Thomas Cruise Mapother IV or more commonly known as Tom Cruise, is a producer and actor from the United States. He was born on July 3, 1962. Cruise traveled to New York City to pursue an acting career at the age of 18, with the support of his mother and stepfather.
He traveled to Los Angeles to audition for television parts after working as a busboy in New York. He caught his break with a small role in the 1981 movie Endless Love. After which, he kept on getting movie parts.
Forty years after starring in his first movie, Tom has become a fan favorite and one of the highest-paid actors and one of the highest-grossing box office stars of all time.
Among the various movies in which Tom stars, we bring you the top 5 Tom Cruise’s must-watch movies:
- Top Gun (1986)
Director: Tony Scott
Box office collection: $357.1 million
Movie stars: Tom Cruise, Tom Skerritt, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, and Kelly McGillis.
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10
Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), a rookie naval aviator on USS Enterprises’ aircraft carrier. Pete Mitchell and LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), his Radar Intercept Officer are allowed to train at the US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
Maverick is granted a second chance to redeem himself after losing his friend (Goose). He tries his hardest to be the best he can be while simultaneously falling in love with his civilian instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis).
The film has won numerous awards and has been nominated for even more. A sequel to the movie Top Gun: Maverick’ is set to release this year.
- Jack Reacher (2012)
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Box office collection: $218.3 million
Movie stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog, David Oyelowo, and Robert Duvall.
IMDb Rating: 7/10
Jack Reacher is an American action thriller film by Christopher McQuarrie, written and directed in 2012. As the title character, the movie stars Tom Cruise. It was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entirely.
The film came out on December 21, 2012, in North America. The movie’s plot goes as Jack Reacher, a previous military police officer, took it upon himself to investigate a case when a former US Army sniper, James Barr, was suspected of murdering five people.
The box office was vital but garnered mixed reviews.
In 2016 a sequel to the movie Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was released.
- Mission Impossible (1996)
Director: Brian De Palma
Box office collection: $457.7 million
Movie stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Henry Czerny, Emmanuelle Béart, Ving Rhames, Kristin Scott Thomas, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jean Reno.
IMDb Rating: 7.1/10
A 1996 American action spy film, Mission Impossible, is directed by Brian De Palma and produced by Tom Cruise. The movie was released in cinemas on May 22, 1996.
Ethan Hunt, a unique American spy and part of an Impossible Missions Force (IMF) team, was falsely charged with killing his squad. The movie shows his struggle to prove his innocence and find out who the real culprit is.
The movie was a commercial success, and it paved the path for the Mission: Impossible film series. The series has a total of 6 movies that are released, and there are plans for two more. Every movie of the series, like its opener, was a success. The six films which were released accumulated $3.570 billion at the box office.
- Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Director: Doug Liman
Box office collection: $370.5 million
Movie stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, and Bill Paxton.
IMDb Rating: 7.9/10
Released on May 28, 2014, in London, Edge of Tomorrow is an American science fiction action film. The screenplay is adapted from the 2004 Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill.
The film takes place in the future, where most of Europe is invaded by an alien species. With the help of warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), Major William Cage (Tom Cruise), a public relations officer who has no combat experience, is ordered by his superiors to join a landing operation against the aliens.
He found himself experiencing a time loop as he tries to the loop to find a way to defeat the invaders. The movie has won many awards and has been nominated for more. Plans are going on for a possible sequel.
- A Few Good Man (1992)
Director: Rob Reiner
Box office collection: $243.2 million
Movie stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, James Marshall, J. T. Walsh, and Kiefer Sutherland.
IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
A Few Good Men is an American courtroom drama film. The movie is based on a 1989 play written by Aaron Sorkin. On December 9, 1992, the movie premiered in Westwood and was released by Columbia Pictures on December 11, 1992.
The film revolves around Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), a US military lawyer who defends two US marines charged with murdering a fellow Marine at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. The needle of suspicion points to a colonel (Jack Nicholson).
The film gained unanimous acclaim for its screenwriting, direction, themes, and performances, and it became a box office success, grossing nearly $243 million. In addition to critical and economic success, the picture received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.
Tom once said, “I love what I do. I take great pride in what I do. And I can’t do something halfway, three-quarters, nine-tenths. If I’m going to do something, I go all the way.” He meant by what he said, as we can see his passion, hard work, and dedication in all the movies he has performed in.
Some of his other best works are The Mummy (2017), Risky Business (1983), Jerry Maguire (1996), The Last Samurai (2003), and many more.
The list only includes the first part of a series. The other parts are also worth watching as the starter.
Stay Tuned!!
Edited by Urvashi Gupta