Top 10 Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise’s personal life may have come under fire in recent years but his career still continues to impress. Back in the 80s, the U.S. actor made a name for himself by flashing his pins in a shirt and sunglasses. He has since made the impossible possible, donned prosthetic hands to play an egotistical producer, with a penchant for rap music and ditched the Hollywood persona to play a hit-man. It was no mean feat, but we managed to skim down Cruise’s films to a succinct top 10...

His Top 10 Films

Risky Business (1983)

After a cameo in Francis Ford Coppola’s gritty gang drama The Outsiders, Tom Cruise broke through the Hollywood barrier with a lead role in Risky Business. The film sees a fresh-faced Cruise, dressed in a white shirt and shades, tending to some serious floor skidding while his folks are away. Rumour has it that the American actor was ordered to snack on sugary foods to produce a podgy teenage look.

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Top Gun (1986)

Whilst Risky Business’ floor gliding made Cruise famous, Top Gun established him as a hot young player in the industry. This camped-up action film garnered four Oscar-nominations and one gong for Best Soundtrack. With director Tony Scott at the helm, Top Gun burst onto screens everywhere to massive acclaim and recognition. The love scene between Cruise and actress Kelly McGillis was added during post production after audiences protested its absence at test screenings.

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The Color of Money (1986)

Riding high on the waves of his success, Cruise stepped into his next film, The Color Of Money, with ease. With silver-screen actor Paul Newman in the lead and Martin Scorsese in the director’s chair, Cruise stepped up his game. Set to the backdrop of a pool hall, The Color of Money sees newcomer Cruise squaring off with cinema veteran Newman, in the ultimate battle of the cues.

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Rain Man (1988)

After playing pool with Newman, Cruise served up a treat in Cocktail (1988). Although notably absent from our list, this tropical title deserves a mention for its box office success. However, Rain Man pips Cocktail to the post, and deservedly so. It may have got off to a muddled start (co-star Hoffman wanted Bill Murray to play Charlie, and both Jack Nicholson and Robert De Niro turned down the part of Raymond) but the film’s final line-up proved to be a four-time Oscar-winning success.

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Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

This film not only secured Cruise’s first Oscar nod, but saw him wiping away the fresh-faced pin-up look to play a partially paralysed, foul-mouthed war veteran who can barely wash. With legendary director Oliver Stone in the director’s chair, Cruise's decision to tackle the part of Ron Kovic was applauded by critics everywhere. Based on the bestselling autobiography of the same name, Born on the Fourth of July is the second in Stone’s Vietnam trilogy, alongside Platoon and Heaven & Earth.

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A Few Good Men (1992)

Based on a play of the same name by Aaron Sorkin, A Few Good Men sees Cruise going head-to-head with Jack Nicholson in a courtroom drama about two US Marines on trial. Nominated for four Oscars, this crime-thriller is the second Cruise film to make the list for its memorable quotes. Nicholson’s infamous line,“You can’t handle the truth!”, has since been lauded the 29th best movie quote of all time, by the American Film Institute.

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Mission: Impossible (1996)

When talk surfaced of transforming the hit television series into a movie, Cruise – who was looking to drum up some business for his new production company – began pushing for the project. With $70 million in his back pocket from Paramount Pictures the newly appointed producer was given the go-ahead. Production partner Paula Wagner worked on a story with filmmaker Sydney Pollack, which was rejected. But Brian De Palma’s suggestion to use a different set of writers sealed the film’s fate.

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Jerry Maguire (1996)

When 1996 rolled around Cruise had established himself as a Hollywood actor with the pick of any part. Jerry Maguire proved to be a winning choice, not only did it secure his second Academy Award nomination but it raked in a cool $100 million plus – the fifth of his films to generate such an impressive sum. Most notably, the film will go down in history for its memorable quotes including, “Show me the money!”.

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Collateral (2004)

A prominent gap takes place here, which isn’t to say Cruise’s career was dormant. Work with Spielberg, a Mission: Impossible sequel and several other projects passed by, but arguably none of these can be hailed as game changers in Cruise’s career. In 2004, almost 10 years after Jerry Maguire, Cruise turned his attention towards new territory, emerging with a new silver-fox ‘do as hit-man Vincent in Michael Mann’s Collateral. The film was nominated for two Oscars.

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Tropic Thunder (2008)

Tom’s jaw-dropping, show-stopping cameo in Tropic Thunder secures the final spot on this list. Although the film itself has received mixed reviews from both critics and the public alike, Cruise’s performance has been collectively applauded. Complete with fat prosthetic hands, a receding hairline and a swollen stomach, loud-mouthed Les Grossman has achieved iconic status as the film’s funniest character, and has since gone on to “produce” the MTV Movie Awards.

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Jennifer Trevorrow