Top 10 Performances: Tom Cruise

With the latest Mission Impossible coming out later this month, why not take a look at one of the world's biggest movie stars (still, I'd argue) and his best film roles.

HM: The Last Samurai

A film I really, really like (and perhaps a bit misunderstood through its ad campaign which places Cruise under the big words THE LAST SAMURAI), this is one of the best examples of Cruise's 'cruising' through what is essentially an action avatar role, like Minority Report or Oblivion, though he's given an added emotional undercurrent here in his cynical American soldier's relationship with his Japanese captors that ends up being rather powerful.

10. Eyes Wide Shut

An interesting final film for Kubrick, and another very interesting Cruise performance as he's pretty great at breaking down his usual confident and cocksure airs into a portrayal of a desperate, fish-out-of-water man in New York discovering the lascivious underground sex scene. He's perhaps a tad overshadowed by Nicole Kidman as his onscreen wife, but he's still a very engaging lead throughout the story, and keeps your attention with his superstar wattage merged into an interesting combination with a somewhat atypical Cruise role.

9. A Few Good Men

Cruise proved very adept working with Aaron Sorkin's brand of dialogue in this solid military courtroom drama. It's technically a very simple role as essentially a righteous young navy lieutenant and investigator, and Cruise nails it with great aplomb, particularly effective in the scenes where he has to really let loose with the firebrand passion for justice.

8. Risky Business

A good old fashioned 80s teen romp, and Cruise is on top form here in the role that made him a breakout star. Another fairly simple role in the grand scheme of things as a high-achieving rich kid whose life spirals out of control when his parents go away on holiday. It's an exuberant, consistently funny and endearing performance by a very young Cruise, and a great indication of how far his star wattage would take him.

7. Jerry Maguire

Definitely one of the better soppy romance films of this sort - and the inspirational American Dream stories, for that matter - Cruise got his second Oscar nomination for his terrific portrayal of the titular sports agent. He has great chemistry with his co-stars, is a very engaging lead to follow. The 'you complete me' scene is corny as hell, but he really does sell the hell out of it.

6. American Made

A great recent Cruise performance that shows he's still got it. The so crazy it couldn't be true story of Barry Seal, airline pilot/Mexican cartel smuggler, has at its centre a fantastic performance by Cruise as sort of a more seasoned version of Maverick from Top Gun, relentlessly throwing himself into the role of the carefree thrillseeker, while also being rather harrowing as the fearful man constantly haunted by paranoia over himself and his family.

5. Tropic Thunder

A spectacular comic turn by Cruise in perhaps his most atypical role, donning a bald cap, fake huge hands, and sheer vulgar intensity all in the service of great comedy as Les Grossman, the constantly angry Hollywood executive. Cruise's abrasive edge is a sight to behold in comical form, and his rant to Flaming Dragon is one of the film's funniest scenes, which is saying something.

4. Rain Man

Probably one of my favourite heartwarming films to re-watch, in all honesty, and Cruise is just as essential as Dustin Hoffman in really making this heartwarming brother's road trip dramedy work as well as it does. He manages to make Charlie Babbitt appropriately douchey and yet charismatic and sympathetic to begin with, has fantastic chemistry with his onscreen brother, and most importantly makes his character's arc both believable and very touching.

3. Edge of Tomorrow

One of the most pleasant surprises of recent years was Groundhog Day meets Starship Troopers, with Cruise giving one of his greatest performances as a cowardly, weaselly army Major with no combat experience who's forced into a position where he has to live, die, and repeat a day on the battlefields until he can figure out a way to defeat the alien invaders. Cruise is hilarious in portraying the sheer idiocy and cowardice his character goes through at first before slowly morphing into the more usual Cruise action hero, and absolutely nails every step of the character's transition, plus he's great with Emily Blunt in every scene together in a very unique sort of relationship.

2. Magnolia

Frank T.J. Mackey was a revelation for Cruise as it showed he could use his limitless onscreen presence and charisma to play a misogynistic 'motivational' speaker just as effectively as his All-American heroes. Cruise is dynamic as this repulsive being to begin with and as the film peels off his layers of defensiveness shows the incredibly insecure and fragile man within so beautifully. One of the best performances in a film filled with incredible performances.

1. Collateral

One of the greatest films of all-time, and easily Cruise's greatest performance as cold-blooded contract killer Vincent. Cruise subverts his usual screen presence into an oddly casual yet calculating, friendly yet downright chilling assassin with such magnetism, creating a truly fearful adversary for Jamie Foxx's cabbie to overcome, and his take on the killer for hire role is so refreshing. He has brilliant chemistry with Foxx, and proves not only a fantastic villain for the film, but a surprisingly moving portrayal of a hollow, cynical individual who sees his job as just that, a job in a soulless world.