the sheer variety of the rest of his career – but in a way, Mission is Cruise's career. With each passing entry, the saga became a stunt-filled action masterclass in which its leading man goes to greater and greater lengths to bring visceral thrills to the masses – and no Mission film exemplifies that better than Fallout . It's stacked with jaw-dropping setpieces that go out of their way to foreground the fact that its leading man really is doing a HALO jump in a single take, or flying a helicopter through a gorge, or leaping across the rooftops of London (and, yes, breaking his foot in the process). It makes for breathlessly exciting cinema, a kind of spectacle that subsequently feels lacking in almost every other show in town. The Cruise-Christopher McQuarrie partnership continues to be a perfect marriage – the writer-director helping marry action and story beats to the stunts with style and propulsive pace. This is peak Mission , and the peak of Cruise's own cinematic mission – one that you sense will never truly be over.

4) A Few Good Men

Among all the Tom Cruise legal thrillers of the '90s, A Few Good Men stands tallest. His Lt. Daniel Kaffee, a Naval lawyer more interested in baseball than his own cases, begins the film as a smarmy pencil-pusher – but that all changes when he's handed the case of a Marine killed in Guantanamo Bay, and discovers corruption in the armed forces that will all-too-easily be covered up. It's up to him and fellow lawyers JoAnne Galloway ( Demi Moore ) and Sam Weinberg ( Kevin Pollak ) to prove what really happened in a court of law, facing up to Jack Nicholson 's fearsome Colonel Jessop in the process. It's one hell of an ensemble cast, but Cruise drives it all, capturing Kaffee's increasing desperation and dedication to win the case – and prove that, yes, he can handle the truth – becoming a better person in the pursuit of justice. His intensity is a perfect match for Aaron Sorkin 's dense dialogue, all classily captured by Rob Reiner 's crisp direction.

3) Magnolia

As legend has it, Paul Thomas Anderson wrote the part of Frank TJ Mackie for Cruise after visiting him on Stanley Kubrick 's demanding Eyes Wide Shut set, and deciding that the actor needed to let loose. What fun Cruise would have as Mackie! This cocksure, cock-respecting self-help sex guru struts and shouts and thrusts – yes, there's all of that. But Magnolia is a heavy film, and Cruise, as Mackie comes undone and reunites with his estranged father Earl (Jason Robards), really falls apart, the slick showbiz veneer crumbling as years of emotion burst out. Sitting by his dying dad's bedside, Mackie – away from Cruise's signature grin, away from the big stunts – is unbridled humanity, shaking, weeping, quivering, his anger making way for love. It's a devastating physical catharsis for him, and for us.

2) Edge Of Tomorrow

One of the biggest blockbuster surprises of 2014, Edge Of Tomorrow (or, Live Die Repeat , as it was later marketed), gave us a different shade of Cruise as action star – his Lieutenant William Cage is a smarmy, cowardly PR guy when we meet him, only growing into an elite soldier through the repetitive, Groundhog Day -inspired, video game-esque nature of Doug Liman 's explosive sci-fi thriller. Teaming up with steely warrior Rita (an excellent Emily Blunt ), Cage must live through his final two days over and over, picking up skills and learning from his multiple deaths in order to stop the invasion of some big bad aliens. Cruise's chemistry with Blunt is endlessly compelling, the strength of her character and his star-power making them feel like equals on-screen. But it's the progression of his character that's most intensely satisfying, going from a man who's desperate to weasel his way out of doing anything selfless to the kind of all-out hero that Cruise was born to play. It makes for the kind of movie you'd happily be stuck watching in a time-loop over and over and over and ov- You get the picture.

1) Jerry Maguire

Like many Cruise films, Jerry Maguire has got so many memorable moments and one-liners that they've almost become more famous than the film itself. But the brouhaha over, "You complete me", or, "Show me the money!" masks one of Cruise's best – and most emotional – films. Meshing perfectly with writer-director Cameron Crowe (at his most Billy Wilderian), Jerry Maguire is an often heartwarming, often inspirational, often deeply romantic tale of a cynical sports agent (Cruise at his most winning) who has an epiphany, and begins to hunt around for something akin to a soul. It's cute and charming as hell, especially when Jerry is falling in love with his former secretary Dorothy (a star-making turn from Renée Zellweger ), but there's a bite here that's often overlooked, with a seemingly happy ending that may be nothing more than a sticking plaster over a fairly gaping wound. Still, Cruise and Cameron will have you at, "You had me at hello".

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The Best Tom Cruise Movies of All Time, Ranked

Celebrate the greatest performances by the age-proof actor.

Tim Appelo,

Most movie stars fall off the A-list as they age, and most movie franchises get worse, especially after the sixth sequel. But Tom Cruise’s  Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One  (opening July 12) has the highest Rotten Tomatoes critics score of his career. Not bad for a 61-year-old who already made history — and, as Steven Spielberg told Tom, saved the movie industry —  in 2022 with  Top Gun: Maverick . Not every one of his 40-plus movies is worth revisiting ( Rock of Ages , anyone?  Cocktail ?), but the best of the batch are American classics. Welcome to Tom Cruise’s top 10 movies of all time, ranked.

10.  A Few Good Men  (1992)

In one of history’s great acting duels, Cruise, as a callow military defense attorney trying to save two recruits accused of murder, faces formidable officer Jack Nicholson, who bellows, “You can't handle the truth!” Aaron Sorkin wrote this dazzling courtroom drama on cocktail napkins at his bartender job, and it made him famous enough to create  The West Wing  and  The Social Network.

Watch it here:   Prime Video , Apple TV

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9.  The Color of Money  (1986)

Another duel, between Cruise as a young pool shark and Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson on a comeback. Newman got an Oscar nomination as young Fast Eddie in 1961's must-see  The Hustler  and won the Oscar for this — partly because of Cruise’s star-power support.

8.  Born on the Fourth of July  (1989)

After six years as a megastar, Cruise got his first Oscar nomination in Oliver Stone’s adaptation of Ron Kovic’s memoir about the Vietnam War and his campaign against it. Once again, Cruise’s fiery genius helped win an Oscar — this time for director Stone.

Watch it here: Prime Video , Apple TV , Google Play

7.  Collateral  (2004)

In a beautifully moody Michael Mann thriller set in East L.A. after dark, when coyotes and furtive people wander the streets, Jamie Foxx is a cabdriver who picks up Cruise, the nattiest assassin you ever saw. His fare is hundreds of thousands of dollars, and all he has to do is help kill five trial witnesses — and survive.

Watch it here:   Paramount Movies

6.  Minority Report  (2002)

In a grown-up role for a forever-young star, Cruise plays a high-tech cop who busts perps before they commit the crime. When director Steven Spielberg adapted this paranoid futuristic tale by sci-fi master Philip K. Dick ( Blade Runner ),   he said, “I’m in my mid-50s — I’m no longer afraid of the dark.” Cruise doesn’t crack his famous smile, and as a result you take him dead seriously in a dark, smart thriller.

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5.  Mission: Impossible — Fallout  (2018)

All the Mission Impossible  flicks are fine, but the sixth’s the second-best, partly because Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is a guy in his 50s — after stunts, he hurts like we do (Cruise actually broke his ankle on camera). Ethan hunts plutonium terrorists, races through Paris and London, skydives (warning another diver not to open the chute late or “the last thing that goes through your mind will be your knees") and pilots a chopper spinning out of control inches from snowy Asian mountaintops. What a ride! What a buildup of tension and sublime release!

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4.  Rain Man  (1988)

Cruise plays a selfish California cad forced to go on a road trip with a sweet, idiot-savant older brother he never knew (Dustin Hoffman) to try to cash in on their father’s inheritance and use the older brother’s odd gift to win big in Vegas . Again, everybody but Cruise got Oscars (for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay), and they owe it partly to his supportive genius.

Watch it here: Prime Video , Apple TV , YouTube

3.   Risky Business  (1983)

In a brilliant, generation-defining youth comedy that Roger Ebert put on a par with  The Graduate,  Cruise is as good as Dustin Hoffman was in the hit that made him a star. Sliding on socks into his first iconic scene in his underpants while belting out “Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Cruise instantly hit the A-list and never left.

Watch it here:  Paramount+

2.   Jerry Maguire  (1996)

Cruise's second-greatest achievement is his rebelliously idealistic sports agent Jerry, who quits his firm, champions an underdog client (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and courts his accountant colleague (Renee Zellweger) — he had her at “Hello.” The deeply authentic romantic comedy (that’s also slick as a pop tune) got Gooding an Oscar, plus nominations for Best Actor (Cruise), Best Picture and Best Screenplay (for writer-director Cameron Crowe , who wrote it as a critique of his movie-biz experience).

Watch it here:  Prime Video , Apple TV

1.  Top Gun: Maverick  (2022)

The last movie star on earth soars in his biggest hit ever, grossing $1.48 billion by putting viewers in the seat of an F-18 at Mach 10. A rare sequel that tops the original, 1986’s  Top Gun  (which is Tom’s 11th-best movie ever), this flyboy epic’s success was propelled by grown-up viewers , who loved seeing their hero unscathed by age: Cruise was 60 when the film came out, the same age Paul Newman was when he played Cruise’s pool-shark mentor in  The Color of Money.

Watch it here:  Paramount+ , Prime Video

Tim Appelo covers entertainment and is the film and TV critic for AARP. Previously, he was the entertainment editor at Amazon, video critic at  Entertainment Weekly , and a critic and writer for  The Hollywood Reporter, People , MTV,  The Village Voice  and  LA Weekly .

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Tom Cruise's Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time

From Mission: Impossible to Top Gun: Maverick, here are Tom Cruise's highest-grossing movies at the box office.

Often referred to as "the last movie star," Tom Cruise has had a long and impressive career spanning more than four decades. Although Hollywood has produced many celebrities over the years, no one has been able to emulate his career. Cruise has established a reputation as a hard-working and charismatic actor, receiving three Golden Globe Awards and an Honorary Palme d'Or in 2022. He has also been recognized for embracing incredible stunts most actors would prefer not to do.

Cruise made his first film appearance in 1981's Endless Love and skyrocketed to fame with Risky Business and Top Gun . He went on to star in many other films, including Collateral , Jack Reacher , and Edge of Tomorrow. Even in the 2020s, Cruise has enjoyed continued success. Here are the nine highest-grossing movies of Cruise's career.

Updated February 11th, 2023: If you're a fan of the action star legend, you'll be happy to know this article has been updated with additional content and box office hits.

9 The Mummy (2017) — $410M

Despite how impressive a $410 million profit looks on paper, The Mummy proved to be a disastrous reboot of the Universal Pictures franchise in which Cruise battles to save the world against a vengeful ancient Egyptian princess accidentally brought back to life. Even the seasoned star's trademark charisma couldn't save the ill-conceived flick, losing the studio nearly $95 million because of its bloated marketing and production costs.

Many have attributed its poor reception due to "blockbuster fatigue" and negative audience reaction. Though it's hard to imagine such a profit equating to a box office bomb, the terrible performance of The Mummy led to the outright cancellation of the Dark Universe.

8 The Last Samurai (2003) — $456.8M

Cruise kicked off his decorated 2000s cinema resume with the thrilling action drama The Last Samurai , portraying an American captain-turned-fierce samurai in 1876 Japan in the sensational hit. The film was both a knockout with critics and audiences, raking in over $450 million while earning praise for its breathtaking cinematography, savvy screenplay, and compelling performances; Cruise nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for his riveting portrayal.

While The Last Samurai has since been criticized for romanticizing Japanese culture and for pushing a white savior narrative, others have defended the positive effects it's had for Asian representation in Hollywood.

7 Mission: Impossible (1996) — $457.7M

Towards the end of the 90s, Mission: Impossible successfully launched what would become a $3 billion+ franchise. The first film grossed almost half a billion dollars at the box office, a theatrical run most other spy films could only wish they had. Mission: Impossible introduced the world to Cruise's Ethan Hunt and the franchise's stylish spy-themed action scenes. The only Mission: Impossible sequel to have a lower box office gross than the first film was 2006's Mission: Impossible III .

6 Mission: Impossible 2 (2000) — $546.4M

Mission: Impossible 2 continued the story of Ethan Hunt, once again impressing audiences with larger-than-life action sequences. In the sequel, Ethan led his team on a mission to prevent a biological weapon from being unleashed. Unfortunately, Mission: Impossible 2 was not as well-received as its predecessor, often prioritizing style over substance. Nonetheless, it was an enjoyable action film that paved the way for better sequels.

5 War of the Worlds (2005) — $603.9M

Steven Spielberg's 2005 sci-fi action flick War of the Worlds was based on the novel of the same name by H.G. Wells. Cruise played Ray Ferrier, a father protecting his kids amidst a dangerous alien invasion. The film was positively received by critics, but met a mixed response from the general audience. Nonetheless, War of the Worlds was a major commercial success and was only outperformed by that year's Harry Potter , Star Wars , and The Chronicles of Narnia movies.

4 Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015) — $682.7M

Before working on Fallout and Dead Reckoning Parts One and Two, Christopher McQuarrie directed and wrote Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation . The fifth installment in the series disbanded the IMF (Impossible Missions Force), forcing Ethan to go on the run while simultaneously fighting the Syndicate.

Rogue Nation gave audiences one of the most memorable stunts in the franchise's history, with Cruise hanging onto a plane during takeoff. McQuarrie breathed new life into the Mission: Impossible franchise, with Rogue Nation grossing more than $680 million worldwide.

3 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) — $694.7M

Directed by Brad Bird, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was another major success. The film grossed nearly $700 million worldwide and made almost $300 million more than the previous film, Mission: Impossible III . As expected, Ghost Protocol brought great action scenes, and it was also brilliantly paced. It also had a charming supporting cast in Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner.

One of the standout scenes of the film was Ethan climbing the Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in Dubai. Although Cruise was securely attached by multiple cables, unlike Ethan, he actually climbed the skyscraper in real-life.

2 Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) — $791.1M

The sixth Mission: Impossible film received critical acclaim and became the highest-grossing film in the franchise upon its release. Pitting Cruise's Ethan against Henry Cavill's double-agent August Walker, Mission: Impossible - Fallout definitely did not disappoint. Everything in the film was at the franchise's best, from the screenplay to the acting, cinematography, and action scenes.

Related: Top Gun: Should Tom Cruise Focus On More Franchise Sequels?

The positive reception to Fallout led to major interest in its sequel Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (a trailer which was released earlier this year). Fallout was also the highest-grossing movie of Cruise's career before Top Gun: Maverick .

1 Top Gun: Maverick (2022) — $1.4B+

Top Gun: Maverick was delayed countless times to perfect the action sequences and later due to COVID-19. Some critics questioned the interest in a sequel releasing almost 40 years after the original.

However, Top Gun: Maverick proved to be one of the greatest legacy sequels ever made, attracting fans both new and old. Blockbuster films have relied heavily on green screens, but Top Gun: Maverick placed their actors in the cockpit of real fighter jets. Grossing over $1.4 billion, Top Gun: Maverick outperformed heavy-hitters such as The Batman and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness at the box office.

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Highest Rated: 97% Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

Lowest Rated: 9% Cocktail (1988)

Birthday: Jul 3, 1962

Birthplace: Syracuse, New York, USA

Tom Cruise rose quickly to become one of the best-known American actors in the world. Born in Syracuse, New York, he moved around throughout his childhood, including a period in Canada. After graduating from high school in New Jersey, he moved first to New York and then to Los Angeles to pursue acting. He made his film debut in the Brooke Shields vehicle "Endless Love" (1981). His next role as an aggressive military cadet opposite Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn in "Taps" (1981) caught people's attention. He joined another group of young stars, including Patrick Swayze and Rob Lowe, in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of the S.E. Hinton novel "The Outsiders" (1983). His starring role as schoolboy-turned-pimp Joel in "Risky Business" broke him as one of Hollywood's newest celebrities. The long shoot schedule of Ridley Scott's fantasy epic "Legend" (1985) briefly took him out of the public eye, but he bounced back with one of the iconic roles of the 1980s. Playing Navy fighter pilot Maverick in Tony Scott's "Top Gun" (1986) turned Cruise into a superstar. He began branching into roles with more heft at the same time when he joined Paul Newman for "The Color of Money" (1986). He continued in that vein during the next several years, working with high profile directors and co-stars in prestige projects. He partnered with Dustin Hoffman for "Rain Man" (1988), Oliver Stone for "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989), and Jack Nicholson for "A Few Good Men" (1993), the first two of which were Oscar-winners for Best Picture. The actor picked up his first Academy Award nomination for "Born on the Fourth of July." While it didn't garner the same level of critical acclaim, his role as Anne Rice's vampire Lestat opposite a young Brad Pitt in "Interview with a Vampire" (1994) became as well-remembered as any of the actor's roles. His 11-year marriage to Nicole Kidman saw the couple partner on three films including Ron Howard's "Far and Away" (1992) and Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999). By the '90s, he had his pick of roles and began mixing in big-budget populist fare like "Mission: Impossible" (1996), based on the '60s television show of the same name. His role as secret agent Ethan Hunt proved popular enough for a series of sequels that would extend for more than two decades. Cruise also notched a second Oscar nomination for his role as a sports agent gaining a conscious in Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire" (1996). He worked with another rising filmmaker when he played motivational speaker Frank Mackey in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia" (1999), a role that earned him another Academy Award nomination. After the turn of the century, Cruise bounced between effects-heavy fare like "Minority Report" (2002) and "War of the Worlds" (2005) to dramas such as "Lions for Lambs" (2007) with Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. He also proved himself willing to puncture his own inflated image, with comedic cameos in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002) and "Tropic Thunder" (2008), and his musical turn in "Rock of Ages" (2012). He similarly adopted a self-effacing posture when fans began noticing that there was a scene of the actor running in nearly all his films. Over the years, he found himself a magnet for the tabloids thanks to his close ties to the Church of Scientology and his celebrity marriages to Kidman and Katie Holmes. Cruise added another action franchise to his resume when he jumped into the role of Lee Child's literary tough guy "Jack Reacher" (2012). He would reprise the role in "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016). After starring in the big-budget reboot of "The Mummy" (2017) and the drama "American Made" (2017), he returned to the role that once cemented his superstar status. More than 20 years after the original, Cruise climbed back into the cockpit to revive Maverick for a sequel to his 1986 hit "Top Gun: Maverick" (2020).

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“It’s that good”: Doctor Strange Director Puts Tom Cruise’s Most Underrated Movie in Top 5 Thrillers Ever Made That Actor Should Consider Reprising Soon

T om Cruise has made one thing crystal clear when it comes to stunts, he’s practically invincible, and there’s nothing he can’t pull off. Yet, now that he’s seemingly conquered everything there is to be conquered in the stunt world, fans are itching for him to return to some of his villainous roles.

With a career spanning decades and a resume that includes nearly every stunt imaginable, Cruise’s return to portraying compelling antagonists seems like the most logical next step to his fans. It’s not just fans who are eager for this, even esteemed figures like Scott Derrickson, the director behind Doctor Strange , have recognized the brilliance of Cruise’s past performances in thrillers. Derrickson’s endorsement, labeling one of Cruise’s films as one of the top five thrillers ever made, only adds fuel to the anticipation surrounding Cruise’s potential return to villainous roles.

Doctor Strange Director Scott Derrickson is Obsessed with Tom Cruise’s Collateral

Scott Derrickson recently took a moment to appreciate a Tom Cruise movie called Collateral , labeling it as one of the best thrillers ever made and even placing it in his top 5. This praise has sparked discussions about just how great of an actor Tom Cruise really is.

“Brad and Tom together?”: Tom Cruise Turning into Zombie Fighting Action God in Fan-made World War Z 2 Poster Has us Excited For a Sequel That May Never Happen

While the Mission Impossible series has undoubtedly been a lucrative venture for the actor, it doesn’t showcase all the facets and nuances of Cruise’s craft. It’s films like Interview with the Vampire and Collateral that bring out a certain dark side, which fans are absolutely in awe of. In the X post, the filmmaker wrote,

This led to the realization to dawn on many that when the actor steps outside the action genre, the magic he’s truly capable of is outstanding. The gritty thriller by Michael Mann features Jamie Foxx as Max , a cab driver hijacked by Tom Cruise as Vincent, a chillingly maniacal contract killer who coerces Max into chauffeuring him from murder to murder over one harrowing night.

Tom Cruise plays his role absolutely magnificently. The spine-chilling quality this handsome hero holds truly is amazing. His departure from the typical hero role was, in fact, refreshing and kept audiences on the edge of their seats. However, despite the excitement he brought to this role, Cruise has largely returned to playing standard hero characters in his subsequent films, leaving fans longing for more of his dark side.

Why Fans Believe Tom Cruise Shines Brightest in Villainous Roles

Since then, people have been yearning for the actor to delve into the role of a villain. Although the actor has done a few here and there, fans now believe it’s high time the actor returned to something he does truly amazingly. Another role that deserves recognition is Interview with the Vampire.

Cruise plays Lestat, the chief antagonist and primary character of Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles series of books and stories. And he absolutely nails it, Lestat is simultaneously amused by his detachment from humanity and utterly obsessed with it. Another gem was Magnolia . Here is what some fans have to say,

Cruise is a phenomenal actor with limitless capabilities. Cruise’s portrayal in Edge of Tomorrow, much like in American Made , breathed new life into him after years of somewhat anonymous performances in lackluster blockbusters such as Oblivion and Knight and Day.

“I suddenly saw the whole film collapsing”: Hugh Grant’s First Tryst to Become Tom Cruise Almost Ended Up Killing Him in a Movie That Didn’t Even Want to Cast Him

Fans truly hope the actor will soon make a comeback to villainy. Despite numerous speculations and rumors, no official updates confirming any of the news have been made. Fans will just have to wait patiently.

Collateral is available to stream on Paramount+

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Summer Movie Calendar 2024

A month-by-month breakdown of the best summer movies 2024 has to offer, from furiosa and deadpool & wolverine to maxxxine , alien: romulus , and more..

TAGGED AS: blockbusters , movies , Summer

(Photo by ©Warner Bros., ©Universal Pictures, ©20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios, ©Paramount Pictures, ©Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

It’s that time of year once again, when school is out (or is about to be), the weather is getting warmer, and we’re all just looking for a bit of adventure, romance, comedy, or gleeful terror to entertain us. Enter the summer movie season, when studios big and small roll out their biggest crowd-pleasers and screen spectacles. As usual, we’ve got a lot to look forward to over the next few months, so to help you plan your schedule, here’s your handy month-by-month breakdown of the most notable movies hitting theaters and streaming services in Summer 2024.

The Idea of You (2024)

After directing  The Big Sick ,  The Lovebirds , and  Spoiler Alert , Michael Showalter brings us another unique look at love with this adaptation of a 2017 novel about a divorced single mom who takes her daughter to see a boy band at Coachella and ends up in a relationship with the group’s much younger frontman.

The Fall Guy (2024)

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt kick off the summer movie season with this action-packed love letter to stunt performers, appropriately helmed by stuntman-turned-director David Leitch. Gosling plays a stuntman who gets roped into a risky mission when the actor he’s doubling for goes missing.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine star in A24’s latest offering, a psychological thriller about a teen who becomes obsessed with a late-night TV show and, as a result, begins to feel the reality around him bending and cracking in unexpected ways.

Unfrosted (2024)

Jerry Seinfeld makes his directorial debut with this tongue-in-cheek “history” of the corporate rivalry between American cereal companies Kellogg’s and Post that ultimately resulted in the invention of the Pop-Tart. Seinfeld also wrote, produced, and stars in the film alongside a huge, star-studded ensemble cast.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024)

Maze Runner director Wes Ball takes the helm for the latest entry in the rebooted  Planet of the Apes franchise, this time set 300 years after the events of 2017’s  War for the Planet of the Apes , when a young chimpanzee joins forces with a feral human girl to rebel against a tyrannical ape king.

Babes (2024)

Another notable directorial debut,  Babes is the first feature from Better Things star Pamela Adlon. The film stars Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau as childhood best friends whose relationship is tested when one of them gets pregnant from a one-night stand and seeks help from the other, a married mother of two.

Back to Black (2024)

Industry star Marisa Abela takes on the role of Amy Winehouse in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s biopic of the late singer’s life, charting her rise to fame, the circumstances that led up to the creation of the film’s titular album, and her troubles thereafter.

Few summer movies can boast the kind of all-star cast that John Krasinski has put together to voice the various imaginary creatures in his live-action/animated hybrid movie  IF , about a young girl who gains the ability to see imaginary friends and uses the power to reunite them with the adults who abandoned them.

The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024)

The 2008 horror thriller The Strangers gets something of a reboot with this film, intended to be the first in a new trilogy, about a young couple on a road trip who stay at an isolated rental home, only to be terrorized by a trio of intruders in masks. All three movies in this new trilogy were filmed concurrently, so you can expect Chapters 2 and 3 to follow relatively soon.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)

George Miller returns to the world of his Oscar-winning action extravaganza  Mad Max: Fury Road with this prequel that tells the story of Furiosa, the character played by Charlize Theron in the previous film and now portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy.

The Garfield Movie (2024)

Garfield is back on the big screen, and this time the whole thing is animated, with Chris Pratt taking over as the voice of the orange cat who hates Mondays and loves lasagna. The story, as it were, finds Garfield and Odie (voiced by Harvey Guillen) meeting Garfield’s dad (Samuel L. Jackson) and embarking on a high-stakes adventure.

Robot Dreams (2023)

This Spanish animated treat actually debuted at Cannes last year, after which it was nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar earlier this year. It contains no dialogue, but follows the friendship between a lonely anthropomorphic dog and the robot he builds to keep him company.

Young Woman and the Sea (2024)

Daisy Ridley stars in this biopic chronicling the life and achievements of Gertrude Ederle, a New York City woman who won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympics and went on to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024)

Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett are back on the case for a fourth go-round, this time to root out corruption in their own department after their captain (Joe Pantoliano) is posthumously accused of shady dealings and the two of them are set up.

Hit Man (2023)

In between lighting up the screen with Sydney Sweeney in  Anyone but You and chasing tornados in Twister , Glen Powell stars in Richard Linklater’s comedy about an undercover police officer who poses as a hitman to capture people trying to secure his services, only to fall in love with one of them.

The Watchers (2024)

If the director’s name strikes a familiar nerve, that’s because she is, in fact, the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, making her own feature directorial debut with this adaptation of the eponymous novel about a woman stranded in an Irish forest who stumbles upon a remote shelter where she meets other survivors who are trapped there, hunted by mysterious creatures in the night.

Inside Out 2 (2024)

Amy Poehler returns to voice Joy in this sequel to the Oscar-winning 2015 film about the anthropomorphized emotions swirling around inside a young girl named Riley. This time, Joy and the other emotions from the first film are supplanted by new emotions as Riley enters adolescence and must fight to regain control.

The Bikeriders (2023)

Director Jeff Nichols’ ( Mud ,  Loving ) latest film is inspired by the 1967 photo book of the same name and follows the relationships between the members of a fictional 1960s motorcycle club over the course of a decade as seen through the eyes of some of its key members.

Fancy Dance (2023)

(Photo by ©AppleTV+)

Release Date: June 21, 2024 (streaming June 28 on Apple TV+) Director: Erica Tremblay Starring: Lily Gladstone, Shea Whigham, Isabel DeRoy-Olson, Audrey Wasilewski

Recent Oscar-winner Lily Gladstone stars in Erica Tremblay’s narrative feature directorial debut as a Native American woman on the Seneca-Cayuga Nation Reservation who hits the road to find her missing sister with her niece before her own father attempts to take custody of her.

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

Hot off of their Oscar-winning collaboration on  Poor Things , director Yorgos Lanthimos reunites with Emma Stone (and Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley) for at least part of this anthology film that tells three separate stories with a star-studded cast.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 (2024)

The first chapter of Kevin Costner’s epic, two-part Western hits theaters in June, telling a sprawling story about the expansion into the American West during the Civil War era.

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024)

Pig director Michael Sarnoski makes the leap to genre blockbuster with  A Quiet Place: Day One , starring Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn in a prequel to John Krasinski’s hit 2018 thriller that depicts how one woman fought to survive the initial invasion of the aliens who hunt by sound.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

More than three decades since we last saw Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley on screen, he returns for another adventure — this time on Netflix — that sees the Detroit cop return to Los Angeles to team up with his daughter, her ex-boyfriend, and a few familiar faces to uncover a conspiracy.

Despicable Me 4 (2024)

Gru and Lucy are back, and this time, not only are they the proud parents of their adoptive daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes, but they’ve also given birth to Gru Jr. As Gru learns to embrace this new chapter of his life, he and his family must also face off against an escaped criminal who’s out to get him.

MaXXXine (2024)

The third and final chapter of Ti West’s horror trilogy starring Mia Goth takes place in the 1980s, as the lone survivor of 2022’s  X , Maxine, heads to Los Angeles to become an actress just as the infamous serial killer known as the Night Stalker is at the height of his rampage.

Fly Me to the Moon (2024)

Love, Simon director and longtime TV vet Greg Berlanti helms this romantic dramedy inspired by the 1960s Space Race. Channing Tatum plays the NASA director in charge of the Apollo 11 mission, who develops a relationship with the marketing guru (Scarlett Johansson) brought in to film a fake moon landing as a back-up in case things go sideways.

Longlegs (2024)

For those of you who have seen one or two of this film’s cryptic trailers and couldn’t make heads or tails of it, that’s likely intentional. The film stars Maika Monroe as an FBI agent on the trail of a serial killer (Nicolas Cage) in 1974 who uncovers evidence of occult involvement and a personal link to the killer himself.

Sing Sing (2023)

Inspired by a true story and a real rehabilitation program at the titular maximum security prison in New York, this drama centers on a group of inmates, including a wrongly convicted man, who find purpose in putting on their own stage production.

Twisters (2024)

Another director transitioning from small indie drama to explosive blockbuster is Lee Isaac Chung, the Oscar-nominated director of 2020’s  Minari , who helms this sequel to the 1996 disaster thriller  Twister . Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Anthony Ramos star as three storm-chasers with vastly different personalities who unite under their shared passion and race to capture rare tornado events.

Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Arguably the biggest movie of the summer,  Deadpool & Wolverine follows up with the Merc with a Mouth as he is enlisted by the shadowy Time Variance Authority to recruit a certain mutant with adamantium claws to help protect the multiverse. Expect plenty of cheeky R-rated jokes and meta references to familiar franchises.

Cuckoo (2024)

Euphoria star Hunter Schafer stars in this psychological horror-thriller about a teen who moves to the German Alps with her father and his new family and discovers that her father’s new boss may not be exactly what he seems.

Harold and the Purple Crayon (2023)

In the midst of all the horror we have coming out in August, here’s a family film based on the popular 1955 children’s book of the same name. Zachary Levi stars as Harold, who emerges from his book and into the real world with his magical purple crayon, only for it to fall into the wrong hands, forcing Harold and his new friends to save the world.

The Instigators (2024)

(Photo by Apple TV+)

Release Date: August 2, 2024 (streaming August 9 on Apple TV+) Director: Doug Liman Starring: Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Hong Chau, Paul Walter Hauser, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman, Jack Harlow

Director Doug Liman wasn’t too happy about his last film, the  Road House remake, skipping a theatrical release to head straight to Prime Video, so at least this one is getting a limited release before it hits Apple TV+. And look at that cast! Matt Damon and Casey Affleck lead an all-star ensemble in a heist thriller about a pair of thieves who hit the road with their therapist after a botched robbery attempt.

Borderlands (2024)

Fans were somewhat perplexed by some of the casting choices for  Borderlands , based on the popular video game series of the same name, but the trailer seems to have alleviated some of those concerns. Maybe. We’ll just have to wait and see if director Eli Roth can deliver something that will appeal to both hardcore fans of the games, and newcomers who just want to have a raucous good time at the movies.

Trap (2024)

Not to be outdone by his own daughter, M. Night Shyamalan is also releasing a new film this year (co-starring  another one of his daughters, Saleka). This one stars Josh Hartnett as a man who takes his young daughter to see a pop star in concert and learns the police have set an elaborate trap to capture a serial killer. He just happens to be the killer they’re looking for.

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Veteran horror director Fede Álvarez (2013’s Evil Dead , Don’t Breathe ) takes on the next installment of the  Alien franchise, set between the events of Ridley Scott’s original 1979 film and James Cameron’s Aliens . The story centers on a scavenger crew who stumble upon a derelict space station and encounter, well, aliens. Familiar, yes, but here’s hoping the simplicity of the setup yields some creative thrills.

Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 (2024)

If you thought you’d have to wait a year or more to get the second chapter of Kevin Costner’s Horizon , you are in for a treat. Just about a month and a half after  Chapter 1 hit theaters, we’re getting  Chapter 2 , continuing the epic story of western expansion during the Civil War.

Blink Twice (2024)

Zoë Kravitz makes her directorial debut with this dark comedy-thriller (which she also co-wrote) about two cocktail waitresses (Naomi Ackie and Alia Shawkat) who are invited to an impromptu getaway on a private island owned by a wealthy tech mogul (Channing Tatum), where things slowly turn sinister.

The Crow (2024)

Alex Proyas’ 1994 adaptation of the comic book series  The Crow is infamous for the on-set death of star Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, during filming, so it has become something of a cult classic. Rupert Sanders and Bill Skarsgård hope to live up to that reputation with a new take on the story of a murdered man who comes back to life to exact revenge on his killers.

They Listen (2024)

We don’t know much yet about They Listen , except that it’s a Blumhouse horror film directed by Chris Weitz and starring John Cho, Katherine Waterston, and, hot off his acclaimed performance in  Late Night with the Devil , David Dastmalchian. And frankly, that’s enough to keep us interested.

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The 30 Best Jokes and Craziest Moments From Tom Brady’s Netflix Roast, From Gronk Smashing Glasses to Gisele Divorce Puns

By Clayton Davis

Clayton Davis

Senior Awards Editor

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It was a long night for Tom Brady at his live Netflix comedy roast, as it was for the rest of us watching from home.

Starting with a bloody OJ Simpson jersey and ending with Brady smashing an iPhone on stage, the Netflix live event, “The Greatest Roast of All-Time: Tom Brady,” honored the seven-time Super Bowl champion. The modern-day legend faced his biggest challenge yet: being roasted by comedians and his former NFL teammates.

The QB took so many hits regarding his failed marriage to supermodel Gisele Bündchen, which was surprising in moments where it didn’t seem to let up for a single moment, bringing some of the evening’s biggest laughs. Nonetheless, the “joke of the night” came from the GOAT himself when addressing Kim Kardashian and referencing her ex-husband Kanye West: “I know Kim was terrified to be here tonight. Not because of this, but because her kids are at home with their dad.”

When Kardashian took the stage to toast Brady, she was met with an onslaught of audible boos, but host Kevin Hart came to her aid.

Part of Netflix Is a Joke Fest , “Greatest Roasts of All Time: Tom Brady” featured the former quarterback, known for his 20 seasons with the New England Patriots and three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, taking humorous jabs from some of the biggest names in comedy. Hosted by Hart and roastmaster Jeff Ross, the event included Brady’s former teammates Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski and Drew Bledsoe, as well as stand-up comics Tom Segura, Nikki Glaser, Andrew Schulz, Bert Kreischer, Tony Hinchcliffe, Sam Jay and more.

“We’re here to roast the greatest quarterback of all time,” Hart quipped. “Oh, wait, Joe Montana’s here?”

Brady made a grand entrance onto a stage surrounded by his former teammates, exclaiming to the crowd, “Are you guys ready? It’s game time. Let’s go!”

VIP tables, occupied by Chelsea Handler, Jim Gaffigan, Shane Gillis and Netflix executives Ted Sarandos and Bela Bajaria, encircled the stage, adding to the star-studded atmosphere of the event.

Brady’s former teammate Gronkowski took the spotlight with the most peculiar moments of the night, delivering a sometimes incoherent barrage of jokes that culminated in smashing a glass on the stage, causing it to shatter and send shards flying onto nearby tables.

Here are some of the 30 best jokes and craziest moments from the special (in no particular order):

• “This is where Jerry Buss laid his dick out. This was called the Fucking Forum.” – Kevin Hart
• “Tom brought Boston with him tonight. I’ve never seen Inglewood so white. It looks like a Bruce Springsteen concert just let out. This used to be the home of the Lakers; now it’s the home of the Quakers.” – Kevin Hart
• “It’s been two years since Tom has gotten divorced. And since then, Tom’s been fucking. Tom has been putting that two-inch tool to work. Tom has been fucking so much; his dick has gotten CTE.” — Kevin Hart
• “You know who else fucked that coach? Gisele. She fucked that karate man…. eight karate classes a day, and she’s still a white belt?” — Kevin Hart
• “Chelsea Handler is here… Speaking of Black dick, Kim is here tonight.”
• “I’ve just come from hell. Aaron Hernandez says hello.” — Jeff Ross
• “I had to dress like OJ because I’m about to kill this white bitch right here.” — Jeff Ross
• “You really put the Jizz in Gisele.” — Jeff Ross
• “I really wanted Kevin [Hart] to host because he already looks like a deflated football.” — Jeff Ross
• “Surely, if Mark Twain were around today, he would call you a N…. a national treasure.” — Jeff Ross
• “I love you, Dana; you’re like Michael Vick but with human beings.” — Jeff Ross
• “We’re doing it Boston-style tonight. You know, it’s going to marathon, and somebody’s gonna bomb.” — Jeff Ross
• “We wanted to roast you in Florida, but because of your governor, we wouldn’t have been able to call you gay.” — Jeff Ross
• “Tom Brady. Five-time Super Bowl MVP, most career wins, most career touchdowns. You have seven rings — well, eight, now that Gisele gave hers back. The only thing dumber than saying yes to this roast was when you said, ‘Hey babe, you should try jiu-jitsu.’” — Nikki Glaser
• “I’m the best decision your organization has ever made. Would you like a massage?”– Jeff Ross
• “Why the fuck didn’t we cheat when I was there?” — Randy Moss
• “The only difference between Tom Brady and Hitler is that Hitler stuck with his wife until the end.” — Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer
• “I love your movies, or as I like to call them, short films.” — Nikki Glaser towards Kevin Hart
• “Your ex-wife’s new boyfriend can kick your ass while eating hers.” — Nikki Glaser
• “Tom also lost $30 million in crypto… Tom, how did you fall for that? Even Gronk was like, ‘Me know that’s not real money.” — Nikki Glaser
• “That’s why Dana [White] is here, so you can learn how to fuck a Brazilian out of half their purse. Sorry, that was a Gisele quote” — Andrew Schulz
• “Or, as I like to call him, Leonardo DiCaprio‘s ex-girlfriend’s ex-husband.” — Julian Edelman
• “This stage has seen more trauma than a Kennedy on the campaign trail.” — Andrew Schulz
• “ACL is the only injury Gronk can spell.” — Andrew Schulz
• “Nikki, who wrote that? Where was that, your entire career?” — Tony Hinchcliffe
• “Bert Kreischer is a king. He looks like the Tiger King, and the Liver King only ate Burger King and had a liver that looked like Martin Luther King, who got beat up by Rodney King.” — Tony Hinchcliffe
• “Your Super Bowl ring is just like my strap-on; just because you put it on doesn’t mean it’s real.” — Sam Jay
• “My kids now excuse themselves to the bathroom by saying I have to go take a Brady.” — Peyton Manning
• “Despite everything we’ve seen here tonight, Gronk was actually useful on the field. Although the bar for Patriots tight ends was pretty low back then: block, catch, don’t murder.” — Tom Brady
• “You retired, then you came back, and then you retired again. I mean, I get it, it’s hard to walk away from something that’s not your pregnant girlfriend.” — Nikki Glaser

Matt Donnelly contributed to this report.

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