To try and sum up even just a decade ofTom Cruiseand his work within a paragraph or so is near-impossible. He got his start in the1980s, was a star by that decade’s end, continued to dominate throughout the1990s, and then was similarly an icon in the2000s… but, yeah, there weresome controversies and alarming thingsthat happened in Cruise-ville around that time. There was Scientology, separations, couch-jumping, you name it.
But what stands out now, in hindsight, is a collection of movies that are largely quite good (with a couple of misses), and an overall admirable amount of variety. The 2010s and beyond saw Tom Cruise evolve again into a larger-than-life action star with a penchant forperforming his own stunts, butin the 2000s, he was still genre-hopping and trying to prove himself in as many different kinds of films as possible. As the following ranking hopefully shows, he largely succeeded (the only film left off here isAustin Powers in Goldmember, since he was only in that one as a cameo role, playing himself playing Austin Powers).
10’Lions for Lambs' (2007)
Directed by Robert Redford
There’s no easy way to say it:Lions for Lambsis just a bit boring, confusing, and overall is not very good. So, it’s sort of about three different things going on at once,all of them revolving around the war on terror and its broader implications. It amounts to people talking in offices, debating in classrooms, and engaging in combat in Afghanistan, all for about 90 minutes.
And it’s just a slog to get through,despite beingdirected by Robert Redford, and also starringthe guy alongside Meryl Streepand, of course, Tom Cruise. It’s not lacking in star power or ideas, but it’s the way it misuses its lead actors and weakly dances around interesting issues that ensuresLions for Lambsis forgettable at best, and honestly a little bad at worst. It’s understandable why pretty much no one recalls the existence of this one.
Lions for Lambs
9’Mission: Impossible II' (2000)
Directed by John Woo
WhileMission: Impossible IIis indeed the least compelling of theMission: Impossiblemovies to date, it’s hard to hate it entirely, even with it being less-than-great.John Woo has done much betteras a director, and all theMission: Impossiblemovies that followed were improvements, but if you want ridiculous and over-the-top action, and Tom Cruise at the center of it all, then there is some fun to be had here.
As usual,Ethan Hunt gets wrapped up in a series of escalating situations where the fate of the world might well lie in his hands, as it so often does.Mission: Impossible IIis a bit too messy for its own good, but some of the dopey action set pieces do ultimately satisfy, and it’s also old enough to feel oddly endearing, at least if you’re someone who’s already nostalgic for the early 2000s.
Mission: Impossible 2
IMF agent Ethan Hunt is sent to Sydney to find and destroy a genetically modified disease called “Chimera”.
8’Valkyrie' (2008)
Directed by Bryan Singer
ToValkyrie’s credit, it at least has an attention-grabbing and easy-to-outline premise. It is a fictionalized retelling of an actual assassination attempt on the life ofAdolf Hitler, madetoward the end of World War II, with Tom Cruise playingColonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who is a central member of the Resistance and, ultimately,the man who becomes responsible for trying to kill Hitler.
As it’s based on a true story, and involves perhaps the most infamous individual of the 20th century,the outcome ofValkyrieis inevitable, but there’s still a good deal of suspense milked here, and it’san overall admirably tense war movie. Of course, you just have to get used to the fact that a bunch of characters who wouldn’t be speaking English are played by American and/or English actors, but that’s just what has to be done sometimes (even for a film as good asSchindler’s List, for example).
7’Vanilla Sky' (2001)
Directed by Cameron Crowe
Vanilla Skyisa bit of a weird film, but by design. It’s all about the subconscious, and it’s more than willing to be ambiguous about what’s actually happening, and what might well be a dream.Tom Cruise’s character, David, has to deal with all that uncertainty, and so will any viewer who sits down to watchVanilla Sky… particularly if you haven’t already seenOpen Your Eyes, which was the 1997 Spanish film thatVanilla Skyserved as a remake of.
That one’s a bit better, butVanilla Skyis still a good deal stronger than most U.S. remakes of foreign movies. Also, maybe it helps thatPenélope Cruzstars in both. Anyway,Vanilla Skyis cool; there’s something to it that’s hard to describe, and it would make for an oddly good double feature with 1999’sEyes Wide Shut, which also starred Tom Cruise. As for the plot ofVanilla Sky… huh? Plot? How? Where? When? Doesn’t matter. Dreams, man.
Vanilla Sky
6’War of the Worlds' (2005)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
WhileWar of the Worldsis an alien invasion movie, the way so much of it’s shot (and the overall way it feels)makes it something of a disaster film, too. Cruise stars here asa divorced father trying to look after his two kids, and then showcases how he has to fight to protect themwhen Earth is suddenly attacked by extra-terrestrial forces, upending the father’s already difficult life in an obviously big way.
…It’s to Tom Cruise’s credit that he can still make an impression here as an actor, even with all the flashy technical stuff and special effects whizzing around him.
The filmmaking here probably stands out most of all, but it’s to Tom Cruise’s credit that he can still make an impression here as an actor, even with all the flashy technical stuff and special effects whizzing around him.War of the Worldsis not perfect, by any means, butit is admirably harrowing and quite dark for something that might otherwise look like a summer blockbuster, and parts of it hold up surprisingly well two decades later.
War of The Worlds
In a gripping adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic novel, Earth faces an unprecedented threat when extraterrestrial tripods descend to wreak havoc, leading to humanity’s desperate fight for survival. The story follows a divorced father striving to protect his children amidst the chaos.
5’Mission: Impossible III' (2006)
Directed by J. J. Abrams
Though theMission: Impossibleseries peaked in the 2010s, it still delivered some good entries outside said decade, as can be seen byMission: Impossible III, for one. This is a good deal better than the second movie, andput the series as a whole on the right course; a building block that led to an even better fourth movie (Ghost Protocol) and then theChristopher McQuarriemovies that followed.
As forMission: Impossible IIIspecifically, this one featured a notably great villain (played by Philip Seymour Hoffman) and some more personal stakes for Ethan Hunt, given so much of the film revolves around him trying to save his fiancée.It’s a compelling spy/thriller film, benefiting from a decent amount of well-executed action, too. It does most things right, and only suffers a little in comparison to the absolute bestMission: Impossiblemovies… you know,the ones that do absolutely everything right.
Mission: Impossible III
IMF agent Ethan Hunt comes into conflict with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer who threatens his life and his fiancée in response.
4’Collateral' (2004)
Directed by Michael Mann
InCollateral,Tom Cruise plays a villain, and that’s kind of a big deal, since he doesn’t do that so often. His character here is a man named Vincent who ends up beinga hitman, one who gets a taxi driver named Max to drive him from location to location. This is all so he can pull off a series of hits within one tense evening.
WhileCollateralis technically an action movie,much of it’s also focused on being suspenseful and thrilling, rather than outright action-packed. It’s something thatMichael Manncan seemingly do with his eyes closed. It’s in his wheelhouse, so to speak, meaning that the real revelation here is Tom Cruise, and how effectively cold he is in perhaps his most ruthless and intimidating performance to date.
Collateral
3’The Last Samurai' (2003)
Directed by Edward Zwick
If you want to check out some ofthe best samurai movies of all time, you’re best sticking to those made in Japan. But, to its credit,The Last Samuraidoes satisfy as an action-packed epic,features a compelling Tom Cruise performance, and is about as good as English-language samurai movies get (unless you want to countKill Bill, the first volume of which was also released in 2003).
InThe Last Samurai, Cruise plays an American man who’s tasked with teaching Japanese soldiers about modern warfare (then-modern, at least, considering this film takes place in the 1870s).But he begins to respect the samurai way of life, and chooses to support those who are still trying to keep samurai traditions going, leading to conflict andsome spectacular battle sequences. There’s a good deal to be nitpicked here, especiallyif you’re a stickler for historical accuracy, butThe Last Samuraistill soars and inspires the same way some of its (arguable) contemporaries likeGladiatorandBraveheartdid.
The Last Samurai
An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle.
2’Tropic Thunder' (2008)
Directed by Ben Stiller
Admittedly, Tom Cruise isn’t inTropic Thundera great deal, and his role has him appearing as someone who doesn’t at all look like Tom Cruise… but that’s part of the reason it’s so great.Cruise absolutely disappears into the role of Les Grossman, who’s a Hollywood executive producing the moviethat the other characters in the film are trying to make, and he’s an absolute monster.
Tom Cruise demolishes the scenery here at every chance he gets, and the level of intensity here is something to behold. On top of that, Cruise is also hysterical inTropic Thunder, matching just about everyone else in the movie (and mostother people here, including Ben Stiller,Robert Downey Jr.,Jack Black, andMatthew McConaugheyare themselves firing on all cylinders). It’s one of the best transformative performances in recent cinema history, and yeah, in a way,Tropic Thunderreally does show Tom Cruise’s acting ability at its very best.
Tropic Thunder
1’Minority Report' (2002)
Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg’s best collaborationwas not the aforementionedWar of the Worlds, seeing as three years earlier, the former had starred inMinority Report, another sci-fi movie directed by the latter. The premise here is another one that hooks you instantly, seeing asMinority Reporttakes place ina future where some individuals are able to see crimes before they happen, leading to arrests before any crime properly takes place.
There’s more to it than that, but the core idea here is similarly compelling to the exploration of technology furthering – and making murkier – the idea of justice/retribution explored in something likeA Clockwork Orange. Okay, that’s a bit much.Minority Reportisn’t quite as brilliant,nor is it as confronting. Butit is one of those essential sci-fi movies about an always-relevant issue, and the questions it asks through its story and themesare undeniably weighty.
