Tom Cruise has made a tremendous impact on Hollywood and our screens since he burst onto the scene in the ‘80s. To celebrate his new film Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One hitting theaters, here is our ranking of the 21 best Tom Cruise movies.
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#20 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Rock of Ages (2012)
Tom Cruise puts his singing skills to the test as rock legend Stacee Jax in the jukebox musical movie Rock of Ages. Adapted from the Broadway show of the same name, the film uses the music of ‘80s rock artists to show the glamour and consequences of making it in Hollywood.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Rock of Ages on HBO Max.
#19 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Jack Reacher (2012)
There can never be too much action in a Tom Cruise movie, and Jack Reacher is no different. Tom Cruise stars as the title character Jack Reacher, a homicide investigator who looks into a case involving a trained military officer who shot five people.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Jack Reacher on Hulu.
#18 Best Tom Cruise Movies: War of the Worlds (2005)
The apocalypse is here in Steven Spielberg’s high grossing sci-fi action film, War of the Worlds. Tom Cruise plays Ray Ferrier, a New York crane operator who, along with his two children (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin), must escape an alien invasion threatening humanity.
“WAR OF THE WORLDS” was released on this day 16 years ago. pic.twitter.com/1PSEQ8XPV9
— Films to Films ?️? (@FilmstoFilms_) June 29, 2021
Watch War of the Worlds on Pluto TV.
#17 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Tropic Thunder (2008)
Tom Cruise looks almost unrecognizable in his Golden Globe-nominated role as studio executive Les Gorden in the action-comedy Tropic Thunder. The film follows a group of actors (Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr.) who get dropped into a real war when filming a movie.
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder ? pic.twitter.com/uIBNItfb8o
— MARC SPECTOR ? (@NTRdevote_Abhi) June 27, 2021
Watch Tropic Thunder on Amazon Prime.
#16 Best Tom Cruise Movies: The Outsiders (1983)
Tom Cruise plays minor character Steve Randle, a member of the Greasers in the memorable coming-of-age film, The Outsiders. Based on S.E. Hinton’s 1967 novel of the same name, the movie follows the Greasers gang (C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, and Tom Cruise) who must face the death of a rival gang member.
‘The Outsiders’ (1983) Dir. by Francis Ford Coppola, novel by S.E. Hinton. The rivalry between two gangs when one member kills a member of the other. With C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Diane Lane & many others pic.twitter.com/vF89e4CVZ4
— Classicman Film (@classicsman70) December 11, 2018
Watch The Outsiders on Amazon Prime.
#15 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Mission: Impossible (1996)
In 1996, Tom Cruise revived the hit multimedia franchise Mission: Impossible. The spy film follows U.S. agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), who must prove his innocence after his mentor (Jon Voight) is killed. Earning booming box office success, Mission: Impossible became the highest-grossing film of 1996, creating a whole movie series.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Mission: Impossible on Paramount+.
#14 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Tom Cruise sinks his teeth into the American gothic horror film, Interview with a Vampire. Inspired by Anne Rice’s 1976 novel, vampire Louis (Brad Pitt) recounts his life after being turned into a vampire by Lestat (Tom Cruise).
Because Tom Cruise always makes a better baddie than a hero. Always. So Interview with a Vampire is the only example I can think of where #TheFilmWasBetter pic.twitter.com/wc7tP2JAwf
— EU citizen, leaving the UK, (@SarahLeeNotCake) June 15, 2019
Watch Interview with The Vampire on Tubi.
#13 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation (2015)
In the third best installment from the Mission: Impossible franchise, Rogue Nation, Ethan Hunt, and his crew must destroy an international rogue organization out to get their agency. Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, and Alec Baldwin also star.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation on Amazon Prime.
#12 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Known as one of Tom Cruise’s wildest movies to date, his character gets wrapped up in an underground sexual group in the psychological drama Eyes Wide Shut. The film follows Dr. Bill Hartford (Tom Cruise), who embarks on his own sexual journey when his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) discloses she’s fantasized about other men.
Stanley Kubrick with Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Sydney Pollack on the set of ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999) pic.twitter.com/iCBhjzhcCR
— Lost In Film (@LostInFilm) December 23, 2020
Watch Eyes Wide Shut on HBO Max.
#11 Best Tom Cruise Movies: A Few Good Men (1992)
The unforgettable line, “You can’t handle the truth,” takes center stage in the legal drama film A Few Good Men. When military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) must defend two U.S. Marines charged with killing a fellow Marine, he realizes that they may have been acting under orders by their Colonel (Jack Nicholson).
Just tuned in to the last 30 mins of “A Few Good Men” – one of my top 5 movies of all time! pic.twitter.com/Ik5MHSity2
— Coach Ray Noelte (@CoachRayNoelte) June 26, 2021
Watch A Few Good Men on Amazon Prime.
#10 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol (2011)
The 3rd best film out of the Mission: Impossible franchise is the 4th installment, Mission Impossible — Ghost Protocol. When Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his agency are blamed for a terrorist attack, he must clear the agency’s name while stopping the real suspects.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol on Hulu.
#9 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Magnolia (1999)
Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic drama film Magnolia focuses on different people’s lives and how they intersect in the San Fernando Valley. Tom Cruise earned another Oscar nomination for playing Frank Mackey, a motivational speaker hiding dark secrets.
Stolen from The Dude pic.twitter.com/QQ1RIUuuxk
— Ben (@BenVelvetPeaks) June 29, 2021
Watch Magnolia on Youtube.
#8 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Mission: Impossible — Fallout (2018)
Known as the best film from the Mission Impossible franchise, Tom Cruise returns as the famous Ethan Hunt. In the movie, Ethan and his team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker (Henry Cavill) to prevent dangerous weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Mission: Impossible — Fallout on Amazon Prime.
#7 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Tom Cruise must defeat aliens again in another sci-fi film, Edge of Tomorrow. In the movie, Major William Cage relives the same day repeatedly while fighting aliens with help from Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt).
Watch the trailer:
Watch Edge of Tomorrow on Amazon Prime.
#6 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Minority Report (2002)
Tom Cruise has to prove his innocence once more in the sci-fi movie Minority Report. In 2054 Washington D.C. psychic technology helps convict murderers before they kill. However, when the head of the unit, Chief John Anderson (Tom Cruise), is accused of murdering a man he has never met, he has to save himself and the people around him.
Watch Minority Report on Youtube.
#5 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Tom Cruise received his first Academy Award nomination as Sergeant Ron Kovic in the biographical war drama Born on the Fourth of July. Based on Ron Kovic’s autobiography, the movie follows the Sergeant who was paralyzed from the Vietnam War and became an anti-war and political activist.
‘Born on the Fourth of July’. 1989 (Oliver Stone)
At what price would your beliefs go when losing everything you once held dear? Cruise has never been better. https://t.co/LU41Pb94BM#FilmTwitter #Cinema pic.twitter.com/sgZUtTHl5h
— ??Father Eros Grandier?☠️. ??‼️ (@RussellKubrick) April 27, 2020
Watch Born on the Fourth of July on Showtime.
#4 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Rain Man (1988)
In the critically acclaimed Rain Man, Tom Cruise plays selfish car dealer Charlie Babbitt. After Charlie’s father passes, he discovers he has an autistic older brother named Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). To access the $3 million fortune left for his brother, he checks Raymond out of a mental institution, and they travel across the country together.
Rain Man (1988) pic.twitter.com/KZPwZ1vAJY
— ?FilmKulübü (@filmkulubu_) June 27, 2021
Watch Rain Man on Netflix.
#3 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Risky Business (1983)
After high school senior Joel Goodsen (Tom Cruise) hires a sex worker Lana (Rebecca De Mornay) in Risky Business, Joel must seek desperate measures to earn money fast. The movie helped catapult Tom’s career with his fresh-faced charisma and iconic underwear dancing scene.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Risky Business on HBO Max.
#2 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Top Gun (1986) & Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Top Gun gave viewers a first-hand look into the essence of what Tom Cruise would come to be: the rugged action hero. The film follows reckless but talented fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) during his time at Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School and his efforts to earn affection from his flight instructor Charlotte (Kelly McGillis).
Watch the trailer:
Watch Top Gun on Showtime.
Top Gun: Maverick is the anticipated sequel of the 1986 film. Tom Cruise reprises her role as Maverick, now a test pilot. When he is given orders to teach a class of new graduates, including the son of his late friend “Goose,” Maverick must prove he has what it takes to be a meaningful teacher.
#1 Best Tom Cruise Movies: Jerry Maguire (1996)
Regarded as a grown-up romantic comedy, Jerry Maguire stars Tom Cruise as a sports agent who builds an independent management firm and falls in love with his partner, single mother, Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger). The film went on to receive 5 Academy Award nominations.
Watch the trailer:
Watch Jerry Maguire on HBO Max.
Upcoming Tom Cruise Movies: Mission: Impossible 7 (2022)
Plot details are under wrap but Tom Cruise is gearing up to bring Ethan Hunt to the big screen once again when Mission: Impossible adds another film to the franchise with its 7th installment. Added to the cast are Hayley Atwell, Shea Whigham, and Rob Delaney. The movie is set to be released in theaters in July 2023.
Do you agree with our list? What is your favorite Tom Cruise movie? Let us know on Twitter!
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