Tom Cruise's Top 25 Movies...
by jcdugger | created - 26 Feb 2013 | updated - 7 months ago | PublicRanked in order of best Cruise movie, not necessarily best Cruise performance (which is why Tropic Thunder and The Outsiders are rated highly despite Cruise not being the star). And, yes, I'm not a big Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men and Top Gun fan, though they have their moments. I have seen every Tom Cruise movie that has received 38,000 votes or more on IMDB as of this writing. I would highly recommend any movie in the Top 15, and heck, the others aren't bad either! (Wow...400,000+ views...very cool!)
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1. Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
R | 159 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A Manhattan doctor embarks on a bizarre, night-long odyssey after his wife's admission of unfulfilled longing.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Todd Field, Sydney Pollack
Votes: 374,617 | Gross: $55.69M
The final masterpiece from the master Stanley Kubrick.
2. Magnolia (1999)
R | 188 min | Drama
An epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 328,171 | Gross: $22.46M
One of my personal favorite movies. Cruise's performance is top-notch.
3. Minority Report (2002)
PG-13 | 145 min | Action, Crime, Mystery
John works with the PreCrime police which stop crimes before they take place, with the help of three 'PreCogs' who can foresee crimes. Events ensue when John finds himself framed for a future murder.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max von Sydow
Votes: 583,780 | Gross: $132.07M
Roger Ebert said it best: "Minority Report reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place."
4. The Color of Money (1986)
R | 119 min | Drama, Sport
Fast Eddie Felson teaches a cocky but immensely talented protégé the ropes of pool hustling, which in turn inspires him to make an unlikely comeback.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Paul Newman, Tom Cruise, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Helen Shaver
Votes: 93,189 | Gross: $52.29M
Ah, the 80's. Great role for Cruise, great movie.
5. War of the Worlds (2005)
PG-13 | 116 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
An alien invasion threatens the future of humanity. The catastrophic nightmare is depicted through the eyes of one American family fighting for survival.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto
Votes: 474,738 | Gross: $234.28M
You wouldn't think so because it's a remake, but this movie is very re-watchable.
6. Tropic Thunder (2008)
R | 107 min | Action, Comedy, War
Through a series of freak occurrences, a group of actors shooting a big-budget war movie are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying.
Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Kahn
Votes: 447,511 | Gross: $110.52M
If Cruise had a bit more screen time and a starring role, this would be even a couple spots higher. Great, hilarious role for Cruise!
7. The Firm (1993)
R | 154 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young lawyer joins a prestigious law firm only to discover that it has a sinister dark side.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Hal Holbrook
Votes: 147,548 | Gross: $158.35M
Cruise makes a lot of very good - but not especially great - movies. The Firm is the best of that group.
8. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson
Votes: 735,801 | Gross: $100.21M
The ending drags down Edge of Tomorrow a bit. The first 2/3 was fantastic though.
9. Mission: Impossible (1996)
PG-13 | 110 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
An American agent, under false suspicion of disloyalty, must discover and expose the real spy without the help of his organization.
Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jon Voight, Emmanuelle Béart, Henry Czerny
Votes: 469,813 | Gross: $180.98M
The first in the series is always the best.
10. Valkyrie (2008)
PG-13 | 121 min | Drama, History, Thriller
A dramatization of the July 20, 1944 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German Army officers against Adolf Hitler during World War II.
Director: Bryan Singer | Stars: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten, Kenneth Branagh
Votes: 259,038 | Gross: $83.08M
Valkyrie is, oddly enough, very re-watchable. One wouldn't think a non-battlefield WWII movie would be this exciting. Well-crafted film.
11. Top Gun (1986)
PG | 109 min | Action, Drama
As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer
Votes: 501,950 | Gross: $179.80M
Most people would have this ranked higher I'm sure...Some people might even have it at #1. Never been an absolute favorite of mine but it's still a solid watch.
12. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
R | 145 min | Biography, Drama, War
The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country for which he fought.
Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Tom Cruise, Bryan Larkin, Raymond J. Barry, Caroline Kava
Votes: 115,797 | Gross: $70.00M
Probably Cruise's best performance. Due to its serious nature throughout, I have a hard time re-watching this movie and re-watch-ability is very important to me. The movies above this one are more fun to watch in my humble opinion.
13. Rain Man (1988)
R | 133 min | Drama
After a selfish L.A. yuppie learns his estranged father left a fortune to an autistic-savant brother in Ohio that he didn't know existed, he absconds with his brother and sets out across the country, hoping to gain a larger inheritance.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeria Golino, Gerald R. Molen
Votes: 546,112 | Gross: $178.80M
Same as Born on the Fourth of July...one of Tom's best roles but not something you're going to continually grab off your Blu-Ray shelf.
14. Vanilla Sky (2001)
R | 136 min | Fantasy, Mystery, Romance
A self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Kurt Russell
Votes: 285,480 | Gross: $100.61M
I don't agree with this Family Guy scene, but it sure is funny!... Lois Griffin: Hey, you know what might be fun? How about we just order room service and watch a couple of bad movies? Brian Griffin: Yeah, that does sound like fun. I'll go rent Vanilla Sky. Lois Griffin: I said a bad movie, not an abortion.
15. The Last Samurai (2003)
R | 154 min | Action, Drama
Nathan Algren, a US army veteran, is hired by the Japanese emperor to train his army in the modern warfare techniques. Nathan finds himself trapped in a struggle between two eras and two worlds.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, William Atherton
Votes: 470,483 | Gross: $111.11M
Great movie but it is truly hard to imagine Cruise as the "The Last Samurai". He played the role very well and its a great movie, just kind of unbelievable.
16. Cocktail (1988)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A talented New York City bartender takes a job at a bar in Jamaica and falls in love.
Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elisabeth Shue, Lisa Banes
Votes: 91,749 | Gross: $78.22M
I like what Brian Griffin had to say about it:... "Actually not a bad film. As classically structured cinema, Cocktail was one of the best films of its era." Haaa!
17. Days of Thunder (1990)
PG-13 | 107 min | Action, Drama, Sport
A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid
Votes: 96,295 | Gross: $82.67M
18. The Outsiders (1983)
PG | 91 min | Crime, Drama
In a small Oklahoma town in 1964, the rivalry between two gangs, the poor Greasers and the rich Socs, heats up when one gang member accidentally kills a member of the other.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze
Votes: 97,357 | Gross: $25.60M
I would rank this movie 8-12 spots higher but Cruise is not in it very much.
19. Jerry Maguire (1996)
R | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.
Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston
Votes: 286,754 | Gross: $153.95M
Along with the movie below (A Few Good Men), I find Jerry Maguire to be a bit overrated. Its probably just not my cup of tea. Kind of plays like an overly dramatic romantic comedy. But I have it ranked this high because, well, this is a Tom Cruise best-movie-list after all.
20. A Few Good Men (1992)
R | 138 min | Drama, Thriller
Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
Director: Rob Reiner | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon
Votes: 286,976 | Gross: $141.34M
Most people I talk to love this movie. I don't really understand that line of thinking. This has to be one of the most over-acted movies of all-time. If you like your drama like a soap opera hopped up on mountain dew, this is your movie!
21. Risky Business (1983)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.
Director: Paul Brickman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Richard Masur
Votes: 99,703 | Gross: $63.50M
22. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama
After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN's elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.
Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer
Votes: 694,140 | Gross: $718.73M
You probably liked it more than I! :)
23. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
R | 123 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas, Kirsten Dunst
Votes: 347,030 | Gross: $105.26M
This movie begins to get better each time you watch it, then after a while, somehow it gets worse each time you watch it!
24. Collateral (2004)
R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in Los Angeles.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo
Votes: 432,693 | Gross: $101.01M
25. Oblivion (I) (2013)
PG-13 | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A veteran assigned to extract Earth's remaining resources begins to question what he knows about his mission and himself.
Director: Joseph Kosinski | Stars: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough, Olga Kurylenko
Votes: 552,696 | Gross: $89.02M
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