tom cruise movies uk

7 best Tom Cruise movies to stream on Netflix, Prime Video and more

Where to stream these iconic movies starring Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise is one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood. For good reason, too. With jaw-dropping stunts, a gleaming smile and an intense gaze unmatched by many, Tom Cruise is a household name in Hollywood. He's had the lead actor role in at least 39 films and counting and has a box office total that has grossed over 10 billion. He has also produced some of his own films, including the hit Mission: Impossible franchise.

While Cruise may be known as an invincible action star, he has also played numerous characters with incredible depth and range. He has been the charming yet competitive romantic lead, the cold, calculating killer, and the greedy but misguided younger brother. Cruise has worked alongside some of the most famous actors and directors of our time. While it's hard to narrow down his greatest roles in such a short list, we've put together a few of the best Tom Cruise movies. 

In the Oscar award-winning film, Rain Main, Cruise plays Charlie Babbitt, the selfish brother of Raymond as played by Dustin Hoffman. Charlie finds out that his brother Raymond has inherited a great deal of money. Determined to get hold of what he believes is rightfully his, Charlie absconds Ray away from his residential home, sending the two on a memorable road trip neither will forget.

Hoffman took home an Academy Award for his role. So did the director, the screenwriter, and the picture as a whole. While Tom Cruise may not have received an Oscar nomination for his role in the film, he is the perfect actor to play alongside Hoffman. You have the reward of watching him shed his character's shallow, flashy demeanor and embrace a subtle maturity as he learns why his brother was sent away. A must-watch film that is one of Tom Cruise's best.

Watch on Prime Video

No one but Cruise could have played the part of Mitch McDeere in The Firm, an adaptation of the book by John Grisham. It could be why the 2012 television series of the book was canceled after only a single season. In the film, Cruise's McDeere is hired by a "small" firm from Memphis right out of law school. Although everything seems on the up-and-up, it isn't long before he realizes that he is surrounded by crooks.

It's the transformation of McDeere's smugness over landing such a top-notch job into an intensity over uncovering the truth and protecting his career — and life — that makes this such a powerful Tom Cruise film. However, what may surprise many is that Holly Hunter took home the Oscar for her role as Tammy Hemphill, the secretary of the private detective that McDeere hires. Despite Cruise's lack of Oscar recognition, this is one of his best movies.

Sign up to get the BEST of Tom's Guide direct to your inbox.

Here at Tom’s Guide our expert editors are committed to bringing you the best news, reviews and guides to help you stay informed and ahead of the curve!

Watch on Netflix , Prime Video or Paramount Plus

A Few Good Men

A Few Good Men is a movie best known by many for its famous line spoken by Jack Nicholson who retorts, "You can't handle the truth!" However, it wouldn't be the same without Cruise playing the cocky Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee. 

When defense lawyer Kaffee gets to defend two Marines accused of killing one of their colleagues, many expect him to simply settle the case out of court. Cruise's natural overconfidence as portrayed in his character, Kaffee, becomes a quality that people plan to manipulate to keep the truth a secret. When he realizes this raw reality, Cruise's stone-cold determination to take the case to court shocks many. Nicholson, who plays Colonel Nathan R. Jessup, was nominated for the Oscar. However, Cruise wows the audience when he plays opposite Nicholson in the famous court scene that prompted the line we all know so well.

Watch on AMC Plus

Going against his typical role, Tom Cruise plays a ruthless killer in the movie, Collateral. Vincent, as played by Cruise, is visiting Los Angeles to finish off a few people who are supposed to testify in court against a drug lord as well as a couple of other lawyers involved in the case. When he gets into the cab of Max, played by Jamie Foxx, not everything goes according to plan.

Cruise takes out all the charm in his personality to depict a heartless killer — although what remains is a certain reasonableness to his personality as he almost convinces Foxx's Max to stick with him for the long haul. However, Foxx's Max becomes braver by the moment. In yet another film where another actor was Oscar-nominated over Cruise — this time it was Jamie Foxx — it still remains one of Cruise's most complex characters, making it one of his best movies.

Watch on Paramount Plus

Jerry Maguire

This time an Oscar nominee, Cruise plays the part of Jerry Maguire, a sports agent at the top of his game. However, Cruise's Maguire gets a crisis of conscience when one of his clients gets seriously hurt. Confronted by the client's son, Cruise realizes he has no heart for those he is supposed to represent. 

When Cruise's Maguire writes a mission statement, encouraging his agency to change their ways, he loses it all. However, despite the falling out, he connects with potential love interest, Dorothy Boyd, played by Renee Zellweger. He also manages to keep a single client, Rod Tidwell, played by Cuba Gooding Jr. It's a perfect blend of excellent acting, a strong script, and superb directing that makes this one of the most memorable romantic comedies. It also happens to include the famous Tom Cruise line that gives us all the feels, "You complete me."

Rent/buy on Amazon or Apple  

Top Gun: Maverick

Timing is everything, as the old adage says. That is possibly why the movie Top Gun: Maverick was such a success. Cruise starred in and produced the film, a sequel to his career-making film, Top Gun. While it was ready to go in 2020, he delayed its release for when people could actually see it in theaters. And for good reason. With incredible stunts and minimal usage of CGI, the movie is an experience as much as it is entertainment.

Playing a character many became familiar with in the '80s, Cruise adds a level of maturity to his role as Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. Cruise's Maverick returns to the school that molded him to train younger pilots, one of whom is the son of his now-deceased best friend. The emotional depth Cruise brings to the film makes it almost better than the original, a feat that's near impossible for sequels. 

Watch on Prime Video or Paramount Plus

Risky Business

How can any of us forget that famous scene when Cruise dances in his underwear to the Bob Seger song, "Old Time Rock & Roll"? One of the movies that made him who he is today, Cruise plays Joel Goodsen, a college-bound high school senior who itches to cut loose from his parents' ties. Finally having the opportunity to live a little when his parents go on vacation, things for Goodsen go from bad to worse as each rule is broken.

Acting alongside Rebecca De Mornay who plays the elusive and appealing call girl, Cruise's Goodsen learns about life, love, and consequences in this iconic film. Coupled with a strong script and excellent music from the 80s, this is one of Tom Cruise's best and most memorable movies.

Rent/buy on Amazon or Apple

More from Tom's Guide

• Top new movies streaming this week
• 7 best Robert De Niro movies
• What's new on Netflix this month

Nicole Pyles is a writer in Portland, Oregon. She loves movies, especially Lifetime movies, obscure TV movies, and disaster flicks. Her writing has been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Mental Floss, WOW! Women on Writing, Ripley's Believe it or Not, and more. When she isn't watching movies, she's spending time with family, reading, and writing short stories. Say hi on Twitter @BeingTheWriter.

Prime Video just got one of the most heartwarming movies ever — and it's 99% on Rotten Tomatoes

New on Netflix in October 2024 — all the new shows and movies you need to watch

I ran 35 miles in the Adidas Ultraboost 5 and it’s a comfortable and stylish running shoe

Most Popular

• 2 I test VPNs for a living – here's what I've learnt from reviewing NordVPN
• 3 PlayStation 30th Anniversary Collection pre-orders live blog — latest updates as PS5 Pro listings go live
• 4 Google's new AI tool is a game-changer for students — here's how it works
• 5 Amazon's early Prime Day deals are up to 90% off — here's my favorite power banks and chargers

• Trending on RT

(Photo by DreamWorks/courtesy Everett Collection. Collateral.)

All Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer

Collateral celebrates its 20th anniversary!

From his teen idol days in the early ’80s to his status as a marquee-lighting leading man today, Tom Cruise has consistently done it all for decades — he’s completed impossible missions, learned about Wapner time in Rain Man , driven the highway to the danger zone in Top Gun , and done wonders for Bob Seger’s royalty statements in Risky Business , to offer just a few examples. Mr. Cruise is one of the few honest-to-goodness film stars left in the Hollywood firmament, so whether you’re a hardcore fan or just interested in a refresher course on his filmography, we’re here to take a fond look back at a truly impressive career and rank all Tom Cruise movies.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) 97%

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) 96%

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) 96%

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015) 94%

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) 93%

Risky Business (1983) 93%

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) 91%

Minority Report (2002) 89%

Rain Man (1988) 88%

The Color of Money (1986) 88%

Collateral (2004) 86%

Born on the Fourth of July (1989) 84%

American Made (2017) 85%

A Few Good Men (1992) 84%

Jerry Maguire (1996) 84%

Magnolia (1999) 82%

Tropic Thunder (2008) 82%

The Firm (1993) 76%

War of the Worlds (2005) 76%

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 76%

Mission: Impossible III (2006) 71%

The Outsiders (1983) 70%

Taps (1981) 68%

Mission: Impossible (1996) 65%

The Last Samurai (2003) 66%

Jack Reacher (2012) 64%

Interview With the Vampire (1994) 63%

All the Right Moves (1983) 61%

Valkyrie (2008) 62%

Top Gun (1986) 58%

Mission: Impossible II (2000) 56%

Oblivion (2013) 54%

Knight and Day (2010) 52%

Far and Away (1992) 50%

Vanilla Sky (2001) 42%

Rock of Ages (2012) 42%

Legend (1985) 41%

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) 38%

Days of Thunder (1990) 38%

Lions for Lambs (2007) 27%

Losin' It (1982) 18%

The Mummy (2017) 15%

Cocktail (1988) 9%

Related news.

Movies To Watch July 4th Weekend

Golden Tomato Award 2023 Winners Give Thanks To Critics & Fans

Tom Cruise on Performing His Own Stunts and Dead Reckoning Details

More Countdown

All Stephen King TV Series and Miniseries Ranked

All 47 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

64 Stephen King Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

Renewed and Cancelled TV Shows 2024

September 27, 2024

Top Headlines

• All Stephen King TV Series and Miniseries Ranked –
• All 47 DreamWorks Animation Movies Ranked by Tomatometer –
• 64 Stephen King Movies Ranked by Tomatometer –
• All Saturday Night Live Movies Ranked –
• The 100 Best Horror Movies of the 1970s –
• 100 Best Movies on Disney Plus (September 2024) –

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tom Cruise’s 20 Best Performances, from ‘Top Gun’ to ‘Mission: Impossible’ to ‘Magnolia’

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on LinkedIn
• Show more sharing options
• Submit to Reddit
• Post to Tumblr
• Print This Page
• Share on WhatsApp

Cruise has been leveraging looks and charm, and flexing his blockbuster muscles, for decades. Going all the way back to the early 1980s, his appeal never seems to age, even at 61 years old. He’s skillfully shepherded original movies as a star and producer, never falling into the trap of IP except, of course, with the franchises that are entirely his: “Top Gun,” “Mission: Impossible,” and “Jack Reacher.” Related Stories The Tom Cruise-Headlined Olympics Closing Ceremony Drew 20.8 Million Viewers Tom Cruise to Transition Olympics from Paris to Los Angeles with Stunt During Closing Ceremony — Report

While some may say that Cruise’s sculpted movie star image lacks a certain vulnerability, many of the films below showcase his gifts for dramatic acting, proving him more than just a deft maneuverer of box office and death-defying stunts — though he is, of course, all those things.

Cruise may in fact be the Last Movie Star in a time where such a nomenclature doesn’t really mean much anymore. He’s worked with smart directors — from Martin Scorsese to Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson and Stanley Kubrick — often chasing them down himself with a wicked idea or hopes for a collaboration. He’s thrived and held his own alongside iconic movie stars in classics, from Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men” to Paul Newman in “The Color of Money,” and even in duds alongside the likes of Meryl Streep and Robert Redford (“Lions for Lambs,” anyone?).

As we saw from the way he stood up against COVID rule-breakers on the set of “Mission: Impossible 7,” he cares about his collaborators and the work. And with “Dead Reckoning Part One” heading to theaters this week, Cruise has a brand new chance to showcase his charisma and talent for pulling off death-defying stunts onscreen.

Samantha Bergeson, Christian Blauvelt, and Kate Erbland also contributed to this story.

“Risky Business” (1983)

Few actors embodied the ‘80s as a time of simultaneous repression and entitlement like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business.” Paul Brickman’s capitalist satire, with its silky Tangerine Dream score and night cinematography by Bruce Surtees and Reynaldo Villalobos worthy of a Wong Kar-Wai movie, finds Cruise’s high school senior Joel having sex with a call girl (Rebecca De Mornay) on a dare and getting entangled in her orbit until he’s running a brothel from his house. He certainly expresses both an attraction and terror about losing his virginity, but morality or prudishness about profiting from sex workers? Hardly, despite the white-collar suburban setting. That is, after all, a world of materialism, of transactions, and running a brothel out of one’s home isn’t transgressive — it’s entrepreneurship. Or “human fulfillment,” the corporate buzzword label Joel gives it.

“Top Gun” and “Top Gun: Maverick” (1986, 2022)

Tom Cruise is both a great actor and a great movie star, two jobs that often overlap but don’t necessarily have to. The first “Top Gun” is a quintessential movie star performance from Cruise, relying more on excellent vibes than challenging character work. Pete Mitchell, aka Maverick, is a brilliant but cocky pilot, and we’re occasionally reminded that he’s tortured by the death of his father. But really, the movie is an excuse for Tom Cruise to wear cool sunglasses and leather jackets while he operates cool planes and motorcycles. No shame in that game, and Cruise can do it as well as anyone. But “Top Gun: Maverick” takes those good vibes and builds on them, and an aging Cruise turns the character into something much more three-dimensional as Maverick confronts the possibility of losing the life he has grown to love. Each movie is great in its own way, but the combination of the two serves as a perfect illustration of Tom Cruise’s unique set of skills. — CZ

“The Color of Money” (1986)

All you need to know about Cruise’s performance as Vincent — beyond the fact that he’s the kind of character who, totally unironically, wears a T-shirt printed up with just his name in massive letters across the chest —  is contained in the iconic “Werewolves of London” sequence . Vince faces off against a fierce competitor just for kicks, displaying wild cockiness, total resilience, and a major panache for pool-playing that shouldn’t surprise anyone up to snuff on his dedication to practical stunts. The actor practiced for months on end and ultimately completed nearly every one of Vince’s trick shots on his own, but that’s not even the marquee attraction here: instead, it’s Cruise’s full-force charm. “Top Gun” made the initial case, but “The Color of Money” sealed it. — KE

“Rain Man” (1988)

“Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)

Based on Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic’s autobiography, “Born on the Fourth of July” starred Tom Cruise as an anti-war activist grappling with PTSD after being paralyzed in military service. Kovic’s life is depicted over the course of two decades onscreen; fellow Vietnam vet Oliver Stone co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic and directed the Oscar-winning film. Despite Al Pacino originally being attached to the lead role, Cruise carved out his iconic performance and received his first Academy Award nomination. Stone went on to win for Best Director, with the film also taking home Best Editing.

“Days of Thunder” (1990)

A sweat-soaked hotshot with a devil-may-care attitude and a taste for speed, danger, and zero gets handed a plum assignment that feeds all those desires and more. His love interest is smarter than him (and knows it). He rubs everyone the wrong way (including the similarly hotshot-y dudes also jockeying for a spot). He begrudgingly accepts a stately mentor. His unlikely best pal is grievously injured while on the clock. The soundtrack is a banger. Tony Scott directs.

No, this isn’t “Top Gun” — it’s the racecar drama “Days of Thunder,” which vroomed into theaters four years after the high-flying aviation hit, packed to the goddamn gills with the same elements that made the previous entry such a heart-pounder. As Cole Trickle, Cruise captures the same bravado and ballsy attitude as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, but in a decidedly earth-bound conveyance.

“A Few Good Men” (1992)

“The Firm” meets “Top Gun” is probably the simplest way to explain Aaron Sorkin’s complicated legal drama starring Tom Cruise and directed for the screen by Rob Reiner.

Cruise plays Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, a military attorney who is assigned a murder case involving three Marines. Demi Moore is Kaffee’s fellow lawyer Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway who questions Kaffee’s motives and approach to the case.

The duo question officers at Guantanamo Bay as they uncover a conspiracy involving corrupt witness accounts and bogus testimony.

Jack Nicholson stars as Colonel Nathan Jessup, who defends the practices of his Marine unit, and Kevin Bacon, Kiefer Sutherland, Noah Wyle, and Cuba Gooding Jr. round out the ensemble cast.

The film was applauded by critics upon release in 1992, with its acclaim marking the Cruise star vehicle as the “anti-‘Top Gun.’” “A Few Good Men” was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. — SB

“The Firm” (1993)

Gene Hackman plays Mitch’s boss Avery, while Ed Harris is an FBI agent using Cruise to expose the Firm’s corrupt offshore dealings and Chicago mob ties. Mitch’s legal prowess leads him to a private investigator (Gary Busey) and an ingenious secretary (Holly Hunter, who landed an Oscar nomination for the role) but leaves countless bodies in his wake. The cat and mouse thriller is anchored by Cruise’s signature smile and innate ability to build tension through his typically fierce determination to prove the truth. Call it Cruise’s good guy version of “American Psycho,” if you will, because you’ll never look at a lawyer the same way again. — SB

“Interview With the Vampire” (1994)

“Mission: Impossible” (1996 and onward)

Tom Cruise seamlessly shifted into the action star status era of his career with 1996’s “Mission: Impossible.” Based on the action spy series of the same name, the film franchise has endured over 25 years of billion-dollar profits to date. Cruise transformed into charismatic CIA agent Ethan Hunt who leads the Impossible Missions Force. Brian De Palma directed the first film, originally with Cruise set to reteam with “The Firm” filmmaker Sydney Pollack before De Palma took over.

“Jerry Maguire” (1996)

For years, conceiving a great Tom Cruise role was as simple as coming up with a cool job that lots of men wanted. Fighter pilot? Check. Pool hustler? Cruise played one. Hot bartender? Ditto. So it was almost inevitable that he would play a sports agent at some point, and Cameron Crowe gave him a beautiful vehicle to do just that in “Jerry Maguire.” While the idea of a rom-com set in the world of sports may be the greatest marketing ploy of all time, the endlessly quotable film is elevated by a thoughtful script and great performances from Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger. But it’s Cruise’s singular charm that ties the movie together, seamlessly alternating between alpha-male swagger and sentimental romance without ever missing a beat. It’s the kind of performance that reminds cinephiles what a real movie star is. — CZ

“Eyes Wide Shut” (1999)

Kubrick stops short of stripping him down to that degree, but the filmmaker disarms Cruise into giving one of his most exposed turns. (Recall an earlier scene in the film, when a marauding pack of frat boys flings gay slurs at Dr. Bill, a moment that calls the character’s, and by extension the actor’s, masculinity into question.) When the masquerade is over, and he finally heads back to a sleeping Alice, only to see the Venetian mask he wore to the orgy displayed on the pillow next to her, he breaks down. “I’ll tell you everything,” he weeps. Kubrick doesn’t show what happens then, instead cutting to an emptied-out Alice smoking blankly, having now absorbed his confession. No matter, as Cruise’s sometimes arch but inevitably denuded performance up to here tells us what we need to know about this offscreen moment. And then, of course, there’s that one thing Bill and Alice need to do as soon as possible. — RL

“Magnolia” (1999)

Cruise had jitters over taking on the role of Frank T.J. Mackey in Anderson’s sprawling San Fernando Valley love letter “Magnolia,” and that’s unsurprising given the leaps he takes. (And singing Aimee Mann’s “Wise Up” in-camera? How’s that for vulnerability.) The character, a motivational speaker peddling misogynistic pickup tips with wildly slung onstage maxims like “respect the cock” and “tame the cunt,” is all sorts of unpleasant. He’s viciously guarded toward a broadcast journalist interrogating his toxic male persona, preening and jumping around in his underwear in a moment that might anticipate the real actor’s eventual “Oprah” onstage meltdown. Frank dodges questions about his estranged, ailing father (Jason Robards), obviously hiding volcanic levels of trauma. But in a movie where “we may be through with the past, but the past ain’t through with us,” Frank ultimately has to pay his tab. Cruise scored a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination most certainly for a cathartic deathbed breakdown in the movie’s operatic climax, clinging to his cancer-riddled father’s last rattle of life and watching redemption slip away. It’s the most moving single-scene performance of Cruise’s career. — RL

“Vanilla Sky” (2001)

Despite the movie’s constantly shifting timeline, Cruise conveys a compelling and coherent emotional arc, whether withdrawing into depression or huffing the fumes of his megalomania. With “Magnolia” and “Eyes Wide Shut” before it, “Vanilla Sky” capped a period of Cruise opening himself up emotionally to audiences. No other actor could better sell the wincingly cheesy line, with David tipping over a Manhattan high-rise ledge at the end (or beginning?) of his life, “I’ll see you in another life when we are both cats.” — RL

“Minority Report” (2002)

“Collateral” (2004)

When Tom Cruise gives that unblinking, intense eye contact — come on, you know you’ve seen it in interviews as well as in movies — you can either think this is the most committed, fully realized performer (or, maybe, human?) in existence, or that he’s an “American Psycho” type come to life. So of course he had to play a serial killer at least once. Not just any serial killer, though. One who is a professional and demonstrates the level of professionalism Cruise brings to everything he does himself. His Vincent in Michael Mann’s “Collateral” is meticulous, and he comes up with a unique plan. He’ll hire an ordinary Los Angeles cabbie, Max (Jamie Foxx), to drive him around the City of Angels to carry out his hits in the course of one night. Cruise has been able to do something the past couple of decades that few others have managed: to make action thrillers that are also character studies, and “Collateral” is the ne plus ultra of that combination. His character’s shock of silver hair notwithstanding, this unexpectedly haunting movie is pure gold. — CB

“War of the Worlds” (2005)

“Tropic Thunder” (2008)

Tom Cruise may have spent much of the 21st century cementing his status as the world’s greatest action star, but his surprise cameo in “Tropic Thunder” proved he can do comedy with the best of them. Cruise donned a fat suit and prosthetics to play studio executive Les Grossman, delivering a masterclass in the creative use of profanity (in addition to some legendary dancing to Flo Rida). Considering how carefully Cruise guards his image, seeing the movie star randomly pop up in a comedy and cut loose with an unhinged performance is a singular cinematic treat. — CZ

“Oblivion” (2013)

“Edge of Tomorrow” (2014)

Part of what makes Cruise such a good movie star is that he helps the cast around him shine. As larger-than-life as he can be, he’s also a generous scene partner who builds wonderful dynamics with his co-stars (see how good he and Rebecca Ferguson are playing off each other in the “Mission: Impossible” movies for proof). One of the clearest cases of this is “Edge of Tomorrow,” the highly underrated action film he headlined in 2014. Playing a public relations officer in a future where humanity is at war with alien “mimics,” Cruise is a blast. He’s cast slightly against type as a clueless wimp in over his head; especially after he gets stuck in a time loop where he repeats the same 24 hours after being killed in combat. But the best performance in the film is from Emily Blunt as the seasoned veteran he allies with, and Cruise is more than happy to give her the spotlight she deserves, while still delivering sparky chemistry. –WC

Most Popular

You may also like.

All 44 Tom Cruise movies, ranked from worst to best

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

43. "Rock of Ages" (2012)

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

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

42. "Endless Love" (1981)

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

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

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

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

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

40. "The Mummy" (2017)

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

39. "Losin' It" (1983)

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

38. "Mission: Impossible II" (2000)

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

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

37. "Jack Reacher" (2012)

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

36. "Oblivion" (2013)

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

35. "Lions for Lambs" (2007)

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

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

34. "Far and Away" (1992)

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

33. "Vanilla Sky" (2001)

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

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

32. "American Made" (2017)

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

31. "The Last Samurai" (2003)

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

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

30. "Valkyrie" (2008)

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

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

29. "Cocktail" (1988)

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

28. "War of the Worlds" (2005)

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

27. "Knight and Day" (2010)

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

26. "Taps" (1981)

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

25. "Mission: Impossible III" (2006)

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

24. "The Outsiders" (1983)

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

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

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

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

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

21. "Minority Report" (2002)

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

20. "Tropic Thunder" (2008)

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

19. "All the Right Moves" (1983)

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

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

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

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

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

17. "Top Gun" (1986)

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

16. "The Firm" (1993)

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

15. "Legend" (1985)

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

14. "Collateral" (2004)

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

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

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

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

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

13. "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999)

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

12. "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

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

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

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

Cruise delivers one of his best performances in years.

11. "Days of Thunder" (1990)

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

10. "Risky Business" (1983)

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

9. "Mission: Impossible" (1996)

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

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

8. "Interview with the Vampire" (1994)

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

7. "Edge of Tomorrow" (2014)

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

6. "Rain Man" (1988)

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

5. "Jerry Maguire" (1996)

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

4. "A Few Good Men" (1992)

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

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

3. "Magnolia" (1999)

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

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

2. "The Color of Money" (1986)

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

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

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

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

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

• Main content

The 32 greatest Tom Cruise movies

The Mission: Impossible and Top Gun star has had us all at "Hello"

For decades, the name Tom Cruise has been synonymous with Hollywood movies. With so many classic movies under his belt, it's not hard to understand why.

Though his career has had its share of controversies, Cruise has maintained high altitude as one of Hollywood's most bankable movie stars in its history. Raised in near poverty under an abusive father, Cruise took up acting in high school after he was cut from the varsity football team when he was caught drinking beers before a game. 

After starring in his school's production of Guys and Dolls, Cruise caught the acting bug and moved away - first to New York, then to Los Angeles - to pursue a career in TV and movies. He made his movie debut in the 1981 movie Endless Love, and then had a supporting role in the film Taps. After several more small parts, he starred in Paul Brickman's Risky Business, where Cruise won over audiences everywhere with a killer lip-sync routine.

With numerous accolades and just as many controversies to his name, Tom Cruise is the definition of a Hollywood superstar whose presence alone can move mountains. With a career still going strong, we rank the 32 greatest Tom Cruise movies of all time. 

32. Oblivion (2013)

Well into his career as a top-tier Hollywood star, Tom Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski aimed to prove that the old ways of original, star-driven spectacles could still draw audiences without attaching a known superhero IP. Enter: Oblivion. Based on Kosinski's own unpublished graphic novel (which Kosinski said was always just a pitch for a movie anyway), Tom Cruise stars as a maintenance technician in the far future who, on the brink of retirement, is drawn into the mystery of both himself and the true nature of the war that destroyed Earth. Oblivion was a modest success at the box office and drew mixed reviews from critics. But it has aged very well, being an expansive original sci-fi epic with breathtaking imagination. 

31. Knight and Day (2010)

From director James Mangold comes Knight and Day, a satirical action romp that set fire to romantic comedy conventions. Tom Cruise leads the movie as a spy on the run from the CIA who bumps into, and then whisks away, a beautiful vintage car dealer played by Cameron Diaz. (The two previously starred together in Cameron Crowe's Vanilla Sky.) Although Knight and Day was just the first of many Hollywood rom-coms that felt obligated to double as action movies to attract a wide demographic, the movie succeeds with legitimately impressive set-pieces that violently whip Tom Cruise across the screen.

30. Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tom Cruise being unrecognizable in heavy makeup and prosthetics, all while playing a sleazy Scott Rudin-type caricature, is like only the fourth or fifth funniest thing about the R-rated comic blockbuster Tropic Thunder. In Ben Stiller's napalm-coated parody of Vietnam War films and the pampered lives of Hollywood stars, Cruise features in a minor supporting role as Les Grossman, a truly gross man and ruthless studio executive. Cruise's role was meant to be a secret, though leaked paparazzi photos and internet blogs ruined that fun by spoiling it ahead of time. Nevertheless, Cruise's sharp and venomous performance was and still is hailed by critics and audiences as one of Cruise's all-time best movie roles.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

29. The Firm (1993)

In 1993, two movies were based on John Grisham novels. The first was The Pelican Brief, a legal thriller starring Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington. The other was Sydney Pollack's The Firm, with Tom Cruise leading in an adaptation of Grisham's 1991 novel. Cruises plays a young, talented Harvard Law grad who is recruited by a prestigious Tennessee firm who specialize in mob clients. Soon enough, Cruise finds himself in the crossfire between the FBI, the mob, and his own colleagues ready to sell him out. Although The Firm is one of Cruise's more overlooked movies in his career, it makes a solid case for being one of his greatest.

28. Valkyrie (2008)

In this solid World War II thriller from Bryan Singer, Tom Cruise leads as one of several German Nazi Army officers, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, who seek to enact Operation Valkyrie – a national emergency plan to take control away from Adolf Hitler. In preparation for the role, Cruise spent months devouring history books and even interviewing members of the real von Stauffenberg's family. Because von Stauffenberg had several physical disabilities including a lost left eye and a missing right hand, Cruise spent a lot of time affecting those ailments while doing things like dressing himself and writing letters. The results speak for itself, with Cruise dependably engaging as a soldier loyal to his country and not a political ideal.

27. Days of Thunder (1990)

While Tony Scott's Days of Thunder was criticized during its 1990 release as a derivative copycat of his own box office smash Top Gun, Days of Thunder still burns rubber like few movies can. Set in the world of professional NASCAR, Tom Cruise plays hotshot rookie driver Cole who clashes with veteran driver Rowdy (Michael Rooker). Eventually these rivals become brothers on the track, with Cole driving Rowdy's car against their common enemy, a cheat named Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes). Even if Cruise is basically playing Maverick again, Days of Thunder easily satisfies anyone with a need for speed.

26. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)

After Hong Kong director John Woo made his way to Hollywood in the '90s, the legendary action filmmaker collaborated with Tom Cruise on the first sequel to Cruise's 1995 mega-hit Mission: Impossible. The follow-up sees Cruise return as daredevil agent Ethan Hunt, who teams up with a beautiful thief (Thandiwe Newton) to secure a modified disease held by her ex-lover and rogue IMF agent (Dougray Scott). While a box office hit, Mission: Impossible 2 remains divisive among M:I aficionados, being one of the more elaborately designed and even melodramatic entries in the otherwise stone cold sober series. 

25. Legend (1985)

Mystifying but magnetic in equal measure, Legend is basically a dark Disney fairy tale through the eyes of master filmmaker Ridley Scott. Tom Cruise stars as Jack, a free-spirited forest dweller who must stop the demonic Lord of Darkness (Tim Curry in the illest devil makeup you've ever seen) from plunging a fantastical world into eternal night. Although Legend was praised for its gorgeous production design, critics complained the movie was nothing more than a pretty storybook in motion. Honestly they are kind of right, as Legend severely lacks forward movement and meaty action. Still, the movie is drop-dead gorgeous to look at, with a score by Tangerine Dream that feels otherworldly. 

24. Jack Reacher (2012)

While it's true that Lee Child's literary antihero Jack Reacher is a walking, talking slab of meat and that Tom Cruise is decidedly not that, Cruise still kills it in the role. In the first Jack Reacher movie from director Christopher McQuarrie, which adapts the ninth Reacher novel One Shot from 2005, Cruise plays the title hero, an ex-U.S. Army Major and military police investigator who is mysteriously named by a mass shooting suspect in custody. Never mind that Cruise is several shirt sizes smaller than what Reacher is supposed to be. His movie has all the muscle and swagger to make up for it. 

23. Magnolia (1999)

In Paul Thomas Anderson's celebrated (and quite long) ensemble drama inspired by the music of Aimee Mann, a number of interrelated characters look for happiness in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. While the movie features a number of actors like Jeremy Blackman, Philip Seymour Hoffmann, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, and John C. Reilly, a standout among them all is Tom Cruise, a misogynist motivational speaker who lectures rooms full of men how to pick up women. While Cruise's character Frank lacks humanity on paper, Cruise's performance imbues rare pathos into the role that you might find yourself pitying him instead of spitting at him. The Oscars seemingly agreed and nominated Cruise for Best Supporting Actor at the 72nd Academy Awards. In a 2015 interview on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast, Anderson revealed that the inspiration for Cruise's role was pickup artist Ross Jeffries.

22. Risky Business (1983)

You only need a pair of white socks, a white button-up shirt, and Ray-Bans to dress as one of Tom Cruise's most memorable movie characters for Halloween. In 1983, a young Tom Cruise became a movie star overnight with the release of Paul Brickman's Risky Business, which is about an overachieving high school senior who parties up with a sex worker while his parents are on vacation. Often compared to The Graduate in its timeless portrayal of promising youth indulging in self-destructive vices, Risky Business launched Tom Cruise to Hollywood stardom, and for good reason. He's simply sensational, an instant star in the making who makes it impossible to hate him while he's kicking his feet up to some old time rock 'n roll.

21. Minority Report (2002)

In Steven Spielberg's blockbuster adaptation of Philip K. Dick's sci-fi novella from 1956, Tom Cruise plays a psychic cop in the future year of 2054. While his department of "Precrime" use the power of foreknowledge to apprehend criminals before they actually commit a crime, Cruise's John Anderton winds up being accused of a crime yet to happen and races to prove his innocence. A dizzying mix of crime noir, speculative science fiction, and whodunit mysteries, Minority Report entertains as a strange hybrid of Total Recall and The Fugitive, made sublime simply because of a master like Spielberg present on directing duties. Eerily and quite fittingly, a lot of the movie's speculative future technology like multi-touch interfaces, eye scanners, and autonomous cars have come to fruition in our real world.

20. Mission: Impossible 3 (2006)

Before J.J. Abrams took on both Star Trek and Star Wars, he made his directing debut with the third Mission: Impossible installment. Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt, now retired from the IMF, who is forced back into action to hunt down a sinister arms dealer played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. While Mission: Impossible 3 was a hit when it opened in 2006 and considered by many much better than John Woo's previous film, Mission: Impossible 3 struggles to stand out in the shadow of other sequels like Ghost Protocol and Fallout. Still, M:I 3 is solid popcorn fare with Cruise doing what he does best.

19. The Last Samurai (2003)

Despite its awkward optics of Tom Cruise in samurai armor, The Last Samurai is a majestic period drama that teeters between prestige war epic and pulpy action movie. (When a film stages Tom Cruise in a fist fight with ninjas, you know you're dealing with something that's hard to pin down.) Directed by Edward Zwick and following in the tradition of stories like Dances With Wolves, The Last Samurai sees Cruise play an American captain who bears witness to the last generation of samurai amid the Meiji Restoration of 19th century Japan. An elaborate metaphor about modernization and adaptation, The Last Samurai is one of Cruise's most dad-core movies of his career, a high-grossing blockbuster that also earned several Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, including a Golden Globe Best Actor nomination for Cruise.

18. Vanilla Sky (2001)

In Cameron Crowe's sci-fi psychological drama Vanilla Sky, itself a remake of Alejandro Amenábar's 1997 movie Open Your Eyes, Tom Cruise stars as the playboy owner of a major publishing company in New York City who becomes disfigured in a vehicular crash caused by an obsessive lover (Cameron Diaz). In the aftermath, Cruise becomes smitten by a beautiful woman (played by Penélope Cruz) as his sense of reality starts to fracture. With a memorable plot twist and ambiguous ending, Vanilla Sky blew moviegoers away to become a massive box office hit despite being unpopular with most critics. In the years since its 2001 release, Vanilla Sky has become a must-see cult movie.

17. A Few Good Men (1992)

You can't handle the truth, but Tom Cruise can. In Rob Reiner's acclaimed film version of Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play, Cruise stars alongside other acting heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Kiefer Sutherland. Cruise plays a Navy lawyer who must defend two Marines accused of killing another soldier. Memorably explosive and gripping with nary a single bullet fired, A Few Good Men culminates in an iconic courtroom confrontation that reveals the difference between following orders and fighting for justice.

16. The Color of Money (1986)

You can almost feel Paul Newman hand the torch of Hollywood heartthrob to Tom Cruise in Martin Scorsese's smoky and cool 1986 picture The Color of Money. A sequel to The Hustler, Newman returns as Fast Eddie Felson, who partners with an up-and-coming pool shark (Cruise), and his tough girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) as they play their way to an Atlantic City tournament. While The Color of Money was compared unfavorably to The Hustler at the time of its release, it has earned greater appreciation as yet another showcase of Scorsese's talent - not to mention longtime editor Thelma Schoonmaker's - and the pairing of Newman and Cruise representing the changing of the guard between two generations of Hollywood.

15. Rain Man (1988)

In this acclaimed drama directed by Barry Levinson, Tom Cruise plays a selfish and arrogant Lamborghini dealer who learns, after his estranged father's death, that he has a grown autistic savant brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman, in an Oscar-winning performance). As the two embark on a cross-country roadtrip in their late father's 1949 Buick convertible, they develop a bond long past due. Rain Man was a massive critical and commercial success in 1988, and it's a movie that still holds power to thaw even the most cynical hearts.

14. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

In 2014, Doug Liman helmed a cult classic sci-fi that paired Tom Cruise with Emily Blunt, making a real movie star out of her in the process. Essentially Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers, Tom Cruise plays a public affairs military officer, Major William Cage, who is forced to the frontlines of humanity's war against a violent alien race. Somehow, Cage ends up in a time loop, forced to repeat his first day on the battlefield until he teams up with a war hero (Blunt) to break the cycle. Despite mismanaged marketing including a clunky title, Edge of Tomorrow impressed a lot of critics and performed well enough at the box office. But its high production budget meant it wasn't the heroic success it could have been. In the end, Edge of Tomorrow maintains appealing status as a muscular, one-and-done sci-fi.

13. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)

With J.J. Abrams lost in the final frontier with 2009's Star Trek, the job of directing the next Mission: Impossible was accepted by Brad Bird. Previously a director of animated family movies like The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, Bird revived the Mission: Impossible series with a clear eye and sharp sense of spectacle, helming an installment that saw Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt climb the Burj Khalifa and ingeniously sneak past guards at the Kremlin. The fourth Mission: Impossible was no reboot, but it was without question a rebirth that kicked off a new era for the aging franchise.

12. War of the Worlds (2005)

In a 2005 interview with Empire magazine, Steven Spielberg said that for the first time in his movie career, he was making "an alien picture where there is no love and no attempt at communication." We don't dare correct Spielberg, but he's wrong about one thing. In his magnificent and harrowing remake of War of the Worlds, Tom Cruise plays an estranged father who tries to get his children to safely reunite with their mom (and his ex-wife) in Boston. Only love can make a father go to the extreme lengths that Cruise does in War of the Worlds, which is still one of the darkest and finely crafted movies ever by Spielberg.

11. Mission: Impossible (1995)

The original movie that lit the fuse to one of the most dominant movie franchises in Hollywood history is still a mighty sight to behold. In the first Mission: Impossible, directed by Brian De Palma, Tom Cruise makes his first appearance as Ethan Hunt, an agent for the Impossible Missions Force who tries to figure out who framed him for the murder of his team. Being an adaptation of the popular 1960s television show (which is where the franchise's iconic theme song came from), the '95 Mission: Impossible established the formula and standards for all of its subsequent sequels. Throughout the 1990s, you couldn't throw a rock without seeing a parody of the memorable "wire scene." It can still make audiences sweat even now.

10. Interview with the Vampire (1994)

In one of a handful of movies where Tom Cruise plays the antagonist, Neil Jordan's 1994 film version of Anne Rice's 1976 novel features Cruise as the sinful vampire Lestat, who bites and transforms a Louisiana plantation owner named Louis (Brad Pitt). Together the two spend hundreds of years drinking human blood, eventually adding a little girl named Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) to their circle. Moody and atmospheric, Interview with the Vampire is a mid-'90s gem that feels most effective around autumn time. While the picture mostly belongs to Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise is unavoidably handsome and haunting as a seductive vamp who can really sink his teeth into all who look at him.

9. Collateral (2004)

With an off-putting blonde dye job and a steel gray suit that never wrinkles, Tom Cruise inhabits the part of a disturbing and charismatic hitman who hires an unsuspecting L.A. cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to take him up and down the City of Angels for one violent night. Arresting and unstoppable, Collateral is a fine demonstration for both Michael Mann as a filmmaker and Cruise as an actor, the latter keenly locked in as a man so skilled at his deadly job that he seems inhuman. Collateral is simply one of the coolest movies ever made. It makes a complimentary double-bill with Mann's own Miami Vice, both being emotionally-charged neo-noir action thrillers whose digital camera lenses harness an abstract uncertainty of the new millennium.

8. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

It may be the lowest grossing entry in the Mission: Impossible series, but that doesn't mean Dead Reckoning doesn't soar. While being so late into his career, Tom Cruise proves he can still hang - or ride off cliffs - with the best of the industry in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, the first of a two-part installment. With a plot centered around Cruise's Ethan Hunt and the IMF fighting against a rogue artificial intelligence, Mission: Impossible existentially wrestles with the precipice of Hollywood cinema's imminent evolution (or extinction) as an artform. With a diverse cast of exceptionally beautiful people, including Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, and Pom Klementieff, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One feels like an old school action epic in spirit that executes with cutting-edge style.

7. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

In Stanley Kubrick's last movie as a director and released posthumously after his heart attack, Tom Cruise plays an affluent New York doctor who infiltrates a masked orgy hosted by a dark and secret society. And it's all because his wife, played by Cruise's then-real spouse Nicole Kidman, admitted she almost cheated on him. With loads of sexually explicit imagery that really tested the boundaries of the MPAA's R rating, Eyes Wide Shut was initially divisive among critics and audiences before earning retrospective praise as a sterling classic of the 1990s. Its reputation still precedes it, being one of the most provoking and captivating movies Kubrick ever made.

6. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

The second installment of movies that illustrate Oliver Stone's artistic interest in the Vietnam War (of which Stone himself is a veteran), Born on the Fourth of July sees Tom Cruise play an eager volunteer for the U.S. Marine Corps who changes his tune during his deployment and physical paralysis in Vietnam; returning home, he becomes a vocal anti-war activist. Revered by critics and a smash hit at the box office when it opened in December 1989, Born on the Fourth of July earned Cruise's first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Stone was initially dismissive of Cruise, finding his appearance in Top Gun "fascist." In an L.A. Times interview from 1989, Stone said he changed his mind when he thought Cruise's "golden boy" image would be interesting to see shatter. Said Stone: "I thought it was an interesting proposition: What would happen to Tom Cruise if something goes wrong?"

5. Jerry Maguire (1996)

When Tom Cruise yelled "Show me the money," audiences responded with a massive $273 million box office gross for a modest movie about a sports agent in love. In one of Cruise's all-time greatest movies, the star plays a hotshot sports agent whose crisis of conscience leads him to swing for the fences with just himself, a loyal accountant and single mother (Renée Zellweger), and a middling player for the Arizona Cardinals (Cuba Gooding Jr.). A warm time capsule of mid-'90s era professional sports and Hollywood romances, Jerry Maguire made us all learn how to say: "You complete me." Honestly, it had us at hello.

4. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

When movie theaters were struggling in the era of COVID-19, Tom Cruise flew to the skies and saved the industry for all. With $1.4 billion gross in ticket sales, Cruise's return to the cockpits made sonic booms to keep theaters open, all while delivering an effective and emotional story about legacy and personal limits. Set over 35 years after the original Top Gun, Cruise's "Maverick" is assigned to oversee Top Gun at NAS North Island, where he must train a new generation of students for a very dangerous mission. As close to dying and seeing heaven as cinema can get, Top Gun: Maverick takes all our breaths away.

3. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

When Tom Cruise hung on to the side of a moving airplane in the first 10 minutes of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, we knew instantly this is a sequel that was built different. In the first of several M:I films helmed by Christopher McQuarrie, the IMF reunite after their disbandment to fight The Syndicate, an international black ops group made up of rogue agents from around the world. Not only is Rogue Nation just a fist-pumping great time, it also introduces franchise favorite Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust, a disavowed MI6 agent working undercover. 2015 was a crowded year for tent poles, with blockbusters like Mad Max: Fury Road, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Jurassic World, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens all vying for attention. Rogue Nation didn't sell the most tickets, but there's no arguing it wasn't one of the year's best.

2. Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) 

Man, even just its trailer can get the adrenaline going. In Christopher McQuarrie's second Mission: Impossible film, Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and the IMF race against time after a job in Berlin to obtain dangerous plutonium cores away from terrorists goes belly-up. Forced to pay for saving his team over saving the world, Ethan must stop a terrorist mastermind, played by Sean Harris, from blowing everything up. Among the people standing in his way: August Walker (Henry Cavill), a muscular CIA assassin. Featuring some of the most intricately designed set-pieces in the entire franchise, Mission: Impossible – Fallout is the platonic ideal for all M:I sequels by doing one thing and one thing well: Letting Tom Cruise run wild.

1. Top Gun (1986)

Sometimes, a movie comes along and changes everything. Top Gun, directed by Tony Scott and starring Tom Cruise, isn't just a perfect summer movie only Hollywood could deliver; it's a movie that understands what moves people, what draws them into dark rooms and casts spells to make them feel like they can fly. Set at the U.S. Navy's Fighter Weapons School - aka, Top Gun - in San Diego, the movie stars Cruise as a young pilot who sets out to prove himself among the best of the best. While critics in 1986 didn't heap universal and unanimous praise on Top Gun, the movie soared to become one of the biggest commercial hits of all time. Mirroring its own story, Top Gun permanently cemented Tom Cruise's status as a Hollywood titan. At the time Cruise was a rising talent, but through Top Gun, he brandished a killer smile and scorching charisma that made him find his place among the stars. 

Eric Francisco is a freelance entertainment journalist and graduate of Rutgers University. If a movie or TV show has superheroes, spaceships, kung fu, or John Cena, he's your guy to make sense of it. A former senior writer at Inverse, his byline has also appeared at Vulture, The Daily Beast, Observer, and The Mary Sue. You can find him screaming at Devils hockey games or dodging enemy fire in Call of Duty: Warzone.

Alan Tudyk has a "secret role" in Superman, and we're wondering if it's his fan-favorite DC character

The first Deadpool and Wolverine deleted scene is here, and it dismantles the MCU in just 40 seconds

The complete FC 25 chemistry styles list explained

Most Popular

• 2 The Elder Scrolls: Castles review – "A retooled Fallout Shelter with more options and the same problems"
• 3 EA FC 25 review: "Highly playable, yet naggingly familiar"
• 4 The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom review – "A refreshing, magic-filled retool of the Link's Awakening engine"
• 5 Shadows of Doubt review: "The true potential of this detective sim is limitless - but it just hasn't reached that point yet"
• 2 Salem's Lot review: "This Stephen King adaptation is midnight movie kind of fun"
• 3 My Old Ass review: "Aubrey Plaza's new comedy-drama is delightfully funny and unexpectedly emotional"
• 4 Oddity review: "In a strong year for indie horror movies, this is one of the finest – and scariest"
• 5 Apartment 7A review: "A credible horror prequel that recaptures the atmosphere but not the originality of Rosemary's Baby"
• 2 Agatha All Along review: "Wacky, Wizard of Oz-esque series is hex-actly what Marvel needs"
• 3 Will & Harper review: "Will Ferrell's Netflix road-trip documentary is authentic and moving"
• 4 The Penguin review: "Features one of the best performances in Batman’s on-screen history"
• 5 Terminator Zero review: "The franchise makes a welcome return to terror in this Netflix anime"

The 21 Best Tom Cruise Movies to Watch Now

Our list, should you chose to accept it.

Like him or not, Tom Cruise has churned out some of the best blockbusters of the last 30 years. Yes, 30 years , because Tom Cruise is actually 57 and sometimes aging just isn't fair. And, yes, "eccentric" may not be strong a word enough to describe one of the highest paid actors of the millennium. Still, one thing Cruise certainly can't be faulted for is his work ethic. He broke his ankle leaping between buildings for Mission: Impossible—Fallout , and he can be seen sprinting across unnecessarily-long tracking shots in almost every movie. We get it, buddy: you are fit .

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

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

21. Valykrie (2008)

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

20. Oblivion (2013)

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

19. Mission: Impossible III (2006)

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

18. American Made (2017)

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

17. Top Gun (1986)

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

16. Mission: Impossible (1996)

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

15. Collateral (2005)

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

14. Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2016)

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

13. Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol (2011)

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

12. Tropic Thunder (2008)

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

11. Minority Report (2002)

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

10. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

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

9. Mission: Impossible Fallout (2018)

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

8. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

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

7. Jerry Maguire (1996)

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

6. Risky Business (1983)

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

5. The Color of Money (1986)

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

4. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

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

3. A Few Good Men (1992)

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

2. Magnolia (1999)

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

Entertainment

How Austin Abrams Kept Up With Clooney and Pitt

Will Ferrell Can Help You Understand Trans People

Every Francis Ford Coppola Movie, Ranked

Who is “Teen” on 'Agatha All Along'?

'Nobody Wants This' Is Connected to 'Party Down'

‘Agatha All Along’ Is a Fun 'WandaVision' Sequel

TV’s Best Spy Show Is Back With ‘Slow Horses’

'The Rings of Power' Season 2 Promises to Be Epic

‘The Rings of Power’ Recap: Get Your Popcorn Ready

Dr. Oziel is at the Center of Netflix's 'Monsters'

‘Only Murders in the Building’ Goes Meta in S4

This Star of 'Monsters' Is About to Have a Moment

Top Gun: Maverick — awards, how to watch and everything we know about the Tom Cruise sequel

Top Gun: Maverick is soaring with movie fans. Here's everything you need to know.

More than 35 years after the original Top Gun , the Tom Cruise blockbuster has gotten a sequel in Top Gun: Maverick .

In the original, Top Gun (1986), a young Cruise stars as the hot-shot pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, as he and his co-pilot Goose (Anthony Edwards) take part in the Navy’s top school for elite fighter pilots. Maverick likes to push it to the limit, but that ends up getting him in trouble and his confidence gets shaken following a tragic accident. But the happy ending prevails and he saves the day and gets the girl.

Top Gun remains a fan-favorite to this day, thanks to numerous factors including a star-making turn from Tom Cruise, memorable supporting characters like Anthony Edwards' Goose and Val Kilmer's Iceman, fantastic '80s tunes like "Danger Zone" and "Take My Breath Away" and incredible aerial sequences. Talk about a sequel has been swirling for years and now its here.

Here is everything you need to know about Top Gun: Maverick .

How to watch Top Gun: Maverick

After being a box-office behemoth (it is the no. 1 movie at the 2022 global box office with $1.48 billion) movie fans can watch Top Gun: Maverick at home . It's available in most regions on Paramount Plus .

Here's how to watch Top Gun: Maverick right now.

Top Gun: Maverick awards and nominations

After dominating the boxoffice, Top Gun: Maverick hopes to dominate awards season too. Here are the nominations and awards that Top Gun: Maverick has earned to date:

Academy Awards

• Best Picture (nominee)
• Best Adapted Screenplay — Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig, Justin Marks (nominees)
• Best Editing (nominee)
• Best Original Song — "Hold My Hand" (nominee)
• Best Sound (nominee)
• Best Visual Effects (nominee)

Golden Globes

• Best Picture: Drama (nominee)
• Best Song — "Hold My Hand" (nominee)

Critics Choice Awards

• Best Actor — Tom Cruise (nominee)
• Best Cinematography (nominee)

London Critics Circle Awards

• Film of the Year (nominee)

National Board of Review

• Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography — Claudio Miranda

New York Film Critics Circle

• Best Cinematographer — Claudio Miranda

American Film Institute

• AFI Movie of the Year

People's Choice Awards

• The Movie of 2022 (nominee)

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films

• Best Action/Adventure Film (winner)
• Best Actor — Tom Cruise (winner)
• Best Director — Joseph Kosinski (nominee)
• Best Editing  (nominee)
• Best Special Effects (nominee)

Top Gun: Maverick plot

Top Gun: Maverick takes place more than 30 years after the events of Top Gun . Maverick is now working as a test pilot and actively attempting to dodge the advancement in rank that would force him to stop flying.

However, his career ends up taking him back to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics School — otherwise known as TOP GUN — where he has to confront his past as he is charged with training a new squadron of fighter pilots.

How long is Top Gun: Maverick?

Top Gun: Maverick has a runtime of two hours and 10 minutes.

What is Top Gun: Maverick rated?

Top Gun: Maverick is rated "PG-13" for US audiences (parents required for anyone under 13) and "12A" for UK moviegoers (suitable for children 12 and over).

Top Gun: Maverick cast

Tom Cruise will be just shy of 60 when Top Gun: Maverick is released, but there is no way Hollywood was going to make Top Gun 2 and not have him back in the cockpit of a fighter jet. Maverick remains one of Cruise’s most iconic roles, so you just can’t have a Top Gun movie without the star reprising the character.

Cruise isn’t the only cast member returning from the original film. Maverick’s frenemy is back, as Val Kilmer will once again play Iceman. Anyone who has seen the documentary Val on Prime Video knows that Kilmer currently uses a voice box to speak after battling throat cancer. Despite his health concerns, Cruise was adamant that Kilmer would return for the sequel.

There will also be plenty of new faces in Top Gun: Maverick . Key to the plot is Miles Teller, who will be playing Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of Maverick’s old co-pilot Goose. Other new members of the cast include Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin , Jon Hamm as Cyclone, Glen Powell as Hangman, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, Jay Ellis as Payback, Lewis Pullman as Bob, Charles Parnell Warlock, Bashir Salahuddin as Hondo and Ed Harris as Read Admiral Chester "Hammer" Cain.

Find out more about the Top Gun: Maverick cast right here .

• Tom Cruise's best stunts — from Mission: Impossible to Edge of Tomorrow
• Fifteen of the best Tom Cruise movies — from Risky Business to Top Gun 2

Top Gun: Maverick reviews — what critics said

Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best reviewed movies of the year. It was quickly labeled a "perfect summer blockbuster" and something that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Official reviews were just as glowing, including What to Watch's Top Gun: Maverick  review , which called the movie a "stratospheric sequel" and one that both pays tribute to the original but also surpasses it.

Top Gun: Maverick has a 96% "Certified Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 78 on Metacritic .

Tom Cruise spoke with What to Watch sister publication Total Film about the movie in an issue earlier in 2022:

Top Gun: Maverick Royal Premiere

Straight from their Cannes screening, the stars headed to London for a Royal Film Premiere. Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly and more walked the red carpet alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Check out pictures from the Top Gun: Maverick UK premiere .

Top Gun: Maverick global premiere

The Top Gun: Maverick global premiere took place on May 4 in San Diego, with the red carpet being held on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum. Not only that, Tom Cruise arrived to the premiere flying a helicopter and landing on the flight deck. Take a look at some of the pictures from the global premiere and quotes from the stars.

Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack — Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone"

Almost as important as which of the cast members would return, fans want to know if Top Gun 's iconic theme song, "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins will be part of Top Gun 2 .  

The good news is the answer is yes. Kenny Loggins confirmed on Rob Lowe's podcast, Literally with Rob Lowe , that "Danger Zone" would play in Top Gun: Maverick . So listen to those engines road and get ready to ride back into the danger zone when the movie comes to theaters.

Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack — Lady Gaga "Hold My Hand"

The first new song we've heard about for the soundtrack is from Lady Gaga who wrote a brand new song for Top Gun: Maverick , called "Hold My Hand." We expect this to be the Top Gun 2 equivalent to the original movie's love ballad, Berlin's "Take My Breath Away."

Check out the official music video for "Hold My Hand" right here:

Here's what Lady Gaga had to say about writing the song for Top Gun: Maverick .

When I wrote this song for Top Gun: Maverick, I didn’t even realize the multiple layers it spanned across the film’s heart, my own psyche, and the nature of the world we’ve been living in. I’ve been working on it for years, perfecting it, trying to make it ours. pic.twitter.com/1GReWGW8Ql April 27, 2022

Top Gun: Maverick trailer

Check out all of the trailers released for Top Gun: Maverick directly below:

Paramount has also released a feature that looks at the training that Tom Cruise and the other actors did so that the flight sequences they do in the movie would look and feel authentic. Check it out below:

Another feature details the F18s, the incredible aircrafts that the actors (along with the Naval pilots assisting them) actually flew in for the movie.

Top Gun: Maverick posters

Check out the movie posters for Top Gun: Maverick :

How to watch Top Gun

If you've never seen Top Gun and want to watch it before seeing Top Gun: Maverick or if you've seen the 1986 movie 100 times and just want to watch it again, you can do so right now on Prime Video or Paramount Plus .

More on Top Gun: Maverick

• Tom Cruise sends heartfelt message to Top Gun: Maverick fans
• Does Val Kilmer talk in Top Gun: Maverick ?
• James Corden is the new Goose in Top Gun-inspired Late Late Show clip
• James Corden gets Top Gun call sign

Get the What to Watch Newsletter

The latest updates, reviews and unmissable series to watch and more!

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca , Moulin Rouge! , Silence of the Lambs , Children of Men , One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars . On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd .

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera — release date, trailer, cast and everything we know about the Gerard Butler crime thriller

Megalopolis review: Francis Ford Coppola's plea for the future lacks humanity

General Hospital spoilers: could this one person return to Port Charles to make this whole John Cates chaos go away?

Most Popular

• 2 Megalopolis review: Francis Ford Coppola's plea for the future lacks humanity
• 3 The Young and the Restless spoilers: Sharon knocks Heather unconscious, or worse?
• 4 How to watch Doctor Odyssey online or on TV: stream the nautical medical drama
• 5 How to watch Parole season 2 online or on TV from anywhere

Tom Cruise discusses his love of Britain as he says it's 'just like he's seen in movies'

Tom Cruise has opened up about his love of Britain, explaining that the countryside, the people and the history are part of the charm - having filmed several projects here over the course of his career

• 22:32, 23 Sep 2022

Tom Cruise has told how he loves Britain because of the beautiful countryside, friendly locals, great sights and history.

The Hollywood star has shot several movies in the UK, and is filming parts of upcoming spy film Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One here.

He also revealed how he can relax in Britain without being mobbed by fans and autograph hunters, and he ­particularly likes our cows and sheep.

Cruise, 60, said: "I guess I am an ­Anglophile. I spend a lot of time in Britain and that's not just for work reasons. I just love being here.

"It's a fantastic blend of old and new. I love seeing the sights, the Tower of London, Nelson's Column, Buckingham Palace and all those fantastic places which are just full of history.

"Britain is trendy, too, and has a lot that other countries then copy. I also love the British countryside.

"Seeing cows and sheep in the fields here is just so very British and just like we see in the movies in America.

"I always wondered whether it is really like that. It's great to go back to the US and say, 'Yes, it really is'."

"It is breathtaking and I found myself wanting to explore more and more.

"That's the reason I have made a few other visits in my own time that have nothing to do with work. Everyone is pleasant and will give you a nod or say hello without crowding you. I was brought up to be ­well-mannered and you really get that in Britain.

"I also like the fact that I am walking the same streets as ­Shakespeare, Dickens, and even The Beatles . That is really cool."

This summer, several reports picked up on the fact that Cruise seemed to be constantly out and about in Britain.

He attended the Queen's Platinum Jubilee , a ladies' final at Wimbledon , concerts by Adele and The Rolling Stones in London’s Hyde Park and cheered on his friend Lewis Hamilton at the British Grand Prix in July.

Cruise also celebrated his 60th birthday at Soho Farmhouse in the Cotswolds with some of those within his inner sanctum, including David Beckham , Gordon Ramsay and James Corden .

He shared a red carpet with Prince William and Kate at the London premiere of his film Top Gun: Maverick in May. And he is pals with Phillip Schofield .

Cruise's daughter Isabella, 29, who he adopted during his marriage to Nicole Kidman , lives in London with her British husband, another reason why he visits so often.

He admits filming can be very disruptive for locals due to road closures. But has revealed while shooting his latest movie in ­Derbyshire, residents "warmly welcomed" the cast and crew.

In an interview with Derbyshire Life magazine, Cruise added: "We found everyone to be so brilliantly helpful… from the local authorities to the people living in the area.

"There is no doubt that when a film crew arrives on location the whole place can be disrupted and I could not blame anyone for complaining.

"However, that didn't happen. We were shooting a scene at a quarry. We had to get a full-size train there so some of the roads were closed, but the local people were just fantastic. I never heard one complaint."

The actor is known for being friendly and helpful on set.

Asked about that, he replied: "I try not to set myself apart from other people. If there is a piece of litter on the floor I hope I will pick it up rather than leave it to someone else.

Do you enjoy reading about celebrities? Sign up for all the best celeb news from the Mirror here .

"We are all part of the team. That’s why I like to arrive early on set and spend some time with the guys behind the cameras. They are just as important as anyone in front of the cameras.

"Being friendly doesn’t cost a bean and I enjoy it. It would surely be a better world with a little more friendliness."

Recent Mission Impossible scenes have also been shot in the Lake District. In August Cruise apologised to Sarah and Jason Haygarth, who had their hike disrupted there when they came across him filming a stunt.

Jason who met him at the top of a ravine, said: "Tom said sorry first for the noise. 'Sorry, guys, I know we spoiled your walk with the noise'. We asked, 'What are you doing?' Then he said, 'I'm going to jump off'."

Cruise has revealed he has ­ambitions to go into space one day, but is not willing to pay the £22 million cost of such a "holiday". He said: "I went for weightlessness training with NASA. That was fantastic. I'd love to go into space.

"I know that it is possible to go on a holiday trip which costs around £22million, but I couldn't justify that.

"I would like to space travel though. It's true, I fly my own plane, drive around in fast cars, ride motorbikes and do stuff that is a thrill.

"I don't see myself as some kind of daredevil but I do like to do my own stunts in the movies, as much as I am allowed. I guess I just like excitement and pushing back the barriers."

But he may get his cosmos travel wish after NASA confirmed in 2020 he is planning to shoot a movie with businessman Elon Musk on the ­International Space Station.

In January, sources told Variety that part of the film will be shot there and Universal Pictures were waiting for a script to be delivered.

The full interview is in the October edition of Derbyshire Life, out now.

Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at [email protected] or call us direct 0207 29 33033.

MORE ON Tom Cruise

Celeb obsessed get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox.

• U.K. Showbiz
• Meghan Markle
• Jeremy Renner
• Taylor Swift
• Kim Kardashian

EXCLUSIVE Tom Cruise, 62, makes a surprise appearance at Top Gun: Maverick in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

•  Have YOU got a story? Email [email protected]

By Chloe Louise For Mailonline

Published: 20:49 EDT, 27 September 2024 | Updated: 20:58 EDT, 27 September 2024

View comments

Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance at Top Gun: Maverick in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday.

The movie reintroduces the characters from the 1986 classic and appears to have struck a chord with older fans with its traditional male values and 'bromance' storyline.

It focuses on the relationship between Cruise's Maverick and the son of his dead best friend, Goose, alongside spectacular aerial action scenes.

And as it was shown to 2,900 number of fans, acting legend Tom, 62, was spotted from the balconies over looking crowds of viewers.

Tom cut a sharp figure for the appearance as he wore black two-piece suit layered over a crisp white shirt and black tie.

Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance at Top Gun: Maverick in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday

As it was shown to 2,900 number of fans, acting legend Tom, 62, was spotted from the balconies overlooking crowds in attendance

After enjoying the incredible performance, he stood from the balcony waving to hands while gesturing to his heart.   

'Top Gun should be a safe place for man-tears': Thousands of men admit crying over Tom Cruise sequel as it makes $248m at box office on record opening weekend

He then joined the talented orchestra on stage to give a special thanks to the performers and say hello to thousands of fans.

After thanking the audience for 'making his dreams come true' he was met with a roar of applause from adoring fans.  

According to the Royal Albert Hall site; 'They experienced the Academy Award winning blockbuster on the big screen, with Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer's epic score performed live-to-picture by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Lorne Balfe himself.' 

The film earned the Hollywood legend his first ever $100 million opening weekend.

And it also brought grown men to tears, with many sharing stories of hearing 'sobbing' in the theatre on social media.

Glen Powell, who stars in the movie, took to X during the opening week in 2022 to declare the flick should be a 'safe place for man-tears'. 

He was replying to a post from a user which read: 'Top Gun: Maverick; shout out to the guy next to me who's girlfriend made fun of him for crying at the end.'

Tom cut a sharp figure for the appearance as he wore black two-piece suit layered over a crisp white shirt and black tie

The film earned the Hollywood legend his first ever $100 million opening weekend. And it also brought grown men to tears, with many sharing stories of hearing 'sobbing' in the theatre

Glen Powell, who stars in the movie, has also taken to Twitter to declare the flick should be a 'safe place for man-tears'

A flurry of cinemagoers rushed to the comments to share similar experiences and offer a virtual shoulder to cry on

A flurry of cinemagoers rushed to the comments to share similar experiences and offer a virtual shoulder to cry on. 

One penned: 'I saw it Thursday. There was an older gentleman in front of us who was wiping his eyes a few times.' 

'I cried FIVE times. It's dudes and dads season.' 

'The dadTM next to me was flat out sobbing and I will say I teared up multiple times and I'm not a crier at all,'

'My least favorite part of Top Gun: Maverick was when my girlfriend loudly said 'are you crying?' and a bunch of people started looking at me.'

'I respectfully asked when it was over, fully knowing he cried. Twice. Let it out, boys. It's ok.' 

'Don't worry dude there was s lot of pollen in the theatres. My eyes were running half the movie. Outside was fine though.' 

'I took my kids and they were watching me tearing up and then after told me about all the big men & women around them tearing up. It hits you in the feels. It was fantastic.'

It came as it was revealed that the 80s hit reboot broke a 15-year-old box office record.

It comes as it has been revealed the 80s hit reboot has now broken a 15-year-old box office record

 Just a day after it was revealed that Top Gun: Maverick earned the star's first ever $100 million opening weekend

The film opened in 4,732 North American theaters over the holiday frame, the widest release in cinematic history, besting the 2019 remake of The Lion King (4,725 theatres).

It also marks the second-highest debut of 2022, behind Marvel's Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness, which took in $187.4 million on the first weekend of May.

The long-awaited sequel also marked a personal best for Tom Cruise, giving the action icon his first $100 million movie in his storied 40-year career.

The $156-million tally was more than enough to best the 59-year-old actor's previous best opening weekend - War of the Worlds' $64 million back in 2005. 

The film from director Joseph Kosinski - who worked with Cruise in the 2013 film Oblivion - also took in $128 million from foreign markets, for a worldwide opening weekend tally of $248 million from a huge $170 million budget.

The film earned $21 million from IMAX theatres alone, boasting rave reviews with 96% on critic aggregator Rotten Tomatoes.

It was also revealed that over 55% of ticket buyers for Top Gun: Maverick were 35 years of age or older

Along with the critical reception, fans also chimed in giving the sequel an incredibly rare A+ grade on CinemaScore.

It was also revealed that over 55% of ticket buyers for Top Gun: Maverick were 35 years of age or older.

The film was originally supposed to be released in June 2020, though Paramount decided to hold off on the release until more fans are able to return.

'I'm gratified we made this decision to hang on. This movie is going to have a huge run. It's going to draw people to theaters who haven't been in a long time,' said Paramount's domestic distribution chief Chris Aronson.

Share or comment on this article: Tom Cruise, 62, makes a surprise appearance at Top Gun: Maverick in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall

• Add comment

• Follow DailyMail
• Subscribe Daily Mail
• Follow @dailymail
• Follow MailOnline
• Follow Daily Mail

• Today's headlines

• MORE HEADLINES
• Devastation pictures show beloved gulf island 'completely gone' after Hurricane Helene roared through
• Horror on campus as Arizona college student is randomly stabbed by classmate who thought she was an 'easy target'
• Dame Maggie Smith dies aged 89: Beloved Harry Potter and Downton Abbey star passes away in hospital after 70-year acting career - as tributes flood in for 'one of the greats'
• Angelina Jolie drops legal action against FBI over claims Brad Pitt abused her on a private jet
• Haunting video shows girl, 13, pull trash can into driveway of home moments before she walked inside to horrific violence
• 'Israel is going to war': Beirut is left in ruins after IDF 'targets Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah' with major strike, flattening a huge part of the Lebanese capital - as US Secretary of State dubs it a 'precarious moment for the world'
• Joe Rogan issues grave warning for what he thinks will happen to America if Kamala Harris wins
• Olivia Nuzzi 'was disgusted by RFK Jr... but then the FaceTime sex became incredible'
• Shortly after this picture was taken, this mother of two stepped inside the 'suicide pod' - and waited for a robotic voice to tell her... If you want to die, press this button. She didn't hesitate
• Kimberly Guilfoyle keeps up appearances by joining fiancé Donald Trump Jr. on his surprise visit to the Balkans after Bettina Anderson cheating scandal
• REVEALED: Arizona sheriff's stern message for Kamala Harris as ICE data reveals 600,000 criminal migrants loose in the U.S.
• Utah mother-of-two, 33, is planning her own funeral after walking into ER with 'shoulder injury' and receiving devastating news
• Biden's migrant 'super-highway' revealed: Millions in US taxpayer cash turned the world's deadliest smuggling route into a 'safe' passage... how TODD BENSMAN was threatened for exposing it
• Bryan Kohberger makes first court appearance in new trial venue after it was moved to 'find a fair jury'
• Shock poll shows candidate with MAJOR surge in key swing state that could decide election
• Prince Harry spotted at celebrity tattoo parlor in NYC days after his 40th birthday
• The moment Netanyahu pushed the button: Israeli PM 'tricked' Hezbollah by flying to the US before authorising IDF to launch apocalyptic airstrikes to 'kill' terror group's leader, leaving Beirut in ruins and the Middle East on the brink of 'all-out war'
• Inside the seedy bathhouse Diddy visited 'three times a week' - as staff reveal his favorite treatment
• Multiple people trapped underwater after small plane crashes into Utah Lake
• Diddy sued by model who claims he impregnated her then had his ex Yung Miami 'harass' her to get an abortion
• Small business owners reveal whether they support Donald Trump or Kamala Harris and the main issue driving them to vote
• Shock poll shows Donald Trump with a substantial lead in critical swing state
• Male 'sex worker' hands over alleged Diddy 'freak off' tape to prosecutors after meeting feds in NYC
• Taxpayer-funded Minneapolis food pantry bans white people - as boss' astonishing outburst at local who complained is revealed
• 'There was no safety': Former Bad Boy exec gives shocking insight into Diddy's infamous parties
• Moronic Gen Z risk death during Hurricane Helene in bid to go viral, forcing TikTok to issue warning
• Panicked residents of a Florida condo in fear for their lives as they are told to leave NOW before it collapses
• Dramatic moment scores are rescued from roof of underwater hospital as Hurricane Helene drowns Tennessee
• Diplomats walk out as Benjamin Netanyahu calls the UN an 'anti-Semitic swamp' in fiery speech
• MOST READ IN DETAIL

• Back to top

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

What’s the latest with Tom Cruise’s daredevil ‘£153,500,000’ space movie?

Share this with

What feels like eons ago, Tom Cruise was announced as collaborating with NASA and SpaceX to film a movie partly in space where he would also become the first civilian to perform a spacewalk.

It appears Cruise is clearly itching to progress from stunts like riding a motorbike clean off a cliff in Mission: Impossible 7 and abseiling into the Paris Olympics stadium to something in a whole new stratosphere .

Back in 2020 the project and its collaborators – including Road House director Doug Liman – were first publicly spoken of, in relation to a space flight set for October 2021, but things have remained earthbound since.

Of course, the pandemic necessitated it be pushed back, followed by the writers and actors’ strike that then happened, presenting major hurdles, as well as Cruise’s own busy calendar of other movies in development.

Filmmaker Liman meanwhile discussed his involvement, admitting to Thrillist of the almost-first-of-its-kind project that ‘when a producer proposes something crazy to you, like, let’s try to shoot a movie in outer space, and NASA and SpaceX sign on, and Tom Cruise signs on… you’re just a little bit more receptive’.

However, a Russian film crew actually pipped Hollywood to the post by shooting scenes for the first-ever movie filmed in space , at the International Space Station, in late 2021. It was called Challenge.

Universal Pictures’ head Donna Langley teased further details of the US’s bold version by revealing that one of the studio’s plans would see Cruise, 62, ‘taking the world to space’ in October 2022.

‘We have a great project in development with Tom, that does contemplate him doing just that. Taking a rocket up to the space station and shooting and hopefully being the first civilian to do a spacewalk outside of the space station,’ she told the BBC .

Langley also shared that the film ‘actually [mostly] takes place on Earth, and then the character needs to go up to space to save the day’, with the chairwoman describing Cruise’s character as ‘a down-on-his-luck guy who finds himself in the position of being the only person who could save Earth’.

But what’s happened since for the movie, which reportedly boats a $200 million (£153.5m) budget, according to Variety?

Well, back in July 2023, Top Gun: Maverick star Cruise confirmed that he was ‘definitely’ still on board.

‘We’re working on that. I’m working on that, definitely,’ he confirmed at the premiere for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning .

‘I’ve always wanted to do that… We’ve been doing a lot of research for years,’ he added, as per ITV .

And then all went quiet again.

However, a source has recently claimed that Cruise is still ‘determined’ to get cameras rolling on the space movie.

‘Tom has always been absolutely obsessed with extraterrestrial life forms, which is why he’s so determined to get his space movie off the ground,’ an insider told In Touch Weekly .

Although there aren’t yet any concrete updates, the source also confirmed that the daredevil Hollywood star ‘can’t wait to go up there and float around’. 

And in terms of the draw of that ambitious spacewalk for Cruise?

‘It’s not just the ultimate stunt, but he’s also fascinated with UFOs,’ the source added, going on to claim the actor ‘spends hours reading about them and studying all the many classified documents that have been released about them in the last few years’.

The source also said that his interest in the film was ‘partly inspired by his belief in Scientology’.

‘He’s hyper committed to making a big difference in the universe, not just on planet Earth and his movies reflect that, as do his spiritual beliefs,’ they added.

Liman has also offered a few breadcrumbs in terms of updates while promoting his new action heist movie The Instigators for Apple TV Plus, starring Matt Damon.

He confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that ‘it’s something we still talk about, for sure’, in late July.

Entertaining a discussion about working with the biggest (and probably busiest) movie star in the world, Liman agreed that there was a built-in understanding that it could be a ‘long while’ before their space film got made.

‘So I go in with that,’ he reasoned. ‘There’s a reason we haven’t gone to space yet, and when we finally do and the movie comes out, I know I’ll look back at it and be like, “Thank God it didn’t happen earlier.”’

And in August, he also succinctly described the film as ‘still a dream and a plan’ to Collider .

So Liman is clearly not worried about stoking fan hype, and all may not be lost – although we’re still not exactly dealing in firm details, and there’s not a whisper of planned production or release dates.

This space movie is thought to date back as early as 2014 – if not before – and was given the name Luna Park.

As per IMDb, the film lists Mark Bowden, Jason Fuchs and Simon Kinberg as writers, with a synopsis that reads: ‘A group of renegade employees who venture to the moon to steal an energy source.’

Film Stories reports that an early script that was floated back in May 2014 featured the credit ‘revisions by Doug Liman’.

However, a separate listing on the database, called (rivetingly) Untitled Tom Cruise /Space X Project, credits its leading man with the idea and lists Liman and Cruise’s Mission: Impossible director and collaborator Christopher McQuarrie as writers, alongside a story credit for Ferrari producer P.J. van Sandwijk.

Liman and Cruise have previously collaborated on sci-fi blockbuster Edge of Tomorrow, for which fans are also hankering after a hopeful sequel , and 2017’s crime thriller American Made.

We’ll keep you posted as more comes in on this movie that may well still see Tom Cruise boldly go where (almost) no actors have gone before.

Metro.co.uk has contacted a rep for Tom Cruise for comment.

This article was originally published on August 19.

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.

MORE : Earth is about to get a new ‘mini moon’ in days – will we be able to see it?

MORE : Hugh Grant branded ‘so f**king scary’ in ‘wonderfully twisted’ new horror movie

MORE : Zac Efron reveals he went through stem cell therapy after being ‘messed up’ by a role

Get us in your feed

IMDbPro Starmeter 89 32

• Contact info
• 64 wins & 119 nominations total

Brat Pack Movies Beyond 'The Breakfast Club'

Photos 2008

• Nathan Algren

• Jerry Maguire

• Chief John Anderton
• Post-production
• Cage (rumored)
• In Development
• Pre-production

• Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell

• Team Member

• Nick Morton

• Jack Reacher

• Stacee Jaxx

• Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg
• producer (produced by)

• producer (uncredited)

• executive producer

• In-development projects at IMDbPro

Personal details

• Tomu Kurûzu
• 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
• July 3 , 1962
• Syracuse, New York, USA
• Spouses Katie Holmes November 18, 2006 - August 20, 2012 (divorced, 1 child)
• Children Isabella Jane Cruise
• Parents Thomas Mapother III
• Relatives William Mapother (Cousin)
• Other works Played Nathan Detroit in a high school production of "Guys and Dolls"
• 12 Print Biographies
• 10 Portrayals
• 32 Interviews
• 146 Articles
• 21 Pictorials
• 764 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

• Trivia His acting idol is Paul Newman . Much to the delight of Cruise, they became good friends during work on The Color of Money (1986) . Newman got him into racing, and Cruise ultimately raced on his team.
• Quotes The thing about filmmaking is I give it everything, that's why I work so hard. I always tell young actors to take charge. It's not that hard. Sign your own checks, be responsible.
• Trademarks Often plays romantic leading men with an edge
• Salaries Mission: Impossible 8 ( 2025 ) $13,000,000 + % of back end
• How old is Tom Cruise?
• When was Tom Cruise born?
• Where was Tom Cruise born?

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

Tom Cruise's daring aerial stunt upsets locals in quiet Oxford town

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice .

Tom Cruise has been upsetting locals again by performing one of his famous aerial stunts over an unsuspecting sleepy town.

The Hollywood actor, 62, was hard at work in Bicester , north Oxfordshire on Monday with footage posted online showing a plane flying manically above the town while a helicopter followed the flight path.

One disgruntled member of the public who had been affected responded: “So now I know who to complain to about flying low over my property!!! I demand an in person apology with flowers and a tux.”

Another wrote: “Saw the biplane and helicopter going back and forth this morning over Arncott.”

A third then penned: “Saw it this morning over Ambrosden ,wondered what was going on.”

Cruise appears to have even crossed counties, with another remarking: “They made it all the way to Buckingham today, two biplanes and a helicopter.”

It’s unknown which movie Cruise was filming for with production on Top Gun 3 and Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 2 both scheduled to begin next year.

The daredevil actor is well-known however for throwing himself into dangerous stunts to make his films appear as real as possible.

In 2022, Cruise irked the cast and crew of Call The Midwife when filming the Mission Impossible franchise at the same place as the period medical drama at Longcross Studios in Surrey.

Actress Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, said at the time: “Tom Cruise keeps on ruining our filming by landing his helicopter right outside where we’re shooting.”

Asked whether she had personally gone over to give the four-time Oscar nominee a telling off, Agutter joked to the Mirror : “In my habit! Imagine!

″‘Excuse me Tom, but look we’re trying to film. I don’t know about you, but just get your helicopter out of here quickly’!”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in