Tom Cruise Movies: Top 10 of All Time

Anyone who says they can easily come up with a top 10 list of Tom Cruise movies has not taken the time to fully review this legendary actors work. Although Cruise has become somewhat controversial in the last few years for his beliefs and some awkward public appearances (eg. Jumping on Oprah’s couch), he remains one of the most commercially successful movie actors of all time.

The list of Tom Cruise movies begins in 1981 when he made his film debut in Endless Love (1981). Throughout the 1980s, Cruise dominated the box office and appeared in many of the decades top grossing films. His success carried through the 1990s and he remains a commercial success today, despite an occasional flop, or ill-advised remark.

Since his career now spans nearly 30 years, creating a list of best Tom Cruise movies is very difficult. First, you have to establish the criteria of what makes a film “best”. For the purposes of this top 10 list of Tom Cruise movies, the film must have been entertaining, well-received commercially and/or critically, epic in nature with a lasting impact, iconic in its time, and Cruise must have been a significant player in the film. Another informal rule for this collection is that the list must cover the breadth of Cruise’s career. It would be easy to create a top 10 Tom Cruise movies of the 80s, but that is not the purpose here.

Best Tom Cruise Movies of All Time

10. Tropic Thunder (2008) – Okay, so now that the ground rules have been laid, lets start our top 10 list with what some might consider a curve ball. While this film hasn’t necessary been around long enough to be considered epic or iconic, it was critically acclaimed and included a star-studded cast. It is on our list because it is perhaps one of the best “acting” performances in a comedy role that Cruise has delivered.

9. War of the Worlds (2005) – Another of the more recent Tom Cruise movies, War of the Worlds may not have the longevity of some of his other films, but as a modern sci-fi thriller from Director Steven Spielberg, it presents an intriguing story and intense thrills.

8. The Firm (1993) - Just to prove that this list of Tom Cruise movies has been developed with a sense of sanity, let’s begin to look at some of his more traditionally classic films. This movie is a great drama in which Cruise finds himself as the victim on the wrong end of an unethical law firm. He must use his best Tom Cruise effort to find his way out.

7. Cocktail (1988) – Alongside Top Gun, Cocktail was one of Tom Cruise’s best “relationship” driven films. In this classic still popular on cable networks (despite winning a “Razzie” or Raspberry Award as a “worst movie” of the year in 1988), he plays a young, arrogant bartender who falls for Elizabeth Shue’s character.

6. A Few Good Men (1992) - Who could ever forget the Tom Cruise exchange with Jack Nicholsan in the courtroom? Cruise: “I Want the Truth!” Nicholsan: “You can’t handle the truth!” In this movie, Cruise faces lots of adversity and his must think his way through to protect his defendants in a story based on real events.

5. Interview with the Vampire (1994) – Sure. Vampire movies are all the rage today, but long before they became mainstream, Cruise and Brad Pitt established themselves as epic vampires in this very character-driven dramatic tale.

4. Risky Business (1983) – It’s hard to believe Cruise reportedly only made $75,000 for this film, though most consider it the movie breakout that set the stage for would obviously became a hall of fame list of Tom Cruise movies. He established his persona as a cocky, charismatic actor as a 19-year old.

3. Rain Man (1988) – Though you could easily argue that this movie is more identifiable with Dustin Hoffman, Cruise played a leading role and was excellent as the brother to his uniquely challenging co-star.

2. Jerry Maguire (1996) – It’s hard to believe this movie is now 13 years old as many people think of it as one of the best recent Tom Cruise movies. This film offered a great romantic comedy and featured several co-existing storylines. It also includes some of the best movie lines of all time, including “Show Me the Money” (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) and “You Had me at Hello” (Renee Zelweger). Plus, you have the cute kid factor!

1. Top Gun (1986) - You could make this case for some of the other movies on this list, but there is perhaps no other Tom Cruise film or character that still resonates today as it did in in the 1980s than Top Gun and Pete Mitchell (AKA Maverick). Cruise’s portrayal of a cocky and arrogant airman struggling with the past is legendary. This song also features one of the great movie soundtracks from the 80s.

No doubt there are great Tom Cruise movies not included in this list. In fact, there are several that could have been comfortably included without reservation. However, the list in place gives a good scope of the legacy of Cruise films that spans nearly 30 years.

Other Tom Cruise films considered for the top 10 list: Mission Impossible, Eyes Wide Shut, Days of Thunder, Vanilla Sky, All the Right Moves, Far and Away, Born on the Fourth of July, The Last Samurai, Taps, The Outsiders

Want to tell us your favorite film not on our list of Tom Cruise movies and why? Just add a comment and share your thoughts!

This feature article about the Best Movies with Tom Cruise was written by Neil of Movie Room Reviews

Also see:

• Best Movies with Brad Pitt

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