Tom Cruise’s entire filmography

I wanted to watch Mission: Impossible – Fallout because I’d heard great things about it, and I do love me a spy flick, but of course I couldn’t without having seen all the previous installments first. So, on a whim, I watched all of them, pretty much at once.

And then it sort of escalated, I guess.

I’ve tried watching entire filmographies before but it never really worked out, and then with this, I got obsessed, as I tend to do, and I created an Excel spreadsheet, as I tend to do, and Bob’s your uncle – now I’ve seen Tom Cruise’s entire filmography and I’m going to review it, movie by movie.

I’ll do this in order of release, not the order that I watched them in, because I don’t think my poor heart could take it, to list them out of order.

I also won’t use any sort of rating system because they’re difficult to keep consistent and I do seem to remember from some sort of marketing class that the worth of any product or service is best gauged by whether you would recommend it or not, so I’ll just close up each review with either a recommendation or non-recommendation.

And, one important disclaimer before I kick things off: I am absolutely appalled by some of the choices Tom Cruise has made, his involvement in Scientology specifically. I don’t know if he’s just that naive or whether he can’t let go of anything he gets involved in because he’s just too intense of a person but the reason doesn’t really matter anyway. How anyone can be a part of such a shitty organization, let alone someone who’s played in movies over and over again which precisely show why cult-like, exclusive, powerful institutions are bad, is beyond me.

Maybe actors really don’t care about or understand the meanings of the stuff they’re in, or maybe being someone like that is on a level far outside my understanding. As it is, he’s also a very good actor, who’s had the chance – or the drive – to work on some incredible productions with some legendary filmmakers. He seems superhumanly dedicated to his craft and every role, not to mention that he’s absolutely gorgeous to look at, with a stunning physique he’s kept up all his life.

So, for the purposes of this review, I’ll just set his personal life aside and focus on the actual movies, the stories and characters, and on gushing about how pretty he is in almost every single one of them. Which isn’t to say that the Scientology stuff doesn’t matter, because it does, it being an abusive association of delusional megalomaniacs, but alas, this is just a fluffy piece of amateur film criticism, so I’m leaving the more sinister discussions for another day.

And, a note regarding spoilers: I’ve done my best to keep all reviews spoiler-free, though some references won’t make sense unless you’ve seen the respective movies (though it shouldn’t take away from the overall reading experience). All bigger spoilers and remarks are marked and hidden in clickable paragraphs.

Here goes then, forty-five reviews of every Tom Cruise movie so far.

1. Endless Love (1981)

Okay, so… off to a start, I guess. This movie tells the story of an obsessive relationship between a young girl from a Bohemian family and a very Joe Goldberg from You-esque type of guy. I don’t know if it was the borderline incestuous implications of a mother watching her daughter fuck her boyfriend or the explicit physical abuse said boyfriend inflicted on said girlfriend later, but I didn’t like this movie very much. Also, James Spader’s in this, whom I actually really like in his later roles, but in these 80’s movies he always plays a smarmy asshole. Ah, maybe it was just a different time.

As for Tom Cruise’s acting in this, which lasted a whopping 53 seconds, in which he managed to inspire the horrible events which led to all hell breaking loose – I don’t know. I guess if I looked like that at 19 my first role would also be to get almost completely naked without any reason on a high school football field. But I don’t know.

Verdict: I don’t recommend this movie, even if it did produce one of the most popular wedding songs in existence – Endless Love by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie.

2. Taps (1981)

Now this is something else entirely. It’s the story of a military academy which is being closed in order to sell the grounds to real estate developers, but the cadets attending the school have a different idea. Through an unfortunate circumstance the leader of the school, General Bache, lands in a hospital, and so the students simply take over the school in a surprisingly well-coordinated siege. At the center there’s Cadet Major Brian Moreland (played by Timothy Hutton), his best friend Cadet Captain Alex Dwyer (played by Sean Penn in his debut role) and overzealous Cadet Captain David Shawn (played by Cruise, who apparently was so eager on set that the filmmakers made the role more significant just for him, which I think served the movie well).

This story shows a beautiful descent into madness and is a perfect lesson in ‘be careful what you wish for, you just might get it’, when the military cadets, trained to march and follow orders, follow their Major almost to ruin. The three aforementioned characters also show a very well-crafted trichotomy of the views expressed in the film: Alex, who isn’t into the military thing too much and has a more detached view of it; David, who is a hotheaded jarhead through and through, obsessively so; and Brian in the middle, who takes the military and his school very seriously but also learns when to let go.

Also, the drama and the performances in this movie are simply terrific. It very much reminded me of The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnár, a book that I absolutely adore, only in a military setting. All the boys are actual boys or teenagers, and Tom Cruise’s character going ballistic, literally, is just superb. I can’t not grin stupidly when I watch this movie, at how ridiculous it is sometimes, and then it hits you over the head with its incredible dramatic tension. An underappreciated gem for sure.

Verdict: I one hundred percent, wholeheartedly recommend this movie.

3. The Outsiders (1983)

Moving on, this coming-of-age story which helped popularize the so-called Brat Pack, a bunch of young actors playing in all those 80’s coming-of-age films. The plot here is quite simple, you got the Greasers, the poor fellas with grease in their hair and the socs (so-shes, from socials, not socks), the well-off, polo-wearing guys. There’s drama and finding out who you are, gratuitous violence, very over-saturated sunsets and cheesily superimposed talking heads.

I like what this movie did for pop culture, I like Brat Pack stories in general, hell, I even like that the main characters in this movie have weird names like Ponyboy and Sodapop. I get that it’s a film you’re supposed to like because it’s a classic, but honestly, almost forty years later, it really didn’t capture my heart. I know it’s Coppola and all, but I preferred West Side Story when it had more gay dance-fighting in it.

Verdict: I guess it’s okay, but I don’t think I need to see it again.

4. Losin’ It (1983)

This is basically a poor-man’s, low-budget, barely international version of American Pie, even though that movie wouldn’t come out for another 16 years. You got your four young guys driving out to Tijuana, Mexico to lose their virginity. Tagging along are a kid entrepreneur who wants to buy cheap fireworks and an unhappily married woman looking to get divorced.

Hijinks ensue, none of which really matter, I guess there’s a pretty cool Mexican police officer in it, but overall this is a movie where everyone is terrible and makes bad choices. Some shots are cool, like when all the boys lean out from behind partitions in unison at a police station, but that’s nothing too groundbreaking. Many things are incomprehensible to me, like when the husband of the aforementioned wife stares indignantly at one of the boys kissing his wife goodbye in a very intense way and doesn’t do anything about it.

Verdict: I think this is a movie that can be safely skipped, unless you like the questionable treatment of women (and sex workers especially) and a bit of roughhousing in prison.

5. Risky Business (1983)

Ah, Risky Business. The movie that properly launched Tom Cruise’s acting career for God knows what reason and inspired teenage boys all over America to dance to Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roll in their undies. I don’t get the love for this film, to me it’s weirdly convoluted, incredibly awkward and the numerous sex scenes with cheesy porn music just really don’t do it for me.

I get that Lana, the sex worker the main character, Joel, hires, to lose his virginity with and to make him a man and whatnot, is supposed to be an allegory for capatilistic greed but… I don’t know. The whole movie is basically Joel coming to terms with growing up by turning his parent’s home into a brothel for a night and I’m not too sure about that, either. It also uses a POC transgender sex worker as a punchline, in a ‘hurr durr I wanted to get laid and then a big black man in a dress stood in front of my door’-kind of way, and I don’t like that shit at all. It was tired then and it’s definitely tired now. But it worked out well in the end, I guess?

Verdict: This is more awkward than it is weird and offensive and I definitely won’t watch it again, if I can help it.

6. All the Right Moves (1983)

This was a surprisingly okay watch. It tells the story of Stef, a star football player at his small West Pennsylvania high school, in his small West Pennsylvania town, and his struggle to get a scholarship in order to be able to go to college. All the good elements of a neat high school coming-of-age movie are there: Letterman jackets, demanding coaches, greased back hair, being a dick to your girlfriend and long scenes of football that I neither understand nor give a shit about.

In all seriousness though, I think what this movie did really well was to establish its overarching conflict, how to get out of a small town, with appropriate stakes and execution. I think you could really get a clear sense of what the protagonists wanted and why, and add to that, you get two resolutions to the problem. Pretty cool.

Verdict: It’s far from perfect or a must-see, but it tells its story well, and when you like that sort of theme of small town football, why not.

7. Legend (1985)

I’ll start this off by saying thunder thighs, because it’s the only good thing I’ll say about this movie. By those I mean Tom Cruise’s of course, who sports a very short, frilly, grass-dress sort of thing throughout, so whatever he’s working with is fully on display.

I’d love to be able to say what this movie is about but I have no fucking clue. It’s a mish-mash of all fairytale stereotypes and clichés, jumbled up into a nonsense plot that, if anything, only managed to make me angry. There’s Tom Cruise as Jack the green man, a pure being, whatever the fuck’s that’s supposed to mean, there’s a princess, an elf played a possessed Swiss kid and dubbed over by someone else, a plethora of mystical creatures like unicorns and goblins, endless set pieces of forests and dungeons, and the crown jewel of the whole thing, the Lord of Darkness played by Tim Curry. I get that his characterisation as red Satan with big horns and the music, which was different with every release it seems, were supposed to be groundbreaking, and the movie is by Ridley Scott and all, but to me it was just an unintelligibile mess that made everything nice about fairytales seem bleak and dumb.

Verdict: I wouldn’t watch this again if someone paid me.

8. Top Gun (1986)

Now, the pièce de résistance of Tom Cruise’s acting career – Top Gun. To say that I love this movie is an understatement.

It tells the story of naval aviator Maverick and his swashbuckling, hotshot co-cadets at Top Gun academy, a fighter pilot school. They all compete to become the best pilot, which means that they face off in numerous combat actions in the sky and during arguments on the ground. The main hero Maverick, as his call sign indicates, always plays by his own rules, may it be to fuck his instructor or fly maneuvers out of line.

This movie has everything you could ever want in a military action film: cool call signs, awesome fight scenes, dashing uniforms and iconic aviator shades, countless quotable lines, an amazing soundtrack, with Danger Zone being a smash hit, some good ol’ all-American, Fourth-of-July patriotism, a pretty simple, yet-dramatic-enough plot, just dudes being bros and singing at women in bars. This movie gets made fun of a lot, and rightfully so, but it’s also just a classic piece of 80’s cinema.

It especially gets made fun of for how gay it is, and it’s impossible to disagree. I don’t know how or why they decided to make it so gay, but whether it be the cheeky banter, sexually biting at each other or playing the gayest match of half-naked beach volleyball ever put to film – it’s hilarious to watch now and hilarious to think that back in the day they just didn’t notice or didn’t care.

Despite all its perhaps unintended gayness and borderline propagandist undertones, it’s just a really well-made movie with a clear structure and well-crafted characters, which is fun to watch over and over again. I get that not everyone is a fan of action or military movies, but this one is really good anyway.

Spoiler:

Also, the first time I watched it many years ago I was absolutely devastated about what had happened to Goose. People in big movies these days don’t die anymore, or they do but then they get resurrected, so much so that it doesn’t have any impact anymore. But with Goose, to be so suddenly bereft of such a lovely character, it really stung. Which, by the way, adds to the awesomeness of the film for me, that they had the balls to do that. Even though it hurts.

Verdict: I not only recommend this movie – I implore everyone to see it at least once.

9. The Color of Money (1986)

Pool and hustling, two things I’m not overly enthusiastic about. The story follows Eddie, a pool hustler, who takes on a new protégé, Vince, to show him the ropes and make some money, only to be out-hustled by him later. This is the kind of movie that I needed to read its Wikipedia page through after, in order to get what it was even about. Maybe that’s more of a judgement on me than the movie, but personally I found it difficult to follow the nine-ball mumbo-jumbo and most importantly, understand the stakes.

The movie looks very good, though, it’s vintage Scorsese after all. I really like the characterisation of Eddie, played by Paul Newman, as the old gentleman hustler, always in a suit and tie, and of Vince, the young hotshot with a ridiculous pompadour and a smug grin that never leaves his face. There are some really cool scenes, too, like when Vince shows off his pool game to the tune of Werewolves of London, wearing a T-shirt with his own name on it, as if he was the type of guy who couldn’t remember it.

Verdict: A classic for sure, it’s not my jam, but go off I guess.

10. Cocktail (1988)

At face value this may seem like just a cheesy, formulaic romantic comedy, but I’m actually surprised that it was received so poorly by critics. After all, we’re not all lactose intolerant, and being formulaic doesn’t mean being bad – quite the opposite in this case. The story follows young Brian Flanagan, fresh out of the Army, off to make a million bucks in New York City. He gets a job as a waiter to put himself through business school, and finds out on the way that perhaps being an entrepreneur can look different from what he expected. It’s a cute, funny, charming story, with cool flairing and a catchy 80’s soundtrack, including Kokomo by the Beach Boys.

Apart from being somewhat of a coming-of-age story, and another mentor-protégé relationship, this time between veteran barkeeper Doug Coughlin and the young Flanagan, this is mostly a very successful, in my view, interpretation of the good ol’ American Dream. It’s not groundbreaking or overly complicated, but not every movie has to be – and if I were to pick something to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon to get my mind off things and have a bit of fun, this movie would be it. It’s basically Dirty Dancing but with drinks instead of jump lifts. Not to mention how incredibly 80’s all of the cast look, with their white pants and ridiculous billowy shirts. What a time capsule!

Verdict: This movie is definitely worth a watch, just thinking about it makes me feel like I’m already leaning back on a beach lounger with a Tequila Sunrise in my hand.

11. Rain Man (1988)

Another classic, and another one I don’t think I really got. The story’s about two brothers, Charlie and Raymond, who are made aware of each other’s existence after their father passes and leaves almost nothing to Charlie – a hustling car dealer – and most of his estate to Raymond – an autistic savant living in a mental institution.

Cruise plays Charlie, a complete asshole with exactly zero redeeming qualities or even moments for the bulk of the film, which I guess isn’t a prerequisite for a good story, but it didn’t make it any easier for me to get into it. He’s a convincing asshole, I’ll give him that – but it wasn’t fun or engaging in any way to see him struggle or succeed. Raymond, played by Dustin Hoffmann, is portrayed very convincingly and I suppose it’s a portrayal that resonated with audiences, which is commendable. I thought the emotional twist was surprising and well done, and very Hodor-esque, though overall I thought the movie was decidedly too long and just not that good, if I’m honest. One of those ‘I don’t get why it’s a classic’ type of films.

Verdict: I wouldn’t recommend it but it’s one of those films you’ve had to have seen apparently; I wouldn’t know.

12. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

A really long movie, but that’s not suprisinging, given that the main character, based on a real person, well, he’s seen some shit. The story follows Ron Kovic who, if there ever was anyone who was the perfect embodiment of the 60’s ideal of an American hero, he was it. Student athlete, Marine, Christian, white picket fence house, the works – and add to that, literally born on the Fourth of July. It’s understandable then, that he goes off to fight in Vietnam, enamoured with the idea of serving his country and ‘defeating communism’. He sees some unexpected cruelty, however, gets severely injured and following that, quickly disillusioned with the war, the Corps, his ideals, God, to put it simply, the world. He struggles with PTSD, guilt and loneliness, and later depression and alcoholism.

This movie is absolutely gut-wrenching and I don’t think I’d like to see it again, but not because it’s a bad film, quite the opposite. Cruise completely disappears in the role, not only because he’s obviously styled to fit the look of Kovic, especially in his later years, but also because his character is entirely separate from any of the hotshots he’s played before. He’s managed to create a heartbreaking portrait of a man so wholly wrecked by his reality, and it’s almost too convincing to bear. It probably helped a lot that the real Kovic was on set most of the time and that he co-wrote the screenplay, but it’s also thanks to Oliver Stone’s determination to create stories about the Vietnam War, and, of course, Cruise’s incredible performance.

Verdict: Watch it, but be ready to be (further) disgusted with the US.

13. Days of Thunder (1990)

Another movie about a sport I have zero interest in nor any knowledge about, but here goes nothing. This time we’re following Cole Trickle, a race driver, who jumps from one type of racing to another, apparently, and is aided by his crew chief Harry Hogge in driving NASCAR races. There’s a love interest there, too, in the form of neurosurgeon Claire Lewicki, and a rival – Rowdy Burns. Simple set up, simple plot, really, even though I still didn’t get most of it and had to read up on it after, because of all the mumbo-jumbo. But that’s fine, this movie isn’t for me. It’s apparently one of the greatest racing films ever made and I can surely believe that.

Except for the fact that it features way too much sexual misconduct, e.g. when Cole gets a sex worker as a reward for winning a race. Let me paint the picture: he wins the race, he and his team drive to their next stop in a big tour bus (who knew NASCAR drivers had those), supposedly get pulled over by highway patrol, but it turns out it’s just ‘a pretty girl in a uniform’. She feels Cole up to the cheers of everyone around, and don’t get me wrong, if you want to pay for a sex worker for someone else, have at it, just not like this – he clearly seemed uncomfortable with her patting him down and unzipping his pants, and sexual assault against men is enough of a problematic issue as it is, you don’t need to add pointless movie scenes like this to the mix. Not to mention that this little trick makes Cole think that the neurosurgeon who helps him after an accident – the one he develops a relationship with, by the way – is another sex worker hired by his friends and he assaults her as a result. I know this isn’t the main part of the movie but still, it infuriated me, the scenes were very uncomfortable to watch and it absolutely disgusts me that situations like this are played up for laughs. Not cool.

Verdict: Watch it if you like racing, for me it’s a no.

14. Far and Away (1992)

I do love me a period piece, and this one was… interesting. You’ve got young, poor Irish farmer Joseph Donnelly, who lives on a farm with his brothers and father around the 1890s. The father dies and the family farm gets burned down by Hotchner from Criminal Minds, which prompts Joseph to seek revenge on his landlord who’s actually responsible for the whole mess, Daniel Christie, who looks like Zidler from Moulin Rouge!. Hotchner and Zidler are insofar connected that Hotchner is betrothed to Zidler’s daughter, Shannon. Joseph finds himself on Zidler’s farm as a result of his attempted revenge and gets quite smitten with Shannon, who rescues him out of a pistol duel, off to America, to get land on her own, where they supposedly give it away for free. Joseph tags along and so they pull ashore in Boston. There they get taken in by Irish immigrants, put up in a brothel and Joseph engages in bare-knuckled fistfighting in order to make a living (which means loads of extended bare-knuckle fistfighting scenes). Oh, then they manage to get to Oklahoma at some point, there’s tons of drama and a very expansive scene depicting the Land Run of 1893, and that’s 2,5 hours spent.

I think I like this movie. I do really like the costumes, characterisations and the whole vibe of it, the colors and the story itself, it’s a pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps sort of thing. Many have criticized Tom Cruise for his Irish accent in this and I have to say, for me personally it’s not half-bad. It’s far from perfect but honestly, if Ron Howard wanted to convey a more authentic experience he should’ve just hired an Irish actor, or at least have provided the one he had with more accent training. Either way, it’s a decent enough movie, the only things I didn’t like were the drawn out fight and land run sequences and the fact that anybody thought Joseph could punch a horse into submission by hitting it on the muzzle. The animal cruelty and inept riding depicted in this film are actually more offensive to me than the accents, but hey, that’s me.

Verdict: If you like period pieces, you’ll quite possibly like this one.

15. A Few Good Men (1992)

I’ve already chucked around French words, and here’s another one: chef-d’œuvre, masterpiece, because that is what this movie is.

It tells the story of the court-martial of two Marines charged with the murder of a fellow Marine. There’s drama and conflict, Colonels and Lieutenants, incredible twists and amazing performances. It’s based on a play and I think you can tell, the way the locations repeat and the story unfolds, but in this case I think it only works to the movie’s advantage.

At the center of the story there’s Dan Kaffee, an unenthusiastic, hotshot lawyer with daddy issues, played by Tom Cruise; then we got Commander Galloway, a balls-to-the-wall idealist lawyer, played by Demi Moore; and Sam Weinberg, a disgruntled and pessimistic lawyer, who also joins the team, played by Kevin Pollack. The three of them wonderfully represent the various views on the court case the movie offers the viewer to take.

On the other side there’s Colonel Jessup, a superbly evil bastard, played by Jack Nicholson; his right-hand Lieutenant-asshole, Jon Kendrick, played by Kiefer Sutherland; and Captain Jack Ross on the prosecutorial side, who believes in practicing law without passion or prejudice, played by Kevin Bacon. Missing in the picture are only the two suspects, Lance Corporal Dawson and Private Downey, played by Wolfgang Bodison and James Marshall respectively.

The story follows the trial and surrounding investigation of the murder of Private Santiago, and the way it unravels bit by bit, as we, the audience, as well as the defense team, glean new information, is simply breathtaking. Nothing comes too soon or too late, everything is timed perfectly, there’s not a single lull in the story and to elevate it all every performance and every casting choice is simply excellent. I especially like Kaffee’s transformation from uncaring hotshot to being really invested in the case, all the little things he does, his gestures and movements, reactions and questions, as he gets more and more involved in the investigation.

There’s so many great moments and lines and situations in this movie, add to that the absolutely impeccable costumes, and you’ve truly got a masterpiece on your hands. This is one of the few movies I wish I could see for the first time again because although it’s still captivating, even on the 50th rewatch, I’ll never experience that same amazement in regards to this story ever again. And boy, do I wish I could. It seems like just a regular court drama at first, but all the ingredients, the star-studded cast, the extraordinary writing, the stellar performances, they all combine to make this movie something out of this world. It’s simply magnificent.

Verdict: If you’re ever just going to watch one movie out of this list, make it this one. I cannot recommend it enough. It’s definitely my favorite Tom Cruise movie, if not one of my favorite movies in general.

16. The Firm (1993)

This is an adaptation of the John Grisham novel with the same title and it’s exactly what you’d expect: a slow burn legal drama with just the right amount of suspense and terror. It’s also very interestingly shot and superbly acted, so no complaints here. We follow Mitch McDeere as he graduates near the top of his class from Harvard Law School and takes up an offer from a firm – The Firm – which is the very embodiment of something which is too good to be true. His wife, Abby, immediately has doubts about the whole thing and he should’ve listened to her; but he didn’t, so we get pulled alongside him into a spiral of evermore complicated and horrifying events, populated by menacing characters and greedy backstabbers. In the end the scheme is pretty straightforward, but it takes a while to get a hold of the whole situation and work out a plan to fix it.

I was captivated by this movie, because it felt distinctly different with its style, not to mention that Tom Cruise was once again able to get lost in his role, despite looking very much like himself. He has a way of inhabiting dramatic characters that really makes you see beyond the action star he is now, not to mention all the other things he is, and I have to say – I’m impressed. By then he was 31 already and he sure as hell did not look it. This movie also gave him a chance to show off some of his athletic prowess, doing back flips and shit, and hanging from a pole for a prolonged time.

Verdict: Anyone who loves legal dramas with tons of tension will like this, and I did, too.

17. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

Interview really said LGBT+ rights – even two gay dads can be manipulative and dysfunctional! This film tells the story of vampire Lestat, played by Cruise, who turns a wealthy plantation owner, Louis, who’s lost all appetite for life, played by Brad Pitt, into a vampire, too. They stay together and develop a relationship, which Louis isn’t all too happy about, because he doesn’t want to remorselessly kill, the way Lestat does. In order to salvage their relationship Lestat turns a little girl, effectively making her their daughter (because having a child always works to save a marriage). The rest of the movie depicts how Louis deals with his vampirism and the immortal cruelty of it, and all of it is intertwined with scenes of modern-day San Francisco, where Louis tells the whole story to a journalist, hence the title of this movie.

This is an interesting story, definitely not as gory or scary as the ‘gothic horror film’ tag would have you believe. It still holds up in many ways, most surprisingly the special effects (animatronic Tom Cruise is all I’ll say, but you can’t really tell without knowing about it beforehand), but some scenes are so ridiculous, I couldn’t help but laugh. Especially in the beginning, when Lestat first appears, inexplicably levitates and throws around some really cheesy lines. But other than that the vampires are portrayed pretty well, Lestat as the vicious, merciless killer, with a haughty laugh and endless sarcasm, Louis as the sad, disillusioned, traumatized protagonist, and Claudia, the little girl, as the ruthless up-and-coming killer, trapped forever in a child’s body. Some scenes are really long and they work, like when Lestat and Louis seduce a couple of women and fight over killing them, and some don’t, like the Théâtre des Vampires scene, where Parisian vampires put on a vampire show for humans to disguise their vampirism, which is just… very, very long. Overall though it was pretty okay, what shocked me the most was how much Twilight actually pulled or, quite frankly, copied from this universe, which I didn’t know before. And also, there’s hardly any movie which is more gay without being explicit – well, other than Top Gun, of course.

Verdict: A cool period horror piece without too much scare or gore – I recommend it!

18. Mission: Impossible (1996)

So iconic, and for me, the start of this whole thing. The first installment of the M:I movie reboot introduces Ethan Hunt, the cocky hotshot superspy, and the first mission we get to see, which establishes all the Mission: Impossible-isms of future parts of the franchise: perfect rubber face masks, being disavowed, ‘Your mission, should you choose to accept it’, cool action sequences and a whole lot of running. The McGuffin this story centers around is the NOC list, a list of undercover agents that gets out into the open. Through a bunch of circumstances Ethan has to first steal, then recover the list, all of which is peppered with plenty of stunt sequences, some of which are still cool, and some of which simply look laughable by today’s standards. There’s a whole lot of mischief and drama and to me, it’s the perfect first iteration of a wonderful film series.

Of course, M:I 1 is a far stretch from what the franchise will later turn into, but still, it has its own, special charm. It isn’t as action-packed yet as its successors, but still, there are some set pieces which are a genuine pleasure to watch and rewatch. The scene at the Prague café with Kittridge, for one, with its amazing water tank stunt. Then, of course, the heist at Langley, with the iconic white room and Cruise dangling from some wires. And finally, my personal favorite, the sleight of hand magic trick scene, where Hunt bluffs his way through an argument. Simply majestic. I also really like the directorial choices in this one, with its dramatic, skewed angles and zooms, and general exciting vibe.

Verdict: There may be better spy movies than this, but hardly a better spy franchise – and this one in particular has all the nostalgia and charm, so I definitely recommend it.

19. Jerry Maguire (1996)

I didn’t really like this movie at first but then it sort of grew on me. It’s another sports flick, this time Cruise plays a sports agent however, and a pretty slick one at that. It’s not only about sports though, it’s also a romantic comedy, and also a drama, and more than any of that it’s the main character’s personal journey from hotshot douchebag sports agent to family man, I guess. Jerry Maguire, as that is the name of the protagonist, after being made to feel guilty for one of his clients landing in hospital, has an epiphany that his company should serve less customers for less money, which, not overly surprisingly, gets him fired. Through many dramatic twists he tries to stand on his own two feet then, dragging along a girl named Dorothy and her kid (played by Jonathan Lipnicki, aka the kid from Stuart Little, aka the most perfect 90’s movie kid) and the only other person who will support him, his client Rod Tidwell, played in a very fun way by Cuba Gooding Jr..

This movie is quite iconic, as far as I know, and rated R for some reason, which I don’t really get. I mean there’s some semi-explicitness in there, and some language, but still, come on. Compared to the amount of violence that still has a PG-13 rating today this is downright innocent. Most importantly however there’s a ton of quotable lines, ‘Show me the money’ and all that jazz. In a way I get why it was popular, it’s very 90’s, and in the end it’s not a bad film. I don’t know if it still resonates with today’s audiences, those who grew up without the exuberance or cheese of the movies from that time, but in general, it’s not a bad piece of filmmaking.

Verdict: I’d recommend it, but without excessive expectations.

20. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

As far as artsy movies go, this one was bearable to me, although it was extremely slow and long, owing to a huge number of still reaction shots and long tracking shots, not to mention conversations where people take their sweet ass time to get to the point. The story follows Dr. Harford as he goes on a nightly escapade through town, after being blindsided by the fact that yes, women, even married ones, even his wife, have in fact sexual urges extending beyond the church-approved breeding they’ve been reduced to over centuries. Which is to say that after a party and getting high together the doctor’s wife tells him that she’s had fantasies about cheating on him with a naval officer, and this sends the good doctor into a tailspin, running around town trying to hire prostitutes and crashing extravagant sex parties.

I suppose there are a lot of themes that can be extrapolated from this movie and discussed, about different kinds of female sexuality, about class and societal norms and ways of breaking them; about the title itself, how we choose to turn our eyes away from difficult situations, by keeping them “wide shut”; but as a movie experience, this didn’t really get me. The music did the brunt of the work, being all eerie and creepy, which was done well. I liked the way the set pieces were designed, the parties, the town at night, the way the light was played with, and so on. I’ve read opinions that this isn’t a classic Kubrick film in the way it was executed and the way it looks, but I wouldn’t know. Neither does anyone else really, since the director unfortunately passed a few days after finishing his final cut, which was then altered in some ways before the initial release.

Verdict: I don’t need to see it again, but I suppose it was cinematographically significant for a reason.

21. Magnolia (1999)

1999 saw another hugely long movie with Tom Cruise in it, this time an ensemble piece. It’s always difficult with those to tell exactly what the story is, at least the overarching one, because there are so many different intertwined plotlines. They’re all connected in a way, but in order to know what’s happening you really need to see every storyline for itself. Nevertheless, I’ll try to do my best. The overall theme of this particular ensemble movie is happenstance and forgiveness, or trying for forgiveness anyway, and there’s an inept cop who falls in love with a drug addict suspect; a game show host who has an unexpected dark past and drinks and hates his life; there’s the trophy wife of an old guy who only when he’s dying realizes she loves him; the nurse taking care of said old guy, trying to get in touch with his patient’s estranged son; said son who’s a red-pill, pickup-artist, misogynistic creep with daddy issues; a kid taking part in the aforementioned game show who has too much pressure on him to excel; that sort of thing.

For me the breakout performances were John C. Reilly as the inept cop, Philip Seymour Hoffman as the kindhearted nurse, and well, Cruise, as the absolutely batshit crazy, creepy pickup guru, whom he was surprisingly apt at portraying. The performances were good and the throughline well done and all, but this movie was just sort of depressing. There wasn’t any part of the ensemble I looked forward to seeing again and the music seemed incongruently chipper to me at times. There were many heartbreaking twists and turns and I guess life really do be like that sometimes but man, I don’t think I need to see it portrayed that way.

Spoiler:

I was okay with this movie, even though it was excessively long in my view, but then there came frogs falling down from heaven at the end, and that just killed it for me. Holy fuck was that ridiculous. It was shot and acted well, all the reactions and the slow build-up to this sudden nonsense, but goddamnit. Very weird and unsatisfactory ending.

Verdict: A miss for me, even though I actually like ensemble storytelling.

22. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

Many seem to dislike the second installment of this franchise, due to its conspicuous ‘John-Woo-ness’, apparently, but I actually liked this movie. This time the McGuffin’s a very potent bioweapon, Chimera, and there’s another agent gone rogue, Sean Ambrose, this time with a very endearing Scottish accent. Ethan needs to recruit a thief, who’s Ambrose’s former lover, in order to foil the villain’s plan. There’s tons of stunts and cheesy visuals, but hey – it was the 2000’s after all.

There were some set pieces that I liked, like Ethan free soloing rocks in Utah in the beginning, which is very plausibly something that Ethan Hunt would do for recreation. Then, the recruitment of the thief, Nyah, in the form of a very elegant heist scene. I also like the rock version of the intro, which many apparently also hated, performed by Limp Bizkit. Overall, yeah, there’s some dramatic cheese in this, shooting guns two-handed against an explosion with a dove flying through the flames, but it’s definitely not as bad as people say. Also, it’s totally different from the first movie, something entirely else, and I happen to appreciate that.

Spoiler:

One dialogue exchange I especially liked, for how tense and dramatic it was: “Would it make you feel better if I didn’t want you to do this?” – “Yeah, much better.” – “Then feel better!” Ah, so nice.

Verdict: There may be a lot of cheese in this, but I still recommend it.

23. Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)

Never being much of a Stanley stan I still watched this documentary with an open mind and I can say, it was very interesting. Cruise narrated it and also obviously talked about Eyes Wide Shut, and overall it was a very nice tribute to Kubrick’s career and each of his pieces of work individually, with a bit of his personal background peppered in. He was a fascinating character and I have to say, having his work laid out this way, with some of the behind the scenes, it actually made me want to watch his movies. The documentary itself was also well-executed and I can’t say it was a waste of time.

Verdict: A must for Stanley fans but interesting even if you’re not.

24. Vanilla Sky (2001)

This was another one of those where I had to read the Wiki page after, even though the basic plot was expositioned at the end of the movie, and yet even that didn’t really help. So basically there’s a guy who due to some unfortunate circumstances ends up disfigured and alone, and hires a futuristic cryo-company to freeze him, until future tech can save his face, literally. While he’s suspended he’s induced into a lucid dream, where he lives a wonderful life with a pretty girl. Something glitches however and his dream turns into a nightmare, which is how he finds out that he’s in it in the first place.

Pretty straightforward, isn’t it? Well, if only the movie itself could be more like that. As it is, it’s a messy discombobulation of events, dreams and real life, intertwined with psychological sessions and Tom Cruise in an unsettling white mask. There’s weird dialogue, it’s hard to follow what’s what and honestly, I was really looking forward to this film being over. Cameron Diaz played a very convincing psycho, I’ll give her that, but besides that there weren’t really any engaging characters or interesting things happening. Maybe it’s not my type of movie, or maybe it is just really bad.

Verdict: I don’t recommend this, I don’t even have a smart line for why not.

25.  Space Station 3D (2002)

Another documentary, the second one Cruise has narrated so far. I’m not a big fan of space, space exploration or the inner workings of the International Space Station, but hey, this was pretty cool, short and sweet, and informative. The shots from space must’ve looked awesome in IMAX 3D, which the movie was intended for, not for a smartphone screen on a train. The only thing that irked me was the weirdly cheap porn/elevator music that played at times, but other than that, pretty okay.

Verdict: If you’re interested in space or the ISS, it’s worth a watch.

26. Minority Report (2002)

I remember when I first watched this movie many years ago, I was pretty blown away. The twists and turns and dramatic (albeit somewhat convoluted sometimes) tension is really something to behold. In this world we’re entering there’s a police program called ‘PreCrime’, at the center of which are three clairvoyant humans, called Precogs, who can tell future crimes. Based on this information people get arrested before they can commit murder – which sounds great at face value but brings some severe consequences with it, especially when the next name they call is that of PreCrime commanding officer, John Anderton. He, of course, intends not to kill anyone nor to get punished for it, and he needs to find a way to break free.

This movie touches on a lot of subjects, sometimes in a more direct way, through philosophical dialogue, sometimes more subtly, for example by showing a caricaturally extreme version of capitalism. There’s discussions about determinism and free will, about what it means to be human, about addiction and survival against the system. It’s shot and acted in an expert way and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. The second time around I didn’t find it as spectacular anymore however, also because some of the effects haven’t aged so well, like the interesting, albeit now sort of comical version of blob-shaped cars speeding on highway-conveyor belts. Still, it’s a very nice blend of action and brain teaser, with some drama on the side.

Verdict: Definitely recommended, a good performance all around.

27. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)

I hate the fact that I can’t just watch a sequel of something, I need to watch the whole thing first. And for a 3-minute Tom Cruise cameo in the third part of the Austin Powers franchise I had to suffer through Austin Powers one and two, and then I watched the third part as well.

But it was suffering indeed. The movies are painfully unfunny and the only good thing about them is that they have the mercy to be relatively short. The plots are quite simple, it’s stereotyped spy-shit, Austin Powers is the dick-swinging superspy, the villain is called Dr. Evil, there’s shenanigans and that’s basically it. The only things that made me smile slightly was the Jerry Springer segment in the second part, where the movie explored again the relationship between Dr. Evil and his son Scott, and the fact that Dr. Evil quotes Jerry Maguire’s “Show me the money!”, since they feature Tom Cruise later. Well, and the fact that Austin’s handler at the CIA is called Basil Exposition and is played by Professor Asher Fleming from Gilmore Girls. Other than that it’s just endless unfunny sex jokes, from penis-shaped chest hair to shadows appearing like penises, and of course the odd fecal joke mixed in there, for good measure I assume. Surprisingly there’s no explicit language, but loads of fourth-wall-breaking, inexplicable dance breaks and 60’s sound stage transitions, so make of that what you will.

What the franchise manages to do well however is the soundtrack, which is surprisingly cool, and very nice costume and set design. The characters are all very vibrant and well-crafted, very distinct and with their own character; the sets look fun and colorful and are well-designed, which is why I suppose they still hold up after 20 years. Tom Cruise’s cameo is inconsequential and really not worth watching all three movies for, but nevermind. Inexplicably Beyoncé plays a main character in the third part of the franchise, which seems like something decidedly beneath her, especially because the third installment is the worst plot-wise. All of which is to say that I was very happy when this filmographic and pop cultural excursion was finally over.

Verdict: I like crude jokes and I still hated this franchise. Spare yourself the cringe.

28. The Last Samurai (2003)

Here is an epic truly deserving of that title – a breathtaking, albeit heavily romanticized tale of old Japan and warriors and honor. We follow Nathan Algren, a disgruntled, PTSD-ridden Captain who tries to drown his guilty conscience from taking part in the American Indian Wars in whiskey. He gets picked up by his former commander and gets presented to Omura, a politician and businessman, who wants the Imperial Japanese Army trained, in order to defeat the rebellious samurai Katsumoto and his supporters. Algren agrees, they go to Japan and train, however in a fight with their supposed enemies he gets captured. Due to his strong will and perseverance he gets spared and lives the life of a guest in Katsumoto’s village, where he trains and fights and finds enlightenment, and most importantly, some peace.

There’s definitely a lot that can be said about this movie, that it glorifies samurai even though they weren’t necessarily the valiant knights the West would like to believe them to be, and of course the white savior complex of the main protagonist, because only when the colonizer decides to step in do the oppressed have a chance at an even fight. Those are fair criticisms, but I’d like to focus on the positives, because there are many of those, too.

Firstly, this movie is beautifully shot. It still definitely holds up after 20 years, most of it was done practically and you can simply tell. Not to mention Cruise’s stellar performance, not only acting-wise but also in terms of the physical aspect of it, how he trained endlessly to be able to handle the swords decently. But he’s not alone, because all the performances are great, and I very much appreciated that they had the Japanese characters actually speak Japanese with each other. Then the story is simply nicely told, very well-made, clear-structured with plenty of heavy drama and Big Decisions. A bit of fun, too, and epic pathos. I also like that they kept in a multitude of slurs and ignorance, because even though it’s uncomfortable to hear, it was part of the times, it sets up the characters, the period and the transformation later, and it simply is something one has to be able to deal with.

Then, the most important thing for me and what I like the most about this movie is how it is a perfect lesson in intercultural communication. It shows this ignorant ass who thinks he’s the one with all the answers, and that his captors are simply savages. I know, sounds very Colors of the Wind, but the way it’s executed is simply beautiful. The subtle changes, the way Algren notices that he’s supposed to take his shoes off inside, how he gradually learns the customs and gets interested in them, his conversations with Katsumoto – it shows beautifully the role of empathy and listening in the process of getting to know other cultures.

Spoiler:

And there are great quotes, too, similarly rich in pathos as the movie itself: “I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.” Ah, beautiful.

Verdict: I recommend this movie, for its fights, its epicness, and the dramatic glory of it all.

29. Collateral (2004)

A word I like, and the movie’s pretty good, too. We follow LA cab driver Max on his night shift, which is rather uneventful, until he picks up Vincent – a silver fox, seemingly business man, with an intensely detached demeanor. On the first stop it turns out however that Vincent is in fact something quite unexpected – a hitman on a killing spree. From then on Max becomes a hostage and is pulled along through the events of the night, forced to pretty much reevaluate everything he knows about life, the world and himself.

This is a magnificent neo-noir action thriller, interestingly shot and well-acted, and especially the character of Vincent is simply outstanding. Cruise plays silver fox really well and you’d think a guy with silver hair in a silver suit would pull more focus, but his cold, stealthy behavior really makes him blend in (which Cruise also trained for, by pretending to be a UPS driver). Apparently Cruise studied lions for his role as Lestat, in order to translate their menacing movements to vampires, and it comes through here as well, along with all of his military and spy training, because Vincent is simply ferocious. His relationship with Max is also interesting – obviously he’s the antagonist, but he helps Max out as well, forces him to come out of his shell and make some decisions to improve his life. Another part of it is that Vincent doesn’t necessarily think of himself as a bad person. There’s no reason why he’s killing, he just is what he is, neither good nor bad, just doing a job. This is a major theme in the movie in general, how things just happen sometimes – and how we can sort of end up as collateral in other people’s stories. Come to think of it, Vincent is sort of like an American, neo-noir Witcher – and that dude had silver hair, too.

Verdict: Definitely recommended, very well-made and engaging.

30. War of the Worlds (2005)

Boy, do I fucking hate The War of the Worlds, as in, the universe of the story; it does absolutely nothing for me, I know it’s premium old-timey sci-fi, but goddamn. This movie however, is actually pretty good. The story is a bit reimagined from the source material and entirely removed from Orson Welles’ interpretation, and it’s moved to the States and focuses on dockworker Ray and his family, as they try to survive the titular war. It’s being brought on by an attempted strike on Earth by aliens, moving around in their tripods, the famous, giant, jellyfish-like machines.

Spielberg did well with this story, as much as I may not like it, and he got rid of the whole radio aspect of it all. It’s just the story of the actual alien invasion, and how the population of the East Coast deals with it. Ray, portrayed by Cruise, is an estranged father who has to take care of his kids when the storm breaks out, and he tries to get them to safety. The movie is pretty long and it’s not like I was dying to see it, but what it did right, as opposed to the new Godzilla (2014), for example, which is a similar type of supernatural action movie, is that in War the actual plot matters. The family dynamics and conflicts are the most interesting parts, and even though the updated CGI design of the tripods looks pretty cool for its time (they seem sorta rubbery at times though), the main engaging factor of the story is the survival of the family and the emotional stakes of their troubles, not computer-generated monsters fighting. Apart from that the directorial choices were pretty good and especially the play with light in the darker scenes, that was some good filmmaking.

Spoiler:

I wasn’t really into the whole thing, being a bit biased and also because some scenes sorta dragged, but then came the basement murder scene. And man, was it worth it to watch this movie just for this scene alone. There’s an incredibly hard choice – there’s the crazy Ogilvy (played by Andy Dufresne from Shawshank), who provides shelter for Ray and his daughter Rachel, but the two men can’t agree on what to do with their situation. And after Ogilvy witnesses the tripods harvesting a human for its blood, he goes nuts, screaming, which might attract the aliens surrounding the house. Now Ray has a choice – trying to calm Ogilvy down doesn’t work, so he either has to let him continue shouting, which could kill him and his daughter, or he can make Ogilvy stop. And he does. But nothing’s shown, it all happens wordlessy and in the viewer’s mind – there’s the terrified daughter, with cloth tied around her eyes so she won’t see, Ray standing in the door, Ogilvy looking back in terror and knowing what it means, then the door shuts, and that’s basically it. And boy was that well done.

Verdict: A blockbuster action thriller, pretty well made, not my jam, but it’s okay to watch.

31. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Here we go with the next installment of the M:I franchise. Right off the bat this part is missing a cool opening sequence, opting for a more tried-and-true, though ultimately lazy, dramatic foreshadowing clip of the later action, which is entirely redundant and forgettable. But still, it’s Mission: Impossible, it’s cool stunts and Ethan Hunt being a badass, so I won’t complain. This time our McGuffin is the Rabbit’s Foot, and we don’t even ever get to know what it is. Which is fine I guess, but sorta sucks in terms of raising the stakes. They are put into something else this time, because Ethan has actually resigned from field work – instead choosing to train new recruits. He’s settling down with his fiancée Julia, and that of course, brings some trouble with it.

I think this is my least favorite, or simply the least memorable for me, part of the series, though there are of course some cool set pieces. The bridge stunt, for example, when Ethan goes flying sideways into a car, that was done well. And of course the incredible foot chase towards the end of the movie, where most of it was one continuous shot. Boy, can Tom Cruise run. And in pretty locations, too. What I also like about this installment is that it introduces Benji, although only as a desk jockey for now. Still, there were some choices that could’ve been reconsidered – Mission: Impossible really didn’t need a fourth wall break, especially not in the form of the cheesy line “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall”… while Ethan is on a wall. But still, the physicality of this thing is incredible, and, I mean, we’re over ten years further in Cruise’s film career since I mentioned it first, but he was 44 when he made M:I 3, and boy howdy, he does not look it. Actually, around that time, for me he was in his prime, at least in terms of looks.

Verdict: It’s Mission, so I’ll recommend it. It’s got Philip Seymour Hoffman, and that’s cool, but overall, not my favorite part of the franchise.

32. Lions for Lambs (2007)

This is less of a movie and more a collection of conversations, and it follows three narratives: two young students enlisting in the Army and fighting in Afghanistan, a professor debating a talented, privileged and jaded student, and a Republican senator giving an interview to a liberal journalist, wanting to sell a new military strategy. All three plotlines circle around the fight in Afghanistan but from various perspectives, and honestly, it feels more like two podcasts with battle scenes peppered in. The writer of the script wanted to make this story a play first, and it definitely shows.

Talking heads are rarely interesting, especially when it comes to dealing with such complex topics, so as a movie this falls flat, despite the star-studded cast. What I did like about it however, and looked at with awe, was Tom Cruise’s acting talent. He didn’t do much in this film – there wasn’t much to do to be honest – and yet still, he inhabited that role as if life depended on it. He plays a perfect charismatic Senator and everything he does just screams sleazy politician – from the way he dresses, to the way he walks, swivels coffee in his mouth, folds his jacket, snarkily remarks, intensely stares, always smiles without it reaching his eyes, and even when he scoffs. To me, that’s incredible.

Verdict: There are some interesting points in this, but as a movie, it’s pretty dull. I wouldn’t watch it again.

33. Tropic Thunder (2008)

A cult classic, and a damn funny movie. Right from the hilarious parodies of movie trailers at the beginning, up to crazy, crude comedy, and of course, Cruise’s breakout comedy role as Les Grossman. The film follows a film crew trying to make an adaptation of an account of a Vietnam veteran, only everything goes to shit. Hilarity ensues, and the colorful (literally) cast of characters land joke after joke, making a perfect parody of Hollywood, with all its idiosyncrasies.

The film is incredibly rude and vulgar, and you absolutely have to watch the extended cut. Cruise as Grossman is one thing, but the real hero of the whole story is Robert Downey Jr. portraying a parody of an overzealous method actor, Kirk Lazarus, who’s Australian, but plays African American Staff Sergeant Osiris in the picture they’re making within the movie. Man, Tropic Thunder is so ridiculous, and there’s plenty of overacting and absolutely batshit crazy shenanigans, but it’s so funny. Not only that, it also offers quite poignant criticisms of the film industry, and what better way to serve that, than in an actually pretty intelligent and well-made satirical action comedy.

Verdict: Fuck yeah, watch it!

34. Valkyrie (2008)

I may not be a big history buff, especially concerning the times depicted in this movie, but this was one hell of a story. Based on real events this film follows the 20 July plot in 1944 to kill Hitler, by rewriting Operation Valkyrie, a national emergency plan, and using it to overtake the government. The movie is intense and tragic, and I’m happy it taught me about a piece of history that I was previously unaware of.

First off, from a design perspective, this movie is pretty good. The set in Tunisia in the beginning, the fighter jets, how dusty it all looks – very nice. And then all the sets in Germany, the recreation of the uniforms and the buildings, as distressing as it is to see an abundance of swastikas, it all added up to a very authentic look. I thought it was odd at first to have all those German officers talking mostly in British accents, but the way they introduced it was quite neat, so I can forgive it; namely, by having Tom Cruise narrate in German for a while (which was surprisingly good, I have to say), and then flowing seamlessly into English. Not to mention, this isn’t a documentary, it’s fiction, so things like that are definitely allowed.

Cruise is incredible in this. He absolutely disappears in Stauffenberg, the main character, and everything from his movement to his facial expression to even his tone of voice makes me suspend my disbelief. With the other officers it’s more difficult – Bill Nighy for example is still Bill Nighy to me, I don’t really buy his character Olbricht, even though I can’t say that his performance was bad in any way. Despite that I got absolutely absorbed by this film and it made me spend hours researching the topic, and that’s a reaction of mine I like, that means the movie was engaging and interesting for me. Which is also how I learned that Stauffenberg’s grandson, who happens to be an actor, played one of the supporting roles, and little trivia like that only makes the whole thing better for me.

Verdict: It’s a tough topic, but I definitely recommend this movie.

35. Knight and Day (2010)

Now this is just pure, unadulterated fun. Here’s an action comedy following Tom Cruise as Roy Miller, a weirdly eccentric but also really adorable secret agent, and Cameron Diaz as June Havens, a car restorer who gets caught in the crossfire of a secret mission, when Roy uses her as a mule for a McGuffin battery called the Zephyr.

There’s nothing I don’t love about this movie. It’s funny and quick-paced, the sets are dynamic and pretty, the story is straightforward without being on the nose, and the acting is simply hilariously superb. There’s intense action and fight scenes, which are really cool, but what really makes this movie great is the humor. It’s Cruise’s dopey facial expressions, Diaz’ incredulous remarks, the non-sequitur physical comedy, the also dopey, albeit in a different way, firefighter Rodney, who has a crush on June, and just general badassery combined with humor and suave hotness. This is the perfect movie for a chill evening to have some laughs, and although it may be considered a classic popcorn movie, I think it provides more than just empty comedy. It’s a really cool flick, and Cruise once again impressed me with his acting prowess, with how the smallest of details can change the way he creates and embodies characters. Simply amazing.

Verdict: Already rewatched it several times, and probably will rewatch it several times more.

36. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

Now this is where the franchise really comes into its own – finally it knows what it wants, and it’s ready to deliver. We get things started with two action sequences before the title scroll: a quick assassination, and a beautifully executed prison break. Then, it’s all the Mission: Impossible-ism dialed up to perfection: McGuffin nuclear launch codes, dramatic tension with secrets and emotional stakes, several incredible action set pieces, a bit of humor, mostly from comic-relief-technician-turned-field-agent Benji Dunn, and Ethan Hunt being a cool badass.

There are so many cool action sequences to choose from in this, but first off about the major ones: the heist at the Kremlin, with an incredible, funny and most importantly, silent action/spying sequence; and, of course, the Burj Khalifa scene – Tom Cruise running and flying around the tallest building in the world is just breathtaking. Then I like some of the smaller set pieces, too: meeting IMF analyst William Brandt in the car, taking him to the train carrier, and the scene where Agent Carter has to seduce a rich Indian guy at his palatial manor in Mumbai. This movie is so fast-paced and varied, with so many different countries and locations on the way, that some might even say the plot gets lost in all of the action-packed haze; but the truth is, and that’s what I like about Mission: Impossible in the first place, is that the story matters just as much as the action, that we see actual development and conflict, and Ghost Protocol is chock-full of both.

Verdict: Definitely a cool, picturesque installment of the franchise, and very much rewatchable.

37. Rock of Ages (2012)

When I started this project I had no idea I would come across a movie like this. I love musicals, even though this is a jukebox musical, which are my least favorite. I really wasn’t sure what to expect, especially because Tom Cruise did not strike me as the singing type. This movie depicts the world of rock ‘n’ roll in LA in the 80’s and we have an aspiring small-town singer Sherrie, a barback, also an aspiring singer, Drew, a snarky studio exec, Paul (played wonderfully by Paul Giamatti), there’s the leader of the Karens, Patricia, and her unfaithful politician husband (played by Walter White), two gay lovebirds – the owner of a club and his assistant, a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners journalist, a strip club owner all about empowerment, and of course, the glam rock megastar Stacee Jaxx, played by Cruise.

I couldn’t believe my eyes the first time I watched it, and I had to continuously laugh, because amidst all the over-the-top, kitschy goofiness, every next scene was just more and more ridiculous. For me personally, in a good way, because I love stuff like that. Especially when it’s made as well as this. The story is kinda bleh, since it’s very formulaic and nothing really new happens (apart from the gay twist maybe), but other than that it’s well-performed, the dialogue is fun, I thought it was hilarious, all the sets and costumes were vibrant and outrageous, and it really felt like all the clichés and stereotypes of the glam rock era were boiled down into handy little condensed characters, but again, in a good way. I liked many of the small choices they made, like substituting beats in the songs with ass slaps or heels clicking against stripping poles, and many of the big choices, like casting Cruise as the hair metal icon Stacee. That was a very intense and unexpected performance, and yet, it was the best and most memorable out of the whole film. Turns out Cruise can sing, too, and his rendition of “Pour Some Sugar On Me” was rightfully praised by critics, not to mention that it’s just fun to listen to. As is the whole soundtrack actually, because they managed to create some really fun mash-ups of classic rock songs, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating if I’ll say I know the score by heart.

Spoiler:

I watched this movie before watching The Firm, and when I finally did I realized that apparently Cruise knew how to work a pole all his life, since he makes use of those skills both in The Firm and Rock, too. Well, go figure.

Verdict: Recommended for musical fans, and for kitsch fans. 

38. Jack Reacher (2012)

What a delightfully fun, cool film. It introduces Jack Reacher, a former Military Police officer, who gets pulled back into the game when someone he knew back in the day shoots up five people. An intense investigation ensues, and it turns out not nothing is as clear-cut as it seems. The tone of the movie is quite grim, with the odd funny or sarcastic line thrown in, and it’s exactly everything I want in an action thriller.

Cruise plays Reacher, the cool, unflappable drifter, who delivers every line with a stone-cold, impassive tone, but man, does he have an abundance of sass. There are so many good lines in this, and the whole performance is great, all the calm, deliberate moves, proving once again that you don’t always need to do much to inhabit a character, that it’s the subtle things that count. There are many fun fight scenes and chases, the odd twisty twist, and all in all, it’s two hours well spent. What impresses me beyond that however is how Christopher McQuarrie directed the whole thing, especially the brilliant, silent opening sequence, and every other tense sequence that wasn’t overshadowed by unnecessary dialogue, exposition or narration. An excellent job.

Verdict: A really good movie, violent and fast, but not too gritty, I’d say just gritty enough.

39. Oblivion (2013)

A nice post-apocalyptic story. Earth gets destroyed, there’s futuristic machinery converting seawater into energy or something, and a bunch of drones flying around. Supposedly all of humanity has been brought to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, and only two people remain – Jack, a technician, and Vika, Jack’s communications partner. Their mission is to stay and service the drones and the futuristic tech due to the nightly attacks of the so-called scavengers – until another survivor is found, and everything, as it tends to do, goes to shit.

This is the type of movie that’s really good to watch in the theater. It’s a big-budget sci-fi adventure and the visuals are simply stunning. The story isn’t too bad, it’s just not very original or memorable, and neither are the characters. Which is fine, because the movie experience as a whole is still pretty good. Cruise really didn’t have to work for this, in that he could really just play himself, since his character is basically just ‘general sci-fi hero’, with a bit of pro-Earth propaganda mixed in. But again, this is more about the look of it anyway, the bleak, grey post-apocalyptic scenery juxtaposed with the white tech of the future, and the lingering wide shots of landscapes, machinery and memories of New York City, to say nothing of the awesome play with light and colors. There’s a bunch of exposition at the front, which, for a two-hour movie maybe could’ve been distributed better, but hey, at least you know what type of movie this is right from the start. I enjoyed it, though it’s not something you necessarily need to watch twice.

Discussion point if you’ve seen it (also, spoiler):

Actually, one interesting question this movie raises is about the self – in a world full of clones, who is the real Jack Harper? Tech-49, who is the main protagonist, produces a baby and sacrifices himself, but Tech-52, his clone, gets to reunite with his wife at the end. But is that still the same person? Obviously not, because the body is different, but the movie seems to suggest that because they have the same memories, they basically are the same person. So what makes a person who they are? Their body, or their memories? If you can transfer memories, is that enough to constitute the same self? Or does it only work with clones, because their bodies look identical, and I assume their internal makeup is the same also? All of that would’ve been interesting to explore, cause in the movie they just sort of gloss over it.

Verdict: I recommend it, especially if you’re into that sort of thing, meaning post-apocalyptic scenarios, some cool fighting and general sci-finess.

40. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

What a cool sci-fi action film. The world is run over by aliens, and it ends up in the hands of media-relations-specialist-turned-Major William Cage to save the world. Along for the ride is Rita Vrataski, who helps Cage figure out how to deal with the invasion, since an attack renders him able to repeat his last day over and over again. And this time loop is really at the centre of this story – and the filmmakers dealt with it really well. They explored so many different implications of this affliction, and how it influences perception and relationships, and it’s truly beautifully done. Not only that, as much as the action and the visuals are great, which they are, the dramatic storytelling and performances of this piece are just as important.

The movie starts off clever right from the get-go, when they manipulate the opening credits to make it seem like a doomsday news broadcast. I love it when they do stuff like that, to immediately immerse yourself in the story. And then we get to know Cage, who appears self-confident, but when he’s forcefully sent into combat it turns out he’s a squirmy coward, and it’s simply refreshing to see Cruise take on such a different role. I mean, Cage turns into a hotshot later, of course, but it’s so nice to see him running scared in the beginning. Overall, this movie is so creative and clever, and even though it deals with violence and global destruction, it’s incredibly fun to watch. Watching it for the first time is an entire experience, but it’s also really pleasant to rewatch it from time to time to figure out new ideas within the movie. This story had a lot of potential, and I think in this case it was used to its full extent.

Verdict: Fun and really good – definitely an all-around sci-fi gem.

41. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Another Mission, and this one is, in my opinion, the best one. Ethan Hunt is at it again, this time chasing the Syndicate, an organization of rogue intelligence officers from all over the world. The powers that be don’t believe that such an organization even exists and pin it on Hunt, which means he not only has to save the world by bringing it down, but also has to prove that it exists in the first place. This installment of the franchise is absolute peak spy action, starting right off the bat with an insanely impressive stunt – Tom Cruise hanging off of an Airbus military transport plane.

And then it just keeps going and going, simply every set piece in this installment is incredible. The assassination at the opera with the dramatic music and the brilliant visuals; the car chase and motorbike cavalry down some stairs in Morocco; and the final build-up to the confrontation with the villain, Solomon Lane, who is incredibly snake-like, which is good, when you’re the villain. The McGuffin in this movie is ‘a Syndicate file’, and this time we even get a damsel in distress – namely Benji. So there’s plenty of drama and fights and bickering, and tough choices, but thankfully the movie also introduces some levity through several comedic elements, like Ethan being over the whole thing and Benji cutting in with his usual comedic relief remarks. But there’s also plenty of physical comedy from the actors, which makes this movie not only an action-packed and visually stunning spy action tour de force, but also just plain hilarious. It also features my favorite team of agents: Hunt, Benji, Luther, of course, Brandt, who serves as a great counterpoint to Ethan and Ilsa Faust, the new addition, who is not only incredibly beautiful but also exceedingly capable, being a badass and spread-eagling around people’s necks and shit. Chris McQuarrie sure knows how to put together a team, and put them to work.

Verdict: My favorite part from the M:I franchise – definitely recommend it!

42. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

The next installment of the Jack Reacher movie, and well, it’s okay enough. This time the drifter gets back into the Army, in order to save an acquaintance of his, Major Susan Turner, out of a frame. She’s charged with espionage – but Reacher means to prove her innocence, and uncover the real truth. Tagging along is Samantha, who claims to be Reacher’s daughter – and so the plot thickens, as they say, and the investigation gets going.

Did the Jack Reacher franchise really need a family conflict? No, but if I’m honest, the way they did it is not half bad. Robin from HIMYM turns out to be a badass Major, and all in all, this is a decent action film, a little heavy on the drama, but again, the drama that’s there is performed reasonably well. There are also some scenes I particularly liked, like the cool, after-the-fight opening sequence, breaking a car window with a salt shaker, running through the National Mall, that sort of thing. But still, this second part doesn’t capture the magic of the first one, not only because of the sort of unnecessary family stuff, but also because it’s just not shot the same way. McQuarrie played more with the scenes the first time around, trying (and succeeding) to make the action sequences new and interesting, whereas here the set pieces are more straightforward. Which isn’t bad per sé, because they’re executed well, it’s just not the same. It’s tough to live up to such a brilliant first installment, and even though the main character is still cool and badass, and I personally like his self-awareness throughout, that beating up goons actually hurts, there’s still something missing.

Verdict: Not as fun as the first one, but still has its moments.

43. The Mummy (2017)

Pretty much nothing worked in this movie except for Tom Cruise, and even he wasn’t able to save it. I have to be honest, I didn’t see the original, and dark monsters like this aren’t my jam in the first place, but still, what could’ve been a cool, gritty reboot of a beloved franchise unfortunately fell prey to lazy, profit-oriented filmmaking, and it’s good that it blew up right in their faces.

The story follows Sergeant Nick Morton, who hunts for Ancient treasures, during which he accidentally unearths the tomb of Egyptian princess Ahmanet. She, in turn, wants to find the perfect host for summoning Set, the god of death. Along for the ride are archeologist Jenny Halsey, the pretty girl of the movie, Morton’s friend Chris Vail as the comic-relief-turned-zombie of the movie, and Dr Jekyll, as the literal Jekyll/Hyde of the movie. Actually, the plot isn’t all that important, because whatever it is, it’s so poorly shown and directed, that you don’t really care. Expositions are repeated multiple times, plot points don’t make sense, motivations aren’t clear, and the whole thing just rides on the star power of Tom Cruise and Hollywood’s presumption (which has been proven true in the past, by the way) that reboots work no matter what you do. Luckily this time it didn’t work. Should’ve focused on writing a better screenplay rather than counting the bills before they hatch, eh? But I also feel a little bit bad, because Cruise, as he does, actually put some work into this. His character is separate from his other ones, it’s dorky and cocky in a charming sort of way, he’s pretty funny, and he worked hard to implement some groundbreaking stunts which, in a better movie, perhaps would’ve made more of an impact (like the Zero-G “Vomit Comet” plane crash stunt). I liked Annabelle, too, who played Jenny, and Sofia Boutella as the Mummy was okay I guess, but overall, it’s a shame that this movie had to bomb in the end.

Verdict: Fun for brainless entertainment, but rightfully slammed by critics and the box office, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.

44. American Made (2017)

A movie not only for aviation enthusiasts. It is inspired by the life of Barry Seal, a commercial-pilot-turned-CIA-contractor-and-drug-smuggler, who stirred some shit up in the Americas in the 80’s. Basically the movie shows how Barry got into the CIA, having been recruited out of a boring, uninspired life as a commercial pilot, and then how, through twists and turns, he ended up working for every party involved in producing and fighting drug crime, all while flying a bunch of planes.

More than an action comedy, as it is advertised, this feels like a big budget independent film. They used different cameras and even different shot styles for various parts of the movie, and there are fun graphics and animations throughout as well. Overall this is a very interesting, fast-paced semi-biopic, dealing with the intricacies of airborne drug smuggling. And how you can just fall from one job into the next – and get damn rich doing it. What I liked was how they highlighted the way drug businesses boost the local economy, both in South America and in the States. Not that boosting the economy with drug money is necessarily good – it’s just an interesting phenomenon. Apart from that the performances were good, I especially like Domhnall Gleeson as the sleazy CIA guy, who, being all kind and Irish, definitely presented a different side of his acting capabilities. And Cruise as Barry Seal of course, the ‘anything goes’ sort of daredevil, and he even got to use a bit of the Southern flair his parents apparently spoke with, which was nice to hear, and he of course got to fly a massive amount of planes.

Verdict: Interesting watch and a cool story, especially if you’re into aviation and/or cartel stories.

45. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Finally, the movie that started it all for me, I guess. I don’t think opening with a dream sequence the way this movie does is all that fresh of an idea, but it makes up for it with the perfect coded file handover just moments later – Ethan dramatically saying ‘I am the storm’ and all that. The McGuffin in this installment is some plutonium/atom bombs, and we get a new character to play with – August Walker, played by Henry Cavill (with an impeccable American accent), who acts as a supervisor from the CIA, to check what Hunt is actually doing. The villains of this story are the Apostles (who are what was left over of the Syndicate) and their main actor, John Lark, and we get to meet Solomon Lane again, too – and I have to admit, I like the fact that they extended the plot from the previous part. It brings something new to the franchise, keeps it evolving and up-to-date. They also bring back other characters, both good and bad; Ilsa is in this, too, and I liked seeing her return very much.

There are obviously some great stunts in this, always pushing it further: the bathroom fight where Henry Cavill reloads his biceps (which the poor sod had to then do in every interview), the entire extraction scene of Solomon Lane, with the ambush alley and an incredibly well-crafted scene of a wave forming inside of a submerged truck, and of course some chases, an awesome motorbike chase through Paris and the exquisite foot chase on London’s rooftops. Other than amazing action we also get some character development, especially from Ethan. He’s not the young, cocky secret agent he was in 1996 anymore – he’s a veteran spy now, still a badass, but more prone to showing his human side. Here he has emotions, gets erratic, has tremendous amounts of sass and is just so over it sometimes, and most importantly, he’s vulnerable. Not only due to Cruise’s infamous stunt accident when he jumped from building to building and broke his ankle – they also built in other scenes where he limps or gets treated for his injuries in some way. They also introduced a new facet of his character – namely, that he can act. So Cruise plays a spy who acts like he’s angry or doesn’t know what’s going on. And I have to admit, I thought that was pretty cool. All in all, definitely a good installment of the series, there’s still places to go with the franchise, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Discussion point if you’ve seen it (also, spoiler):

There’s also an attempt I guess at a moral discussion, when Hunt poses as Lark and discusses the diversion to extract Lane, and there’s a dream/imagination sequence where he sees himself shooting a cop – which he can’t do, apparently, from a moral perspective, and chooses to sabotage the plan instead. Then he shoots a bunch of goons though, and that doesn’t seem to be a problem – which is to say, they tried to talk about the morality of killing people as a spy, but came to a very binary cops – good, goons – bad conclusion, which isn’t really all that introspective or true. Not that I expect some deep philosophy from a spy action film, and I commend them for trying to go there in the first place, and it truly is a moral dilemma for Ethan – but I don’t know, it’s not like they really said anything with it in the end. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but perhaps M:I doesn’t need to qualify its choices and values this way.

Verdict: A very well-made installment of the franchise, the gift that keeps on giving, and a recommendation from me.

---

And that’s basically it. Since I have my spreadsheet open for writing this article anyway, let’s look at some numbers, shall we? Then I’ll move on to some general conclusions about the project and the movies as a whole, and give my top three best and worst picks.

So, some aspects that I looked at while keeping track of my Tom Cruise watchlist were directors, what the movies were based on, runtime and my recommendation quota. Six out of the 38 directors who worked with Tom Cruise were repeats, with Christopher McQuarrie coming in first place – he directed three out of the 45 movies, but actually the two worked on 9 movies together, McQ acting not only as director, but also writer and producer (sometimes uncredited even). Surprisingly to me not only directors came back, but also many actors – at some point it even seemed like Cruise specifically recruited actors for Mission by playing with them in other movies first, like Thandiwe Newton from Interview or Alec Baldwin from Rock of Ages. But there are many other reappearing faces, like Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, of course, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cameron Diaz, but also Hotchner from Criminal Minds, to mention a few. I don’t know if this is a common occurrence in Hollywood, so I might be writing out of my ass here, but I still thought it was interesting to observe.

In terms of story origins, over ⅓ of the movies Tom Cruise has starred in were original screenplays (including All the Right Moves, Rain Man and The Last Samurai). The rest were adaptations of various things, mostly books (just shy of 25% of the movies, including Taps, The Color of Money and Jack Reacher) and then a TV show (Mission: Impossible), some real people and events (including Born on the Fourth of July, Valkyrie and American Made), two novellas (Eyes Wide Shut and Minority Report), an adaptation from another language (Vanilla Sky) and a reboot (The Mummy).

Where runtime is concerned, over half of the movies were longer than 2 hours, though most of the other half came close to those 2 hours anyway. Many also came close to 3 hours, though only one broke that magical number – Magnolia, with a runtime of 3 hours and 9 minutes, making it the longest movie out of the entire Tom Cruise catalogue. The shortest one was Space Station 3D, with a runtime of 47 minutes, but that’s a documentary. In terms of feature films, the shortest one was Lions for Lambs with a runtime of 1 hour and 32 minutes.

In terms of recommendations, I recommended way over half of the filmography – 31 out of 45, to be exact, which constitute almost 70% of all the reviewed titles. That’s not a bad score, and the catalogue as a whole actually was cool and pleasant to work through.

Surprisingly enough, as unplanned projects go, this was pretty cool all around. It started back in February, and at that time it was just me watching all of Mission: Impossible. Then I don’t even know how the idea progressed from there, to watch all Tom Cruise movies; I just got obsessed, like I do, as I wrote in the intro. I created the spreadsheet to make things easier and that expanded gradually, too, with me adding more and more variables to the mix. As I looked through the list I noticed there were many movies that were already on my bucket list – so then I just sort of decided to do it. I informed my friends and family of my progress, though they got over it pretty quickly, and now when I wear my own aviator shades they can’t help but poke fun – but I don’t regret it. I learned a lot of interesting things and I have to say, completing this marathon felt pretty good, too, as was reaching the end of this article (the actual review part anyway).

When I look at Cruise’s filmography as a whole I have to say, it took a while to get there for him (though not nearly as long as with some other actors) but he really did hit his stride after Top Gun and most of the movies after that were really good. As I’ve mentioned before he seems to have preposterous amounts of drive when it comes to making movies, he throws all of himself into every project, and you can tell. He’s not a trained actor and yet he does remarkably well.

Though his acting style, or focus, has changed, and surprisingly the older he got the less serious roles he played – after about Valkyrie it’s almost all action movies, and even Valkyrie had plenty of stunts for a war film. I don’t know if that’s preference or a way to be less vulnerable – there’s hardly anything meaningfully disagreeable you can say about action heroes like the ones he plays now – or perhaps it’s the fallout of his bad publicity, but either way, for me personally it’s a shame that he hasn’t done more dramatic roles later in life – nor strictly comedic ones, to be fair. Maybe that’ll come once his body really gives out, and he just squeezes in every stunt now that he’s able to do still – that remains to be seen. Because as far as his acting prowess goes, he really knows his stuff. Most dramatic roles, both under- and overstated, were surprisingly good, and he proved he could do comedy as well, with Tropic Thunder and Rock of Ages (not to mention that he can sing, too). 

It seems to me that the most praise he gets is, apart from his dedication, for the fact that he does all of his own stunts. And here again I have to agree. His physicality, something that he’s acquired early and kept up his entire life, is really admirable in my book. Of course it’s easy to say that he gets paid for it and he has personal trainers and whatnot – but the truth is he’s always been this way, it was that very physicality and intensity which drove forward his career in the first place, and though it may be a hindrance in a way, especially in dramatic roles (because there aren’t that many people with a physique like that in real life), it’s also a testament to his dedication.

Putting all that aside, there was one other interesting thing about Tom Cruise that I got to know over the course of watching endless hours of interviews with him – he really is a fan of movies, first and foremost. It’s refreshing and endearing to hear him talk about Old Hollywood and Wild West classics, for him to be up to date with new releases, and to have him force his stunt crews to watch Singin’ in the Rain (1952) in order for them to understand how physical stunts impact story development. In that aspect he seems to me like a pure-hearted geek who just really loves movies, and I think that’s a brilliant foundation and motivation for being an actor, so in that regard, all the more power to him, and well done.

When it comes to movies that I really love, I of course can’t finish this article without picking my top 3 best and worst movies out of the catalogue. Interestingly enough all 6 titles that I’ll mention are from Cruise’s earlier years – almost as if putting yourself out there as an actor garnered more of a reaction than essentially being a chiseled action figure (which I like too, don’t get me wrong). Either way, I’ll start with the worst and work my way to the top from there.

In third place of the worst Tom Cruise movies for me is Risky Business. Maybe it was a matter of me not getting it, but watching this movie was painful and awkward and I really wanted it to end sooner. I didn’t like the main character being a wuss, nor his partner, the dispassionate sex worker, nor indeed the problematic implications which the movie used as punchlines.

In second place is Endless Love, for most of the same reasons as Risky, the only difference being that here Tom Cruise had only the most minor of parts. Perhaps I shouldn’t even consider this an entry on this list; but hey, he acted in it, so I’m reviewing it. As a movie this was terrible, as a story this was terrible, and the messages in it were even more terrible.

What takes the cake however (and I’m thinking that cake at your Auntie’s that no one ever wants but forces you to eat to be polite) is fucking Legend. Holy smokes, was that awful. If Risky was painful to sit through, Legend was downright torture. I wouldn’t be surprised if Tom himself hated this movie, because not only does it show him in a less than favorable light acting-wise, it’s also really cringey and stupid as a whole.

That’d be that for the worst, now let’s go over to the best of the bunch. Surprisingly enough, all military movies for some reason. Perhaps all that bootcamp and spy training paid off in the end, and none of the push-ups went to waste.

In third place, Taps. I was incredibly surprised by how much I liked this one, never having heard of it before. The premise is simple and impeccably executed, the cast is brilliant, everything in this movie just works. It’s very military-heavy, so not to everyone’s taste, but I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen. And for it to only be Cruise’s second movie, his first actual bigger role, he was already showing plenty of talent and drive.

The runner-up: Top Gun. This is part nostalgia, part it actually being a good movie, but there’s hardly anything not to like. I love 80’s movies, action movies, military movies – and this is all three combined. It’s fast-paced and upbeat, while managing to pull at your heartstrings at times – and everyone looks good and cool and every next line spoken by basically anyone is just pure gold. All in all, simply magnificent, and a great pleasure to rewatch again and again.

And finally, the cake-taker (and this time we’re talkin’ peanut butter cheesecake from the fancy place uptown) – A Few Good Men. I’d heard about this movie but never felt too interested in watching it, and good that I didn’t; I feel like I might not have been able to appreciate it before. But now, I was simply blown away. It’s been a long time since a movie has been able to get me hooked like this, and I’m so happy I’ve discovered it. The story is incredibly well-written and there are only outstanding performances – I can’t get over the fact that this movie exists, and I’ll recommend it to anyone, regardless of the fact that it’s a Tom Cruise movie. It’s a fantastic movie all on its own, and it serves drama and plot twists and genius acting, and the court martial of a lifetime.

Okay, now that’s really it. I don’t know if I’ll ever do this again with another actor; but I have to admit, it was fun while it lasted. Finishing this project sort of feels like closing a really good book – I’m not entirely sure where to go from here, or what to focus on next. Tom Cruise’s movies have been in the background of my life for more than half a year, and it’s going to take a while to move on from that – but I can confidently say that it was absolutely worth it.