tom cruise movies 1996

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Fandango at Home
• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Civil War Link to Civil War
• Monkey Man Link to Monkey Man
• The First Omen Link to The First Omen

New TV Tonight

• The Sympathizer: Season 1
• Conan O'Brien Must Go: Season 1
• Our Living World: Season 1
• Under the Bridge: Season 1
• The Spiderwick Chronicles: Season 1
• Orlando Bloom: To the Edge: Season 1
• The Circle: Season 6
• Dinner with the Parents: Season 1
• Jane: Season 2

Most Popular TV on RT

• Fallout: Season 1
• Baby Reindeer: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• Parasyte: The Grey: Season 1
• Sugar: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• Franklin: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• The Sympathizer: Season 1 Link to The Sympathizer: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

20 Special Presentations and Guest Appearances to Check Out at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival

Weekend Box Office Results: Civil War Earns Highest Opening Weekend for A24

• Trending on RT
• Play Movie Trivia

Jerry Maguire

1996, Romance/Comedy, 2h 18m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Anchored by dazzling performances from Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger, as well as Cameron Crowe's tender direction, Jerry Maguire meshes romance and sports with panache. Read critic reviews

You might also like

Where to watch jerry maguire.

Watch Jerry Maguire with a subscription on Apple TV+, rent on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, Apple TV.

Rate And Review

Super Reviewer

Rate this movie

Oof, that was Rotten.

Meh, it passed the time.

It’s good – I’d recommend it.

So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

What did you think of the movie? (optional)

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Step 2 of 2

How did you buy your ticket?

Let's get your review verified..

AMCTheatres.com or AMC App New

Cinemark Coming Soon

We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

Regal Coming Soon

Theater box office or somewhere else

By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

Jerry maguire videos, jerry maguire   photos.

When slick sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) has a crisis of conscience, he pens a heartfelt company-wide memo that promptly gets him fired. Desperate to hang on to the athletes that he represents, Jerry starts his own management firm, with only single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger) joining him in his new venture. Banking on their sole client, football player Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), Jerry and Dorothy begin to fall in love as they struggle to make their business work.

Genre: Romance, Comedy

Original Language: English

Director: Cameron Crowe

Producer: Richard Sakai , Laurence Mark , Cameron Crowe , James L. Brooks

Writer: Cameron Crowe

Release Date (Theaters): Dec 11, 1996  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Nov 1, 2012

Box Office (Gross USA): $153.6M

Runtime: 2h 18m

Distributor: Columbia Tristar, TriStar Pictures, Columbia TriStar Home Video

Production Co: TriStar Pictures

Sound Mix: Surround

Cast & Crew

Cuba Gooding Jr.

Rod Tidwell

Renée Zellweger

Dorothy Boyd

Kelly Preston

Avery Bishop

Jerry O'Connell

Frank Cushman

Regina King

Marcee Tidwell

Bonnie Hunt

Laurel Boyd

Jonathan Lipnicki

Todd Louiso

Chad the Nanny

Mark Pellington

Bill Dooler

Dennis Wilburn

Cameron Crowe

Bridget Johnson

Executive Producer

Richard Sakai

Laurence Mark

James L. Brooks

Original Music

Nancy Wilson

Kurt Cobain

Janusz Kaminski

Cinematographer

Joe Hutshing

Film Editing

David Moritz

Stephen J. Lineweaver

Production Design

Clayton Hartley

Art Director

Virginia L. Randolph

Clay A. Griffith

Set Decoration

Betsy Heimann

Costume Design

News & Interviews for Jerry Maguire

Naomie Harris’ Five Favorite Films

Deadpool , Life Writers Rhett Rheese & Paul Wernick’s Five Favorite Films

Cameron Crowe’s Five Favorite Films

Critic Reviews for Jerry Maguire

Audience reviews for jerry maguire.

Centering a dramedy around a character's paradigm shift is nothing new (nor was it new in 1996), but "Jerry Maguire" succeeds in being somewhat more original in how it presents the near impossibility of that kind of change. The ending may be a little too optimistic, but just about everything else that precedes it has a maturity and thoughtfulness you don't often get in films of this kind.

It was so heart warming that it burnt out a fourth star on the rating. A good premise and early start but this film ultimately get mired in faux sentimentality. You can see why the Oscar voters loved it.

"Show me the money!" From writer/director Cameron Crowe comes the touching romantic comedy Jerry Maguire. When a crisis of conscience costs a sports agent his job, he's forced to start over again with a single client and a plucky assistant who believes in his cause. Tom Cruise, Renee Zellweger, and Cuba Gooding Jr. lead the cast and give solid performances. The writing is also pretty good, and stays away from the usual tropes of sports films and romantic comedies. Still, there are some extraneous elements and weaknesses in the plot. A sincere and entertaining film, Jerry Maguire is heartwarming and fun.

Cameron Crowe's films always seemed to have a certain, personal atmosphere that emphasizes on human emotion, and its characters. I find his work to be quite underrated, and manage to always make some great, entertaining movies that have great meaning. With Jerry Maguire is a great film that boasts a well crafted story, and has some great performances from its lead actors, Tom Cruise and Renee Zellwegger. The film has some effective comedy elements mixed in with its dramatic elements, and add to that some great performances and engaging story, and you have a film that memorable from start to finish, and is one of Cameron Crowe's best films. I was skeptical about seeing this film, and I never wanted to really give it a chance, but I'm glad I did. Tom Cruise does some great work, and makes the film what it is. This film surprised me, and definitely exceeded my expectations. If you enjoy Cameron Crowes work, then you're going to enjoy this film. The story is well crafted and highly engaging from start to finish. Every actor here delivers top notch performances that make the film what it is. Jerry Maguire successfully blends two genres into film, effective comic relief and great dramatic moments rounds out the film to make something very enjoyable and is a movie well worth your time if you' want something humorous , yet serious at the same time. This is a near perfect film, one that is directed by a director who knows how to make terrific drama films because he makes them in a way that is quite personal, and it succeeds on many levels.

Movie & TV guides

Play Daily Tomato Movie Trivia

Discover What to Watch

Rotten Tomatoes Podcasts

Tom Cruise’s 16 Best Performances: From ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ to ‘Magnolia’

By Clayton Davis

Clayton Davis

Senior Awards Editor

• Prime Video Eyes Big Emmy Push for ‘Expats’ With Nicole Kidman, Ji-young Yoo and 24 Awards Submissions (EXCLUSIVE) 4 days ago
• ‘Challengers’ Courts Oscar Buzz as Zendaya Looks to Net Her First Best Actress Nom 5 days ago
• ‘Fallout’ Sets Emmys Campaign: Walton Goggins and Ella Purnell Go for Lead Drama, Aaron Moten Submits for Supporting (EXCLUSIVE) 6 days ago

With six decades around the sun, Tom Cruise still feels the need for speed and has crafted himself into one of the most successful and undeniably talented movie stars of his generation.

Variety is ranking his 15 best film performances to celebrate the actor’s 60th birthday.

With a breakthrough that started in the coming-of-age film “Risky Business” (1983), the Syracuse, N.Y.-born actor became a darling of Hollywood and consumer audiences around the world. As Joseph Kosinski’s “Top Gun: Maverick” still goes strong, making more than half a billion dollars domestically, Cruise has continued to etch himself into the cultural zeitgeist, crossing multiple generations.

Also a producer, Cruise has continued to elevate the entertainment medium with the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, which began in 1995. With five very successful sequels and two more on the way, he continues to push the boundaries for himself as a fearless stuntman and an advocate for the silver screen.

A career that only the most daring actors and creatives can dream of, Cruise has worked alongside two best actor winners — Paul Newman (“The Color of Money”) and Dustin Hoffman (“Rain Man”) — and has earned himself three Oscar nominations in “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989), “Jerry Maguire” (1996) and “Magnolia” (1999). But it hasn’t been about the accolades for Cruise. In May 2021, he returned his three Golden Globe Awards after the expose on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of diversity, specifically no Black members.

Cruise’s films have grossed over $10 billion dollars worldwide and there are no signs of slowing down. Will he ever win a coveted Oscar? That remains to be seen, but the narrative is there if the Academy rewards an upcoming project.

Read Variety’s list of Tom Cruise’s best performances below:

Honorable mentions : “Far and Away” (1992); “The Last Samurai” (2003); “Rock of Ages” (2012)

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Role: Major William Cage

Director: Doug Liman Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth Distributor: Warner Bros.

The scene that proves it: Getting the device from Brigham

Kicking ass, taking names, then rinse and repeat. A military major goes through a “Groundhog Day” loop but it’s Cruise that ensures it’s not a gimmick, slithering into each scene with charm, raw magnetism and wonderful chemistry with an awards-worthy Emily Blunt. The science-fiction drama has been all too undervalued. Doug Liman’s thriller shows more than special effects and explosions. It also presents capable and talented stars at the helm, which makes all the difference.

Risky Business (1983)

Role: Joel Goodson

Director: Paul Brickman Writer: Paul Brickman Distributor: Warner Bros.

The scene that proves it: Dancing to “Old Time Rock & Roll”

All it took was a button-down shirt, briefs and a Bob Seger track to make Tom Cruise one of the defining movie stars of his generation. In Paul Brickman’s directorial debut, Cruise’s turn in the teen comedy was as culturally massive as it was monetarily successful. With lots of praise also going to his co-star Rebecca DeMornay, this is just as enjoyable as any film that ranks in the listing.

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Role : Lieutenant Pete “Maverick” Mitchell

Director : Joseph Kosinski

Writers : Peter Craig, Justin Marks, Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie (based on characters created by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr.)

Distributor : Paramount Pictures

The scene that proves it : “Maverick’s Test Run”

Cruise’s 80s high-flying sequel feels like it saved the movies. His return to “Maverick,” his beloved character has showmanship, charisma and the ability to shoot down planes with the enemy’s plane. Having great chemistry with his co-stars, particularly Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly, Cruise is only getting better as he gets older.

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Role: Lestat de Lioncourt

Director: Neil Jordan Writer: Anne Rice (based on “Interview with the Vampire” by Anne Rice) Distributor: Warner Bros.

The scene that proves it: “Claudia, you’ve been a very, naughty little girl.”

As the sinister and entrancing Lestat, Cruise hypnotized the audience with his soft-spoken flirtations with the living while persuading them to join the undead. Alongside memorable turns from Brad Pitt and a young Kirsten Dunst, Neil Jordan’s horror adaptation of the Anne Rice novel is still a popular selection.

The Firm (1993)

Role: Mitch McDeere

Director: Sydney Pollack Writers: David Rabe, Robert Towne, David Rayfiel (based on “The Firm” by John Grisham) Distributor: Paramount Pictures

The scene that proves it: “Did you ever think I would make a six-figure salary?”

Sydney Pollack’s invigorating legal thriller boasts an all-star cast and a dynamic Cruise as lawyer Mitch McDeere. While also featuring my personal favorite Tom Cruise signature run as he chases down his movie wife Jeanne Tripplehorn, the adaptation of the John Grisham novel was a box office success and even pulled in an acting nom for his co-star Holly Hunter.

Mission: Impossible (1995)

Role: Ethan Hunt

Director: Brian De Palma Writers: David Koepp, Robert Towne, Steven Zaillian (based on “Mission: Impossible” by Bruce Geller) Distributor: Paramount Pictures

The scene that proves it: “You’ve never seen me upset.”

The spy thriller from Brian De Palma still holds up almost 30 years later. Likewise, the action franchise that’s still going (with two more films on the way) keeps on delivering, thanks to Tom Cruise.

The cinematic remake of the classic television series has spawned multiple territories, generating massive revenue and showing Cruise’s defining action star beats, jaw-dropping stunts and magical smiles that have a way with the ladies as Ethan Hunt.

Keep dropping from those ceilings, Tom.

Rain Man (1988)

Role: Charlie Babbitt

Director: Barry Levinson Writers: Barry Morrow, Ronald Bass Distributor: MGM/UA

The scene that proves it: “You’re the Rain Man?”

The best picture winner of his arsenal, alongside an Oscar-winning turn from Dustin Hoffman, the film stands as one that hindsight has allowed us to rediscover as one of the bright spots of his filmography. If only Oscar were willing to recognize two leading actors as they did earlier that decade with “Amadeus.” Cruise would have made a fine addition.

Collateral (2004)

Role: Vincent

Director: Michael Mann Writer: Stuart Beattie Distributor: DreamWorks Pictures

The scene that proves it: Searching in the club.

At best a co-lead to Jamie Foxx (who was nominated for best supporting actor in one of the most recent cases of category fraud), Cruise’s silver fox Vincent in Michael Mann’s thriller is an underrated delivery. He sends chills down the spine, moving like a shark through a club and listening to his prey with a mischievous grin. He keeps us at the edge of our seats, before finally allowing us to exhale by the end of the credits.

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Role: Bill Harford

Director: Stanley Kubrick Writers: Stanley Kubrick, Frederic Raphael (based on “Traumnovelle” by Arthur Schnitzler) Distributor: Warner Bros.

The scene that proves it: Listening to the story about Cape Cod.

Under the thumb of Stanley Kubrick and his final outing with his then-wife, Nicole Kidman, Cruise dives into the erotic drama that feels among the actor’s bravest character outings. Marking the last directorial outing of Kubrick, you can feel the ripple of his legacy hanging on the words of each of Cruise and Kidman’s interactions or in the defined stare as one pours their heart out to another.

Top Gun (1986)

Director : Tony Scott

Writers : Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr. (based on “Top Guns” by Ehud Yonay

The scene that proves it : Tossing Goose’s dog tags.

Cruise feels the need… the need for speed in Tony Scott’s pulse-pounding action flick — a cemented classic in the 1980s. His undeniable charisma led to the following post-release and now has the global cinematic world taking in its sequel “Maverick” to more than half a billion dollars. There’s always been something about Maverick tossing Goose’s (Anthony Edwards) dog tags overboard following his death that always struck a chord.

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Role: Les Grossman

Director: Ben Stiller Writers: Justin Theroux, Ben Stiller, Etan Cohen Distributor: Paramount Pictures / DreamWorks Pictures

The scene that proves it: “G5”

It’s a transformation of epic proportions in Ben Stiller’s classic comedy. While Robert Downey Jr. received the lion’s share of praise, earning an Oscar nom for supporting actor, Cruise could only muster a Golden Globe nom for his turn as Hollywood producer Les Grossman. Screaming one-liners and a dance finale that still makes the world chuckle, it stands as his single best comedic outing.

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Role: Jerry Maguire

Director: Cameron Crowe Writer: Cameron Crowe Distributor: Sony Pictures

The scene that proves it: “You complete me.”

Writer and director Cameron Crowe pulled a movie star performance out of Tom Cruise for his sports agent dramedy. As the titular character, he lights up the screen with his Oscar-winning co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. and the Oscar-snubbed Renée Zellweger in a finale that had people quoting it for decades. And let’s not forget “Show me the money” and its stapled place in movie history.

A Few Good Men (1992)

Role: Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee

Director: Rob Reiner Writer: Aaron Sorkin (based on “A Few Good Men” by Aaron Sorkin) Distributor: Columbia Pictures

The scene that proves it: “I want the truth…”

Cruise is entitled to answers in Rob Reiner’s courtroom drama, maneuvering prominent personalities and moments alongside Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack. Although nominated for best picture, Cruise’s work was passed over in lead actor. His defender of marines standing trial, under the words of Aaron Sorkin and one of his finest writing efforts, Cruise soars to new heights.

Minority Report (2002)

Role: John Anderton

Director: Steven Spielberg Writers: Scott Frank, Jon Cohen (based on “The Minority Report” by Philip K. Dick) Distributor: 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)

The scene that proves it: Listening to Abigail about Sean’s life.

It’s a quiet and commanding standout in Cruise’s filmography when looking back on Cruise’s work in Steven Spielberg’s futuristic drama. However, as John Anderton, a police officer trying to clear his name for a murder he has yet to commit, it’s Cruise’s precise choice of listening to Abigail (played by a magnificent Samantha Morton) that breaks the heart in two.

Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Role: Ron Kovic

Director: Oliver Stone Writers: Oliver Stone, Ron Kovic (based on “Born on the Fourth of July” by Kovic) Distributor: Universal Pictures

The scene that proves it: “I love America.”

Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone introduced what Cruise could achieve beyond sliding floors and jet planes. His Vietnam veteran spans years, with each chapter feeling authentic and layered. The film was nominated for best picture and earned Cruise his first Oscar nom for best actor.

Magnolia (1999)

Role: Frank T.J. Mackey

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson Distributor: New Line Cinema

The scene that proves it: “I hate you.”

Pouring in every ounce of himself, Cruise’s Oscar-nominated performance is (currently) the last time he’s been recognized by the Academy, and it stands as his finest hour in Paul Thomas Anderson’s mosaic drama. Full of life, energy and heartache, he invites the viewer on the journey, fearless in his interpretation and perfect in his execution.

More From Our Brands

Jon stewart on trump’s reported court naps: ‘so many crimes, you get bored’, nascar legend tony stewart relists his 415-acre indiana ranch for $22.5 million, angel reese gets drafted 7th by wnba’s chicago sky, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, the ncis-verse’s 1,000th episode: how many easter eggs did you find, verify it's you, please log in.

• Tickets & Showtimes
• Trending on RT

All Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer

Top Gun: Maverick is back in theaters for Rotten Tomatoes’ 25th anniversary screening series at AMC — get tickets now !

From his teen idol days in the early ’80s to his status as a marquee-lighting leading man today, Tom Cruise has consistently done it all for decades — he’s completed impossible missions, learned about Wapner time in Rain Man , driven the highway to the danger zone in Top Gun , and done wonders for Bob Seger’s royalty statements in Risky Business , to offer just a few examples. Mr. Cruise is one of the few honest-to-goodness film stars left in the Hollywood firmament, so whether you’re a hardcore fan or just interested in a refresher course on his filmography, we’re here to take a fond look back at a truly impressive career and rank all Tom Cruise movies.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) 97%

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) 96%

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) 96%

Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation (2015) 94%

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) 93%

Risky Business (1983) 92%

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) 91%

Minority Report (2002) 89%

Rain Man (1988) 88%

The Color of Money (1986) 88%

Collateral (2004) 86%

Born on the Fourth of July (1989) 84%

American Made (2017) 85%

A Few Good Men (1992) 84%

Jerry Maguire (1996) 84%

Magnolia (1999) 82%

Tropic Thunder (2008) 82%

Eyes Wide Shut (1999) 75%

The Firm (1993) 76%

War of the Worlds (2005) 76%

Mission: Impossible III (2006) 71%

The Outsiders (1983) 70%

Taps (1981) 68%

Mission: Impossible (1996) 66%

The Last Samurai (2003) 66%

Interview With the Vampire (1994) 63%

Jack Reacher (2012) 64%

All the Right Moves (1983) 61%

Valkyrie (2008) 62%

Top Gun (1986) 57%

Mission: Impossible II (2000) 56%

Oblivion (2013) 54%

Knight and Day (2010) 52%

Far and Away (1992) 50%

Rock of Ages (2012) 42%

Vanilla Sky (2001) 43%

Legend (1985) 42%

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) 38%

Days of Thunder (1990) 38%

Lions for Lambs (2007) 27%

Losin' It (1982) 18%

The Mummy (2017) 15%

Cocktail (1988) 9%

Related news.

The 100 Best Movies Over 3 Hours Long, Ranked

Awards Leaderboard: Top Movies of 2023

All 96 Best Picture Winners, Ranked by Tomatometer

More Countdown

25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming

30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming

Nicolas Cage Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer

Movie & TV News

Featured on rt.

20 Special Presentations and Guest Appearances to Check Out at the 2024 TCM Classic Film Festival

April 15, 2024

Weekend Box Office Results: Civil War Earns Highest Opening Weekend for A24

Top Headlines

• 25 Most Popular TV Shows Right Now: What to Watch on Streaming –
• 30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming –
• Nicolas Cage Movies, Ranked by Tomatometer –
• Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch –
• Best TV Shows of 2024: Best New Series to Watch Now –
• Best Movies of 2024: Best New Movies to Watch Now –

Every Tom Cruise Movie from the 1990s, Ranked

Some of Tom Cruise's best work as an actor was during the 1990s. Here are all his films from that decade, ranked.

Tom Cruise has been a movie star since the late '80s, but it was in the '90s when he played some of his more memorable roles, both as a box office star, but also as an actor who wasn’t afraid to play some unique, not always good characters. Here’s every Tom Cruise movie from the 1990s, ranked.

9 Far and Away (1992)

Far and Away tells the story of Irish immigrants who move to America for a better life. Joseph (Cruise) is poor, and Shannon (at the time, his real-life girlfriend, Nicole Kidman) is rich, and yet they fall in love while also being participants in the Cherokee Strip Land Run of 1893.

The film has some great shots, taking as much opportunity as possible to show the incredible hills and vistas around, and Ron Howard directed the film, but it still falls flat. The Irish accents of both leads don’t help their performances at all, in a movie that now is almost forgotten.

8 Days of Thunder (1990)

Days of Thunder was one of the first movies to explore the deadly sport of car racing and reunited Cruise with his Top Gun director, Tony Scott. The film isn’t great, other than giving some cheap thrills on the racing track, and two fun performances from Robert Duvall as Cruise’s mentor, and Nicole Kidman as his love interest.

7 Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles has one of the things Cruise hasn’t done enough, being the bad guy as Lestat. When he was cast in this Neil Jordan film, most people, including the writer of the novel, Anne Rice, thought it was a mistake, but Cruise won them over. His interpretation of Lestat as a sad, bored-to-death, lonely brat, who decides to create a buddy for himself in Louis (Brad Pitt), is a unique way to see the character.

Even then, it’s a young Kirsten Dunst who almost steals the show, as a girl who is transformed and stays physically as a kid while her psyche is getting older. The film also had Christian Slater and Antonio Banderas in its cast, making it one of the most interesting assembled back then.

6 The Firm (1993)

Back in the '90s, a John Grisham adaptation was as big office success as superheroes are now, that’s why it was big news when Cruise got cast as the lead in The Firm . The thriller tells the story of Mitch McDeere (Cruise), a tax lawyer who starts working for a firm in Memphis until he discovers they’re laundering money for one of the biggest crime families in the nation.

Cruise is great as the charismatic, idealist lead, and has fun cat-and-mouse-like chemistry with a villainous Gene Hackman. In the movie with an incredible cast, not only Cruise and Hackman appear, but also Jeanne Tripplehorn, Hal Holbrook, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, David Strathairn, Gary Busey , and Wilford Brimley.

5 Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Eyes Wide Shut was the last film Stanley Kubrick ever directed and had, at its center, Tom Cruise and his then-real wife Nicole Kidman. Alice (Kidman) tells Dr. Bill (Cruise) that she fantasized about cheating on him with another man, and that’s enough for Bill to explore his darkest nature in the New York underground, which gives the film most of its plot. Kubrick died before he could finish editing the whole thing, and yet the many layers of the film about marriage, love, and desire are still visible.

Both actors give great performances, but it’s Cruise's humiliated husband who decides to challenge his whole life after his wife’s confession that’s fascinating, as this character was very different from his usual roles . This film is also the reason Cruise didn’t do more films in the '90s, as they spent three years shooting it with one of the most perfectionist directors ever.

Related: These Strange Romance Movies Redefine Loving Relationships, For Better or Worse

4 Jerry Maguire (1996)

Jerry Maguire was a surprising hit for Cruise, and everyone involved (it also had breakout roles from Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr.,) playing a character that started pretty despicable and becomes a little bit better as the movie goes along. The film had a lasting legacy , as some of its best quotes are still used (and parodied) today. The movie used the underdog theme to tell a story about sports, family, working with the ones you love, and much more. Cruise’s Maguire shows a more human side of the actor, one where he’s always one step away from losing everything, and yet the most vulnerable he allows himself to be, the most things go well for him.

About how much Cruise wanted to do the film, director Cameron Crowe told Deadline : “My first conversation with Tom after he read the script, he said, I’ll fly out there. I’ll sit down. I’ll read for you. You tell me if you think I’m right for the part. He asked to audition. He came out, we sat and talked, and he said, well, let’s read this thing. He read the script out loud with Jim and me.”

3 Mission: Impossible (1996)

It’s crazy to think about it now, but the original Mission: Impossible was released 27 years ago, and it was the start of an incredible action franchise that, for some, has even replaced the James Bond movies as their action go-to. The saga has the best Cruise action movies by a mile, and all started with this one, and its memorable sequence where Cruise is trying to get information in a disc without touching the floor.

Brian De Palma delivered an action-packed, tense, thriller, with a couple of scenes that are still memorable (the one mentioned before, and the first scene in the film where most of Ethan’s team is killed, including Emilio Estevez in a cameo). All these years later, Cruise (and Ethan) are still working with their inseparable Ving Rhames (and Luther), who also had his first appearance here.

2 A Few Good Men (1992)

A Few Good Men was Aaron Sorkin’s first script ever shot, as it started as his play, and it showed, making every character interesting, and having some tense, court scenes. The play that became the movie was based on a true story . Cruise plays Lt. Daniel Kaffee, the cocky, smart military lawyer investigating a death at Guantánamo Bay.

The actor shows all the attitude and charisma that had made him a movie star, and the script has some incredible lines he gets to deliver perfectly. Cruise was so good in this film, that he was able to go toe-to-toe with non-other than Jack Nicholson in the court scene, where Nicholson has the famous “You can’t handle the truth!”

Related: These Are the Best Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked

1 Magnolia (1999)

Magnolia was Paul Thomas Anderson's third film, and for some, it’s still his best. Copying the structure of Robert Altman’s Short Cuts, the film tells many interconnected stories in Los Angeles, with an incredible cast, from Philip Seymour Hoffman to John C. Reilly, and has one of Julianne Moore’s best performances ever . Cruise plays Frank T.J. Mackey, a misogynistic guru who tells other men how to seduce women.

It has one of Tom Cruise’s most essential movie moments , but what makes this role so good is how broken the character is at the end when he sees his father one last time. Cruise has become a stuntman more than an actor in the last few years, and that’s a shame as in movies like this, he proves how much he could as an actor interested in character more than in action. Luckily enough, his films in the '90s were always about that first.

The 10 Best Tom Cruise Movies, Ranked

He can be our wingman any time..

Ever since exploding onto the scene in the 1980s, Tom Cruise has remained one of the most popular actors in Hollywood. His personal life was once constant tabloid fodder, but in theaters Cruise always managed to keep us entertained. Whether he's shooting down Russian MIGs, running from or toward danger, or just being handsome and charming, Cruise rarely disappoints.

We figured the time had come to take a look at Cruise's prolific career and pick out his best films. From early efforts like Rain Man to '90s classics like A Few Good Men to more recent favorites such as Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Edge of Tomorrow, these are the movies any self-respecting Tom Cruise fan needs to see.

In the interest of keeping this Tom Cruise Top 10 lean and mean we've decided to only pick the best film from franchise s - the one that best represents Cruise's strengths as an actor.

Top 10 Tom Cruise Movies

10. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Where to Watch: Hulu, Max

One of Tom Cruise's best action movies -- with a name that got overtaken by the tagline, so that the home/digital release has this as Live. Die. Repeat.: Edge of Tomorrow -- takes the classic Cruise formula of "a***hole who gets humbled and redeemed" and cranked it up to 11, having his cowardly Major William Cage die countless deaths as he Groundhog Day's his way through a last-ditch battle against an alien invasion. With the help of a soldier who previously had his reset-the-day power, played by Emily Blunt, Cage transforms from meek to mighty, becoming a super solider who can not only act like a one man army but also crack the mystery of the alien horde's one weakness. Edge of Tomorrow, from director Doug Limon, is a thrilling, creative, and funny take on the time loop genre, with Cruise at his best.

Read our review of Edge of Tomorrow .

9. Minority Report (2002)

Where to Watch: Paramount+

Philip K. Dick was nothing if not a prolific science fiction writer. It's no surprise that so many of his short stories and novels have been fodder for movie adaptations over the years. But Minority Report stands out as one of the few that stuck close to the source material. Even the title stayed the same, which is more than we can say for films like Total Recall and Blade Runner.

In this futuristic sci-fi tale, Cruise plays John Anderton, the chief of a new police division called Precrime. Using a trio of psychically-inclined mutants called Precogs, Precrime is able to arrest criminals before they commit crimes. But when Anderton finds his name is next on the list, he's forced to go rogue and attempt to clear his name before he winds up committing murder.

It's a great premise that allowed for plenty of suspenseful action and scenes of Cruise running, which was becoming more and more his shtick by that point. The biggest change Minority Report made to the source material was in giving viewers a more youthful, attractive protagonist, and we didn't hear anyone complaining about that particular edit. Under Steven Spielberg's direction, Minority Report offered a thoughtful, eye-catching look at the future that was probably more precog than we'd like to believe.

8. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Where to Watch: Prime Video, Paramount+

It's pretty rare for a franchise to maintain its quality by the time it reaches the fourth installment. Heck, a lot of franchises fall apart once the first sequel hits and it becomes a franchise in the first place. T he Mission: Impossible series is the rare exception. Most fans would agree that the third and fourth films are the best in the series. We're inclined to put the fourth on top, but there's certainly a case to be made for M:I III as well.

Ghost Protocol upped the ante by putting Cruise's Ethan Hunt and his fellow IMF agents on the wrong side of the law. There was a new sense of desperation to their mission as they worked both to save the day and clear their names in the wake of a terrorist attack on the Kremlin. Ghost Protocol boats some of the finest action sequences in the history of the franchise, including Hunt's death-defying climb up a skyscraper in Dubai. Cruise has a habit of throwing himself into his action roles and performing many of his own stunts. That devotion/insanity really elevated Ghost Protocol. The movie also proved that director Brad Bird has a knack for live-action films as well as animated ones. It's little wonder he's on just about everyone's short list to direct a Star Wars movie.

Read our review of Mission: Impossible .

7. Magnolia (1999)

It's rare to see a Tom Cruise movie where the actor isn't front and center the entire time. But Cruise tried something a little different when he joined the cast of Paul Thomas Anderson's 1999 drama Magnolia . Here, Cruise was one of nine main characters whose stories intertwined in the sort of complex narrative Anderson does so well. Cruise played Frank T.J. Mackey, a handsome but slightly sleazy pitchman for an infomercial about getting laid. It was a much more successful foray into the realm of sex and perversion than Cruise's previous role in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

Between the ensemble cast and much-maligned three-hour run-time, Magnolia struggled to find an audience at theaters. But as with pretty much every P.T. Anderson film, it had no trouble with critics. In terms of Cruise's role specifically, many likened it to the revitalizing change of pace John Travolta found when he starred in Pulp Fiction. Every so often we need a reminder that Cruise can break the mold, and Magnolia certainly proved that much.

6. Collateral (2004)

Where to Watch: Paramount+, Hoopla

Cruise has pretty much earned his doctorate in playing attractive, charming leading men at this point. We imagine sometimes even the most hardcore Cruise fans want to see the actor break the mold and play the bad guy for a change. Collateral wasn't the first time Cruise switched to the dark side, but it is his most memorable effort.

That's not to say the usual Cruise charm wasn't still dialed up to 11 for this movie. Collateral paired Cruise with Jamie Foxx. The latter played, Max, a humble LA cab driver with dreams of moving up in the world. The former played, Vincent, a dapper but ruthless hitman who enlisted the reluctant Max as his driver for a busy night of executions. Collateral showcased director Michael Mann's same strong visual style and love for the LA cityscape that was so apparent in Heat two decades earlier. And Cruise and Foxx enjoyed an intense dynamic as the night wore on and Max's situation became increasingly desperate. Maybe Cruise didn't veer as far from his usual self as he could have in this role, but it was still fun to see his dangerous, unhinged side slip through.

5. Rain Man (1988)

Where to Watch: Paramount+, MGM+, Fubo

Throughout the '80s, Cruise had developed a reputation for starring in comedies and action films, always playing similar shades of the same charming, attractive, capable leading man. But in 1989, Rain Man came along and finally established that Cruise had potential as a dramatic actor too.

Cruise's character was actually a pretty big jerk in the early scenes of this movie. Here, Cruise played Charlie Babbitt, a flashy car dealer who mistreats just about everybody in his life. But after discovering the autistic brother he never knew (played by Dustin Hoffman in perhaps his most iconic performance), Charlie begins a journey of personal growth and maturation. Though Charlie initially tries to exploit his brother's superhuman memory and math skills for profit, he grows to care deeply for Raymond. From there, the movie explores the ethical dilemma of Raymond's situation. Is it better for Charlie to care for his brother and provide him with a real family, or return him to the mental institution where he's lived much of his adult life?

Hoffman was perhaps the more visible actor in this project, but it was really Charlie's story in the end. Cruise brought just the right blend of charm, arrogance, and emotional range to the plate, and he nailed the role.

4. A Few Good Men (1992)

Where to Watch: AMC+

Like a number of Tom Cruise movies, A Few Good Men has that one iconic scene that everybody knows, even if they've never actually watched the entire thing. In this case it's the climactic courtroom showdown between Cruise and Jack Nicholson, where the latter insists, "You can't handle the truth!"

In this movie (which writer Aaron Sorkin adapted from his stage play), Cruise plays a hotshot J.A.G. attorney named Daniel Kaffee. Kaffee is paired with the overzealous investigator JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) to defend two Marines accused of murdering a fellow Corpsman, one who had apparently been prepared to blow the whistle on an international incident at Guantanamo Bay. Pulling the strings of the increasingly dark conspiracy behind the killing is the virulent Colonel Nathan Jessup (Nicholson).

Elements of Cruise's usual leading man persona were still in full force with this role. Kaffee was very much the arrogant young hotshot who cared more for closing cases than seeking real justice. But the complicated courtroom drama and the Odd Couple dynamic between Kaffee and Galloway in this movie allowed his character to grow and Cruise to flex his dramatic muscle.

3. Jerry Maguire (1996)

"Show me the money!"

"You had me at hello."

There certainly isn't a more quotable Tom Cruise movie than Jerry Maguire . In this slightly odd combination of romantic comedy and sports drama, Cruise plays the title character, a professional sports agent who suddenly develops a conscience about the often amoral practices of his industry. It's a move that's good for his self-esteem and bad for his career. But over the course of the movie, Maguire finds new hope thanks to a single mother he falls in love with (Renee Zellweger) and an NFL star (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who may hold the key to putting his career back on track.

Cruise didn't veer that far from the norm in this role, but Jerry Maguire was a movie that suited his on-screen charisma and handsome looks well. The movie was arguably the peak of Gooding Jr's career, netting him an Oscar win and paving the way for such choice fare as Snow Dogs and Daddy Day Care.

2. Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Oliver Stone has made a number of questionable directing choices in recent years, but his career was at its height when he filmed his trilogy of films focused on the Vietnam War. Born on the Fourth of July is the second entry in this series, following 1986's Platoon and preceding 1993's Heaven & Earth. In this project, Cruise was tapped to play Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran whose autobiography served as the basis for the script. The movie traces Kovic's painful transition from idealistic young American to embattled soldier to wheelchair-bound anti-war activist.

More than any other movie in the '80s, this was the project that truly established Cruise's potential as an actor. Early on, Kovic is exactly the sort of handsome, charming character we expect from Cruise. But as Kovic becomes increasingly scarred by his experiences (physically and psychologically), we see Cruise tap into his darker side and present a much more tortured protagonist. Even 25 years later, this stands as one of his finest performances. The only reason he didn't walk home with an Oscar that year was because he was up against the juggernaut that is Daniel Day-Lewis.

1. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

In a previous incarnation of this list, 1986's Top Gun was in the number one spot. Well, in keeping with our rule of only including one movie from a franchise on the list -- the best entry from that franchise -- the top spot goes to Maverick now. There might be a touch of "recency bias" here, sure (though the list has films from all eras), Top Gun: Maverick is miraculous decades-later sequel that not only bests the original but thanks to its incredible legs in theaters wound up being Tom Cruise's top-grossing movie of all time, earning 1.5 billion worldwide. Everything has evolved here, from story to stunts to Cruise's acting chops. Maverick is emotional, entertaining, and stands as the perfect encapsulation of Cruise's career.

Read our review of Top Gun: Maverick .

Jesse is a writer for various IGN channels. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter , or Kicksplode on MyIGN .

In This Article

IGN Recommends

• Best Fountain Pens
• How to Smoke a Cigar
• Best nerf guns for adults
• The best Netflix movies
• Best Ernest Hemingway books

The 10 best Tom Cruise movies, ranked

Tom cruise is still providing great movies almost four decades into his career.

The term “movie star” is thrown around a little loosely these days. Actors appear in one big blockbuster, and suddenly they’re thrust into celebrity status for the foreseeable future. There are very few performers who have stood the test of time and created hits for decades. Sometimes, though, it works out. Tom Cruise fits this definition as well as any actor who’s ever lived.

Cruise puts his all into his performances and movies, doing a majority of the stunts himself without a body double and funding his films through his own production company. While he may not have the Academy Awards of Jack Nicholson or Al Pacino , he’s been arguably the defining actor of the action genre since the mid-1980s.

We’re here to help you sort out which Tom Cruise movies you should watch next to get the full picture of his career. From his early dramatic turns in legal dramas and sports pictures , to his franchise work in Top Gun and Mission: Impossible , there are plenty of options to enjoy the best Tom Cruise movies.

• Ranked: The 11 best Bill Murray movies ever
• The 12 best Jeff Bridges movies, ranked
• The best shows on Paramount Plus to binge in April

10. Jack Reacher (2012)

Amazon Prime Video released its TV adaptation of the famous Lee Child novels to sufficient acclaim in 2022, but Tom Cruise was the first actor to take on the role of Jack Reacher in this fun and flashy 2012 flick. Some hardcore fans of the franchise were unhappy about the casting choice of the hero, as Cruise doesn’t physically fit the description of the hulking protagonist from the books . Still, it’s hard to argue against Cruise starring in a film in which the main character shoots the bad guys and saves the day.

9. Vanilla Sky (2001)

8. the firm (1993), 7. war of the worlds (2005).

This film is one of the most famous adaptations of the classic alien invasion story by H.G. Wells. Stephen Spielberg directed this special effects spectacle and placed Tom Cruise exquisitely in the lead role. Cruise plays a protective father very well here, adding some human substance to a film that often gets critiqued for its overreliance on computer-generated imagery. This was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2005.

6. Tropic Thunder (2008)

5. born on the fourth of july (1989), 4. mission: impossible - rogue nation (2015), 3. top gun: maverick (2022).

We could have chosen the original Top Gun film here, but the most recent sequel is an even better Tom Cruise blockbuster than the classic 1980s hit. Cruise reprises his role as Pete Mitchell in all of his action-packed, perfectly shot glory. Top Gun: Maverick is, surprisingly, the highest-grossing film of Cruise’s career, which in itself is a testament to his longevity and devotion to summer movie fun.

2. Jerry Maguire (1996)

1. rain man (1988), editors' recommendations.

• The 11 best Clint Eastwood movies (acted in and directed), ranked
• The 16 best Netflix Original movies for you to watch right now
• The best Joaquin Phoenix movies, ranked
• The best movies on Paramount Plus to stream in April
• The best Tim Burton movies of all time, ranked
• The Best Shows and Movies to Stream on Netflix Right Now

Disney is arguably the most iconic entertainment brand in the world. The company's properties, both original and acquired, combine to produce content that transcends age demographics. Disney has built a brand that's beloved by children, and those children eventually age into adults who introduce their kids to the films they loved when they were young. Disney's animation alone has made it iconic, but in recent years, the company has also acquired some of the biggest pieces of intellectual property there are. And, with Disney Plus available on any device, you can watch all these movies whenever you want.

Between its acquisitions of both Marvel and Star Wars, there's a good chance that whatever you love is being shepherded to screens both large and small by Disney. When they launched Disney+, the company was sure to fill it with both those nostalgic animated classics and plenty of new stuff as well. It's meant to be a streaming service for all ages, which is why the selection of movies available there is so diverse. These Disney Plus movies will make you laugh and cry and leave you eager for a rewatch. Here's a look at the best movies on Disney Plus.

When computer company Apple announced that it was getting into the streaming TV game, there were plenty of people who were skeptical about the company's ability to pull it off. Why would the tech giant, which is most known for the Macintosh and the iPhone, have any credibility in making television shows? It doesn't seem the two ideas would mesh in any meaningful way, but in the years since Apple TV Plus launched, the company has come up with some pretty impressive original shows, and it picked up a Best Picture Oscar on top of that. What's even more impressive is that these Apple TV shows and movies run the gamut from comedy to drama, and are all set in wildly different and imaginative places. Apple may be best known for making great phones, but it turns out it knows how to tell pretty interesting stories, too. These Apple TV movies and shows are the cream of the crop and the best on this streaming service. If you're looking for more great stuff to stream, you should also check out our lists of the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, and the best shows on Disney Plus.

Masters of the Air (2024)

Even if you've picked a streaming service, it can be impossible to narrow down what you're really looking for. If you've run out of the best Netflix movies and Netflix original series to watch, you'll need to find somewhere else to turn. Fortunately, Netflix is far from the only game in town. Anyone who uses Amazon Prime to get packages delivered to them quickly also has access to a library of fairly impressive shows and movies.

• Stranger Things Season 5
• Deadpool and Wolverine
• The Batman 2
• Spider-Man 4
• Yellowstone Season 6
• Entertainment

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

7 best Tom Cruise 1990s movies, ranked

For 40 years, Tom Cruise  has been one of Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. From heartbreaking monologues to death-defying stunts, Cruise has been lighting up the big screen since he slid across the floor in Risky Business . At 61, Cruise has no plans of slowing down, with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two hitting theaters in 2025.

7. Days of Thunder (1990)

6. the firm (1993), 5. eyes wide shut (1999), 4. a few good men (1992), 3. magnolia (1999), 2. mission: impossible (1996), 1. jerry maguire (1996).

Cruise went from budding star to acting icon in the 1990s as he starred in nine films from 1990-1999. Several of Cruise’s films during the 1990s feature some of the actor’s finest work, and he even scored two Oscar nominations. From charming dramedies to action tentpoles, Cruise did it all in the 1990s. Below, we rank Cruise’s seven best films of the decade.

Cruise mastered playing the young, cocky hotshot in Top Gun . Cole Trickle falls under the same archetype in Days of Thunder . After dominating in open-wheel racing, Cole jumps to NASCAR, where he quickly forms a rivalry with veteran champion Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). After a crash sidelines them with injuries, Cole and Rowdy put their differences aside and become friends. Cole also romances Dr. Claire Lewicki, played by Cruise’s future wife (now ex-wife) Nicole Kidman. 

• 7 best Adam Sandler movies of the 1990s, ranked
• 10 best anime movies of the 1990s
• 5 Tom Cruise movies you need to watch in August

Days of Thunder is not as good as Top Gun , but it’s still a fun sports movie with good racing sequences and a flashy Cruise performance. Fun fact: Days of Thunder is Cruise’s only writing credit. Cruise received a story credit along with Robert Towne, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter.

Stream Days of Thunder on Paramount+ .

Considering he’s played lawyers in multiple movies, I wonder if Cruise ever wanted to seek a career in law if acting didn’t work out. Luckily for Cruise, he chose the right profession. In The Firm , Cruise plays Mitch McDeere, a promising Harvard Law School graduate who takes a job with a prestigious firm in Memphis. The firm introduces Mitch to a life of wealth and power. However, the long hours strain his marriage with his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn).

Mitch accidentally discovers the firm’s illegal activities, from money laundering to tax fraud and murder. Approached by the FBI to flip on his associates, Mitch knows he’s a dead man if he helps the authorities. Cruise’s fiery persona and star power are a winning combination in Sydney Pollack’s cat-and-mouse legal thriller. The Firm also inspired Cruise’s lifelong mission to become an elite runner .

Stream The Firm on Paramount+ .

Looking at how Cruise gravitated toward action in the 21st century, Eyes Wide Shut was one of the actor’s biggest risks. Stanley Kubrick’s final film stars Cruise as Bill Harford, a doctor who is stunned to learn that his wife, Alice (Nicole Kidman), has sexual fantasies about sleeping with other men. Jealous, Bill sets out to look for a sexual encounter.

Bill meets with his old friend, Nick Nightingale (Todd Field), and learns about a masked sex party hosted by a secret society. After attending one of the parties, Bill realizes he’s in danger, leading him to rethink his intentions. Unfortunately for Cruise and Kidman, their real-life marriage ended a few years after this film, and when you read about the difficult production , it’s easy to speculate that it may have played a part. However, Eyes Wide Shut remains one of Cruise’s most vulnerable performances.

Rent Eyes Wide Shut  on Prime Video , YouTube , Apple , or Google .

Cruise starred as a JAG attorney in A Few Good Men. In the film directed by Rob Reiner and based on a script by Aaron Sorkin, Cruise plays Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, a lawyer tasked with defending two U.S. Marines accused of murdering another Marine on Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Kaffee assembles a team, including Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore), to mount a defense and prove the Marines were carrying out an order from a superior officer.

Cruise’s courtroom scenes are some of his finest acting moments. He brings the proper amount of intensity and ferocity to the courtroom, leading to the film’s climatic scene between Kaffee and Col. Nathan R. Jessup, played by Jack Nicholson . Cruise versus Nicholson in a courtroom , what’s better than that?

Rent A Few Good Men  on Prime Video , YouTube , Apple , or Google .

Magnolia has a lot of problems, but Cruise isn’t one of them. While Cruise was making Eyes Wide Shut , director Paul Thomas Anderson  met with Cruise to discuss working together on a future film. That film became Magnolia , with Cruise starring as Frank T.J. Mackey, a conceited motivational speaker and dating expert who teaches people that life is about “what you take.”

While the misogynistic speeches show Cruise’s comedic chops, the single best scene of his career is when Frank breaks down and weeps in front of his dying father. How the Academy watched that scene and didn’t award Cruise Best Supporting Actor is beyond me.

Stream Magnolia on Prime Video .

The role that has come to define Cruise for the last three decades is Ethan Hunt in Mission: Impossible . Ethan is an elite agent who works for the Impossible Mission Force (IMF), the secret government agency called upon for dangerous assignments. In Mission: Impossible , a failed mission that results in the death of several IMF agents forces Ethan to go on the run as the government deems him the prime suspect.

Forced to clear his name, Ethan assembles a new team to infiltrate the CIA building and steal an electronic list that could prove his innocence. By 1996, Cruise mostly did dramas with a few action films mixed in. However, the success of Mission: Impossible kicked off Cruise’s run as a global action star who is not afraid to push himself to the absolute limit, even if that means driving a motorcycle off a cliff.

Stream Mission: Impossible on Paramount+ or Prime Video .

Jerry Maguire is Cruise’s magnum opus. Everything we love about Cruise, from his natural charisma and infectious smile to his exuberant energy and undying passion, is channeled into the football dramedy Jerry Maguire . Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, Jerry Maguire stars Cruise as a sports agent who quits his high-profile agency to start his own management firm, so he can focus on stronger relationships with fewer clients.

Jerry’s only client is Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a wide receiver in the NFL who wants Jerry to “show him the money.” Jerry’s only employee is Dorothy Boyd (Renee Zellweger), a single mother and eventual love interest. Cruise turns his movie star charm up to 10 in Jerry Maguire . And yes, Tom, you had us at hello, too.

Rent Jerry Maguire on Prime Video , YouTube , Apple , or Google .

Editors' Recommendations

• 7 best Jack Nicholson movies, ranked
• 10 best action movies of the 1990s
• 7 obscure sci-fi movies from the 1990s you need to watch right now
• The 7 best Tom Cruise action movies, ranked
• The best action scenes in the Mission: Impossible movies, ranked

In 1996, Tom Cruise starred in two movies. One of those movies, Jerry Maguire, earned the actor his second Oscar nomination. The other film was Mission: Impossible, a film that drastically changed the course of his career. As Ethan Hunt, Mission: Impossible elevated Cruise into a bonafide action star, as he started his transition from dramatic and comedic movies to more action and sci-fi films.

Thirty years later, the Mission: Impossible franchise remains one of the most consistent series in Hollywood. Mission: Impossible continues to raise the stakes with each entry as Cruise risks his life with each death-defying stunt, all in the name of entertainment. Before Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, we have a task for you to complete. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to read the Mission: Impossible movie rankings below and discover which one is the best in the series. Cue the theme song.

• Audio / Video

If you’re looking to cut the cord with your cable provider, but want to hang onto linear programming, one of the best cable TV alternatives is Hulu With Live TV. Billed as a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD), Hulu With Live TV provides many of the same features you’d find in a premium cable package, like DVR recording. You’ll also be able to access movies and shows that are available through the standard Hulu streaming service. Plus, you'll get Disney+ and ESPN+ on the house. 

There’s plenty to learn about Hulu With Live TV, and we’ve compiled all the most salient information into this helpful explainer. And do be sure to check back often: as Hulu With Live TV pricing and capabilities have been known to change in the blink of an eye.

Netflix is increasingly becoming a more compelling platform to watch the best anime. Alongside its usual live-action original content, the streamer's anime catalog is growing across film and TV. With such a diverse selection, seasoned and prospective fans are guaranteed to find something to pique their interest.

Still, Netflix's impressive selection of anime can make it tough to parse through. Thankfully, our anime guide streamlines the platform's offerings down to the highlights. This guide is also curated monthly to update fans on the best anime to watch on Netflix right now. If you want more options, check out our other guides to the best anime on Hulu and the best anime available on Amazon Prime Video.

• Celebrities
• Secret Invasion
• The Marvels
• Disney Plus
• Apple TV Plus
• Dwayne Johnson
• Brie Larson
• Ryan Reynolds
• The Witcher
• About & Advertising
• Privacy Policy

All Tom Cruise movies, in order

It’s difficult to pinpoint what Tom Cruise really means to the history of blockbuster cinema, not just for his astounding body of work, but also for the range he puts on display, whether it be historical epics, action blockbusters, or even sci-fi spectacles.

With four Academy Award nominations, a career spanning five decades, and movies grossing over $11.5 billion worldwide, Tom Cruise is a titan of Hollywood and all it stands for . In fact, one could go so far as to suggest that as far as movie stars go, they don’t make them like this anymore. Cruise has the charisma and looks that would make any actor a commercial darling, but his acting chops and infamously crazy stunts also make him stand out.

The legendary thespian can be an action hero in a Mission: Impossible movie and then follow it up with a heart-wrenching performance like Born on the Fourth of July . He can be the lovable Jerry Maguire and then be as chilling as Vincent is in 2004’s Collateral . You name the role, and the chameleon that he is, Tom Cruise will be there to give his 100% and make it work.

But how many movies has he been in, and how many of them have you seen? Let’s take a look at Tom Cruise’s filmography to get a better understanding of his enviable career.

All the movies Tom Cruise has starred in, broken up by decade

The beloved Hollywood icon began his work with Endless Love and Taps , both released in 1981, but his most significant role from that era undoubtedly goes to Maverick in Top Gun .

• Endless Love (1981)
• Taps (1981)
• The Outsiders (1983)
• Losin’ It (1983)
• Risky Business (1983)
• All the Right Moves (1983)
• Legend (1985)
• Top Gun (1986)
• The Color of Money (1986)
• Cocktail (1986)
• Rain Man (1988)
• Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Now a genuine movie star, Tom Cruise had his pick of projects, which led to possibly the best decade of his career and the main reason he is now a household name all over the world. Outstanding performances from A Few Good Men , Jerry Maguire , and Eyes Wide Shut alongside the start of his Mission: Impossible saga make the Tom Cruise movies from the 1990s the most enjoyable ones to watch.

• Days of Thunder (1990)
• Far and Away (1992)
• A Few Good Men (1992)
• The Firm (1993)
• Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)
• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Jerry Maguire (1996)
• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
• Magnolia (1999)

Tom Cruise continued his 90s success into the 2000s with the critically acclaimed Vanilla Sky , the blockbuster sci-fi hit Minority Report, and the brilliant historical epic The Last Samurai .

• Mission: Impossible II (2000)
• Vanilla Sky (2001)
• Minority Report (2002)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• The Last Samurai (2003)
• Collateral (2004)
• War of the Worlds (2005)
• Mission: Impossible III (2006)
• Lions for Lambs (2007)
• Tropic Thunder (2008)
• Valkyrie (2008)

As Hollywood moved away from the idea of a global movie star and into the age of franchises like Marvel, actors like Tom Cruise became a rare commodity in the industry. Cruise still had the pull to rope in audiences, which he combined with his vast experience in producing, turning Mission: Impossible into a top-tier action franchise once again. He also starred in the now-cult classic Edge of Tomorrow . Duds like 2017’s The Mummy and two Jack Reacher movies were inevitable, of course, but he still ended the decade on a high note.

• Knight and Day (2010)
• Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011)
• Rock of Ages (2012)
• Jack Reacher (2012)
• Oblivion (2013)
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
• Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)
• The Mummy (2017)
• American Made (2017)
• Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Well into his fifth decade as a professional actor, Tom Cruise is still going strong. His one-man mission to make a Top Gun sequel was a massive success, grossing nearly $1.5 billion worldwide and garnering a host of new fans, not to mention thawing the industry out of a Covid-induced daze.

These are Tom Cruise’s movies in the ongoing decade so far, discernibly lacking variety as well as multitude:

• Top Gun: Maverick (2021)
• Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
• Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film (2025)

That’s going to be it for Tom Cruise’s filmography, but since the star is showing no sign of slowing down, this list is only bound to get longer.

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

The 25 best spy movies of all time, ranked

It's not all shaken martinis and gimmicky gadgets.

Everett (3)

When you think of spy movies, your mind likely envisions Daniel Craig in a tux or Tom Cruise hurling himself off something very high and dangerous. But the best espionage films run the gamut from moody procedurals to wrenching character studies, some of which interrogate the outright unglamorous lives of those secret agent types who choose covert surveillance and duty-bound betrayal over individual happiness. Don’t worry, though, even the most studious spies eventually have to engage in some action. 

Without dilly-dallying, here is Entertainment Weekly’s ranking of the 25 best spy movies ever made, and where to watch them.

25. Mission: Impossible (1996)

Tom Cruise has turned Ethan Hunt into his own personal, age-defying performance art project, relishing the chance to give stunt performers as much time off as possible. Here, his IMF lieutenant is thrust into leadership (after a twist that pissed off fans of the original TV series to no end), gathering a squad to locate an undercover agent list before Vanessa Redgrave’s baddie can get her hands on it. Along the way, director Brian De Palma keeps things moving with signature visual aplomb. A helicopter-train duel sets the tone for even more ludicrous Mission: Impossible stunts to come, and the plot is merely a pretense to get from one crowd-popping spectacle to the next. 

Where to watch Mission: Impossible : Paramount+

24. Pascali’s Island (1988)

For some (albeit, fictional) spies, the job is one of danger, seduction, and improbable gunplay. But for others, it’s just a job, one more beset by boredom and disillusionment than exploding fountain pens and helicopter pursuits. For a lonely depiction of low-level espionage work, seek out James Dearden’s Pascali’s Island , in which Ben Kingsley plays a forgotten spy on a Greek island in the waning days of the Ottoman Empire.  

Dutifully filing reports to his uncommunicative and far-off superiors, Pascali regards his pay as proof that his work is imperative. But the arrival of Charles Dance ’s mysterious Englishman sends Pascali into a tailspin of doubt about his purpose (and his friendship with a beautiful Austrian artist played by Helen Mirren ). Soon, it becomes clear that his earnest attempts at spycraft may have set a political disaster in motion. Kingsley is achingly vulnerable as the loyal little man whose devotion to an indifferent government costs him the only intimacy he’s ever known. 

Where to watch Pascali’s Island : Tubi

23. True Lies (1994)

It’s easy to chide Hollywood spy movie franchises like Mission: Impossible for excess, but they’ve got nothing on James Cameron’s ludicrously entertaining, over-the-top comic action flick. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a super spy improbably pulling off a double life and as an ordinary guy with his unknowing wife ( Jamie Lee Curtis ), True Lies bulges with heightened, well, everything. 

After missing yet another family event (to be fair, he was thwarting a nuclear threat by the dreaded “Crimson Jihad”), Arnold’s Harry Tasker struggles to reconcile his wife’s disillusionment with their marriage and prevent a terrorist plot against various major U.S. cities. With fine comic (and physical) turns from Curtis and Tom Arnold, True Lies is — in action craftsman Cameron’s hands — a bombastic hoot. 

Where to watch True Lies : Hulu

22. Bridge of Spies (2015)

Leave it to Steven Spielberg to find the bright side of espionage, as all-American icon Tom Hanks courageously leads a landmark Cold War prisoner exchange story co-written by the Coen Brothers. It’s not all rosy, of course, as Hanks’ crusading attorney continually asserts the constitutional rights of Mark Rylance ’s captured Russian spy, something that Red Scare America regards as tantamount to treason. 

Rylance won an Oscar as mild-mannered minor agent Rudolf Abel, while Hanks (as real-life lawyer James B. Donovan) endures mounting suspicion for maintaining supposedly sacred American principles, facing career setbacks and death threats from his own countrymen. But it’s in the meticulously recreated Checkpoint Charlie swap (involving downed U.S. spy plane pilot Gary Powers) that Spielberg shows off what a master filmmaker can do with a suspense sequence. 

Where to watch Bridge of Spies : AppleTV+

21. Munich (2005)

Steven Spielberg proved he could also tap into the dark, violent side of spy movies 10 years before Bridge of Spies . See: His gripping account of the real-life assassinations by Mossad after the 1972 Olympics terrorist attack in Munich that murdered 11 Israeli athletes. Eric Bana and Daniel Craig embark on a global search for the Palestinians responsible for the massacre, all the while battling assassins and their own tortured consciences. Both enemies prove to be equally dangerous, while Spielberg portrays the men as dutiful but conflicted instruments of national vengeance. 

Putting lauded director Spielberg at the service of such a politically and historically loaded incident is a recipe for controversy, something Munich reaped from all sides. While garnering Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, the film was assailed for being too soft on both ends of the Israel/Palestine conflict — and for turning the thorny subject matter into a more palatable morality tale about the nature of violence. Still, Munich ’s many suspense and action set pieces drive the story along with undeniable tension. 

Where to watch Munich : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

20. Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

After six films spanning 27 years, the Mission: Impossible franchise continued with this nearly three-hour-long installment. ( Part 2 is scheduled for summer 2025 .) Once more, Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is not so much a super spy as a superhero, while the now 61-year-old actor once again pushes the limits of what a (fictional or, in Cruise’s stunt person-averse case, actual) human being can withstand.

Since long-running spy series are often signposts of our fears, Dead Reckoning ’s antagonist is a pernicious AI threatening the world’s military and financial systems. Director Christopher McQuarrie — with nearly $300 million and a fanatically dedicated lead actor — pulls out every stop imaginable as the crew races across the globe (like when Hunt rides his motorcycle off a towering cliff and then parachutes onto a speeding train). There’s a circular trajectory to Mission: Impossible ’s brand of high-flying spy intrigue, given the filmmakers cited North by Northwest (also a major inspiration for the James Bond films) as influential to this franchise’s thrills. Regardless, Dead Reckoning is the apotheosis of the big-budget spy blockbuster. 

Where to watch Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part 1 : Paramount+

19. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

Matt Damon is the perfect actor to play Jason Bourne, an all-American soldier twisted into a pre-programmed, merciless killer by his own government. Damon’s handsome blankness as the tortured Bourne, first seen floating amnesiac in the Mediterranean in 2002’s The Bourne Identity , grounds the spy franchise’s impeccably choreographed action with a leavening somberness. This first sequel is arguably the series’ pinnacle, crafting a thrilling quest for revenge and redemption. 

After Paul Greengrass and his hand-held cameras took the directing reins from Doug Liman, The Bourne Supremacy asserted that happy endings are rarely in a spy’s cards. (Fans of the first film, or those familiar with the “women in refrigerators” cliche, might be upset at how a major character is dispatched to kick off this sequel.) With Jason Bourne framed for a mysterious bombing and theft in Germany, it’s up to Damon’s still memory-deprived agent to hop the globe, utilizing the impressive muscle memory of every dirty espionage trick he was taught by a rogue CIA super-assassin program to seek out the truth. 

The supporting cast remains stellar ( Joan Allen , Brian Cox , Julia Stiles , Karl Urban ), as Bourne navigates ingenious spy gambits, daring last-minute escapes, and some truly brutal fight scenes to reach his goal. The reveal of his true purpose only underscores the ugly toll of this international gamesmanship. 

Where to watch The Bourne Supremacy : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

18. The Ipcress File (1965)

During the initial wave of James Bond mania, Michael Caine played a different sort of spy in 1965’s The Ipcress File — but that was by design. Intended as a more ironic and downbeat alternative to the then-burgeoning Bond franchise, this spy thriller (from the novel by Len Deighton) sees Caine as a dapper, lightly insubordinate, glasses-wearing British agent who uncovers clues to a conspiracy against the world’s scientists. This Caine is something of a foodie, and the film was produced by Bond’s Harry Saltzman and scored by frequent Bond composer John Barry, but that’s where Harry Palmer’s similarities to 007 end. 

Cocky, cockney, and constantly beset by everyday duties, this (along with Alfie the following year) is the birth of Michael Caine the everyman superstar. Dragooned into the service after a criminal past, Caine’s Palmer disdains oppressive authority and regulation, even while proving himself a most capable sleuth and, when need be, efficiently violent. All the Cold War staples (brainwashing, torture, top secret microfilm) are in play as Palmer (whom Caine portrayed in four additional films) doggedly proves his mettle against foes foreign and domestic. 

Where to watch The Ipcress File : Not available to steam

17. Julia (1977)

The life of writer Lillian Hellman may seem like an odd inspiration for a suspenseful spy story, but this crackling drama delivers the goods. Following the playwright’s ( Jane Fonda ) career and relationship with detective novelist Dashiell Hammett (Jason Robards), Fred Zinneman’s film truly comes alive in the second half, when Hellman goes to wartime Europe in search of her childhood friend Julia (a striking Vanessa Redgrave ) whose own intellectual journey has turned her into an anti-fascist crusader. 

With the liberal but sheltered Hellman (herself later accused of “un-American activities”) making a dangerous voyage to Nazi Germany to supply Julia’s WWII resistance colleagues with funds, Zinneman pulls off one of the most tense and expertly performed sequences in spy movie history. After a horrifying scene in which fascists hurl academics over balconies, we watch as Julia walks Lillian through a terse exchange, with the duo’s loving reunion taking the form of a high-wire act of perilous espionage. 

Where to watch Julia : Google Play (to rent)

16. Ronin (1998)

Of course, spy movies aren’t just about sad, shadowy men poring over microphones and microfiche. Sometimes it’s about sad, shadowy men shooting it out over scenic French roadways in speeding cars, double-crosses, and foot chases. This thriller from director John Frankenheimer sees an aging and battle-worn action star in Robert De Niro encounter all of the above. 

De Niro plays a mercenary recruited to an international team by a mysterious Irish woman (Natascha McElhone) to track down and retrieve a specific metal attache case. Ronin never gets around to telling us what’s in the hotly-contested suitcase, and that’s the point — for all the assembled foot soldiers on every side, there’s always a suitcase. Frankenheimer deploys his twists (and a couple of all-time best car chases) like a devious puppet master, and De Niro, in one of his last great performances, keeps his character’s true nature expertly under wraps until the film’s final swerve. 

Where to watch Ronin : Max

15. Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Like Munich , Kathryn Bigelow ’s Oscar-nominated, fact-based tale of terrorism and the revenge reaped as many accolades as it did (often contradictory) criticism. American intelligence agencies’ hunt for Osama bin Laden is portrayed as a global manhunt, with Jessica Chastain ’s dogged CIA analyst chasing down sparse and scattered leads — even when they come from the euphemistically termed “enhanced interrogation techniques” used on suspects at black sites. 

Bigelow turns Chastain’s obsession into a crackling detective story, complete with enough real-world intelligence-gathering gadgetry to put James Bond to shame. As the hunt gains momentum, a post-9/11 America’s descent into (graphically depicted) torture remains an open moral question, with the stoic Chastain maintaining her singular pursuit of justice. Above all, Zero Dark Thirty is a riveting recreation of one of the most intense intelligence operations of all time, while its lack of cut-and-dry ethical stances speaks to the darkest side of the espionage game — and human nature. 

Where to watch Zero Dark Thirty : Starz

14. The 39 Steps (1935)

If, as cinema contends, there are vast, intertwining networks of devious agents around us at all times, it’s only natural that some of the best spy movies involve regular folks finding out things they’re not supposed to. Such is the case in Alfred Hitchcock ’s template-setting spy drama The 39 Steps , which sees two very different people face constant (and entertaining) peril in a pre-WWII English countryside teeming with spies lurking in unexpected places.

An innocent man (Robert Donat) drags an even more innocent bystander (Madeleine Carroll) into his escape from a network of spies after some top-secret information falls into his hands. The two naturally fall for each other (their enforced intimacy was pretty racy for the time), but not without Hitchcock putting them into some deliciously sticky situations, leading to a still-sensational finale at the London Palladium. 

Where to watch The 39 Steps : Tubi

13. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

George Lazenby ’s sole outing as 007 — which came between Sean Connery ’s fifth and sixth films — goes above and beyond to distinguish itself as an utterly unique entry in Britain’s premier espionage franchise, injecting a welcome helping of grit and heart into the proceedings. It’s the first (and, for most of the character’s history, the only) Bond movie to add genuine emotional vulnerability to its central superspy, allowing him to fall in love with the romantic lead rather than cast her aside as another one-night stand. 

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service sees Bond called to protect Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), the daughter of a prominent criminal overlord who helps him track down Ernst Blofeld (Telly Savalas) and SPECTRE’s biological warfare operation in the Swiss Alps. As his affection for the countess blossoms, we’re treated to a more complicated, well-rounded vision of the agent, which makes sense given that the relationship was possibly inspired by Ian Fleming’s real-life tragic romance during WWII. Additionally, the snowy action sequences — including chaotic downhill skiing and slippery car chases on ice — are among the very best in Bond history.

Where to watch On Her Majesty's Secret Service : Max

12. The Quiet American (2002)

A genre giant gets a deceptively muted adaptation in this Vietnam-set drama based on Graham Greene’s novel (who, like Frederick Forsyth and John le Carré, is a veteran of the intelligence service MI6). The film — while nominally a love triangle — gradually reveals itself as another instance of empathy and espionage colliding.

Michael Caine plays a sodden British journalist during the 1950s occupation of what was then known as French Indochina. Losing his much younger Vietnamese lover (Do Thi Hai Yen) to an American undercover operative ( Brendan Fraser , outstanding as the brash embodiment of U.S. anti-communist foreign policy) leads the seen-it-all Caine to finally play the spy game with tragic results. It’s Caine’s movie, as his dissolute reporter’s confused tangle of self-interest and world-weariness sows the seeds of this quietly devastating story. 

Where to watch The Quiet American : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

11. The Day of the Jackal (1973)

Frederick Forsyth is another all-time great spy writer, and his fictionalized version of the 1962 assassination attempt on French President Charles de Gaulle (from within France’s military) forms the backbone of this icy, meticulous thriller. Like le Carré, Forsyth was an associate of MI6 (as a longtime unpaid informant). The journalist used his investigative skills to craft this story about the fallout from Gaulle granting independence to colonial Algeria, which put him in the merciless crosshairs of a paid killer. 

A little-known actor at the time, Edward Fox is impeccable as “the Jackal,” an assassin hired by the right-wing group OAS to gun down the president. There’s nothing flashy or even passionate about this spy — he’s a surgically sharp instrument, assuming various disguises and dodging the several intelligence services on his quest to fulfill his contract. Michael Lonsdale matches the Jackal as the French cop tasked with thwarting the rumored assassination. When Fox’s Jackal kills, it’s out of pragmatism; when Lonsdale’s detective succeeds, it’s because his methods are similarly dispassionate and tenacious. Thus, the film’s white-knuckle finale boils down to a miniscule misstep, one that reveals how espionage is vulnerable even to a grain of sand. 

Where to watch The Day of the Jackal : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

10. The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965)

Based on the John le Carré novel, Martin Ritt ’s bleak spy thriller also features George Smiley (see No. 3 on this list), although the spymaster’s machinations here better exemplify just how cold-blooded someone in his position must be. Smiley tasks disillusioned MI6 agent Alec Leamas ( Richard Burton ) with defaming an East German intelligence officer during the height of the Cold War. Though he initially seems ripe for defection, Leamas soon discovers (and too late) that this ingeniously deadly espionage game makes mere pawns out of friends and foes alike. 

Thanks to Burton’s affecting performance, Leamas’ downward spiral feels all too real as he’s manipulated by the English and East Germans in equal, heartless measure. The puppetry trickles downward when he romances a naive British communist (a heartbreaking Claire Bloom) and makes her collateral damage in his double-agent balancing act, proving that surveillance leaves little room for sentiment. Even so, these “seedy squalid bastards” (as Leamas calls them) rely on human beings for intel, and the film’s devastating conclusion shows the cost of cutting yourself off from your soul. 

Where to watch The Spy Who Came In From the Cold : Kanopy

9. North by Northwest (1959)

One of the most purely entertaining thrillers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock mines his go-to plot — an innocent man accused — and runs it with some of the most memorable sequences in movie history. Cary Grant was never more suave and effortless than as Roger Thornhill, an unsuspecting ad man mistaken for a government agent by an ever-widening gang of thugs, spies, and an anti-American spymaster (James Mason). Along the way, our wily protagonist meets up with Eva Marie Saint ’s Eve Kendall, whose quick infatuation is only partly due to him being played by Cary Grant. 

For a standard MacGuffin microfilm-and-treason plot (the explanation of which is hilariously drowned out by a convenient airplane engine), the film hooks us from the start and drags us happily from one stunning set piece to another. Eventually, the whole tangled tale hangs (literally) from the impassive visages of the presidents at Mt. Rushmore, setting a template for high-concept, outlandish thrills for decades to come.

Where to watch North by Northwest : Tubi

8. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

For a more baroque tale of undercover operatives and the shadowy forces underwriting them, John Frankenheimer’s The Manchurian Candidate is a sure bet. Frank Sinatra could really act when he wanted to, and his hard-boiled Korean War vet is formidable as he unravels why his former army buddy and rising political candidate (Laurence Harvey) remains a blurry memory to him and his surviving squad mates. 

Crisply choreographed action (Sinatra and Henry Silva have an improbably gripping, early-for-America martial arts battle) and an all-time great villainous turn by Angela Lansbury combine with the film’s zippy, trippy tone for potent doses of Cold War paranoia. It’s a myth that President Kennedy’s assassination the following year caused Sinatra to demand The Manchurian Candidate be pulled from theaters. Still, the story of a lone gunman with seemingly shady motivations continues to prickle audiences adamant that nothing in world politics is ever what it seems on the surface. 

Where to watch The Manchurian Candidate : Tubi

7. Casino Royale (2006)

The neverending James Bond series has so informed and/or warped our ideas of spies, that choosing entries for this list means deciding which eras of over-the-top popcorn silliness comes closest to personal preference. That said, it’s tough to bet against the most recent Bond, Daniel Craig , especially in his first outing, a typically loose adaptation of Ian Fleming ’s 1953 novel Casino Royale .

After the increasingly cartoonish Pierce Brosnan years, the iconic character is reinvented (again) as a brutishly effective MI6 agent who just got his license to kill. Craig’s Bond is defiant to the point of insubordination (no small feat when facing off against Judi Dench ’s imperious boss, M) as he violently pursues clues leading directly to a high-stakes poker game against Mads Mikkelsen ’s criminal mastermind, Le Chiffre. (That the game comes down to a round of “who has the most outrageously impossible hand” is prime James Bond.) 

Meanwhile, this 007 flirts with the requisite femme fatale (a great Eva Green ), banters with enabling CIA pal Felix Leiter (an also great Jeffrey Wright ), and engages in sequences that are so spectacular, they could serve as climaxes of multiple smaller-budgeted thrillers. If this glowering Bond isn’t as suave as some of his predecessors, Craig’s gravitas amidst all the over-the-top action lends him an almost-human presence. Almost. 

Where to watch Casino Royale : Amazon Prime Video

6. The Lives of Others (2006)

Many of the best spy movies mine the divide between duty and conscience in an infamously unfeeling business. This wrenchingly intimate German drama sees the late Ulrich Mühe play a dedicated surveillance expert in East Germany tasked with spying on an artist couple, only to become inconveniently touched by their lives. That the film’s story shockingly mirrors a betrayal from Mühe’s own life (his ex-wife allegedly kept tabs on the actor for the Stasi) only makes his performance as the increasingly conflicted snooper more compelling.

The Lives of Others makes a fine double feature with another movie on this list, 1974’s The Conversation (see below). Like Gene Hackman ’s Harry Caul, Mühe’s Hauptmann Wiesler imagines that living in isolation will absolve him of the horrors wrought by his work. As a divided Germany grinds towards reconciliation during the latter part of the film, the race between the surveillance state’s omnipresent brutality and Wiesler’s flicker of humanity forms a decidedly modern tragedy.

Where to watch The Lives of Others : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

5. Army of Shadows (1969)

Sticking it to the Nazis is always a crowd-pleaser, even as this French Resistance tale combines adventure and moral relativism into a bracing, crushing watch. Following Lino Ventura’s Resistance agent Gerbier as he infiltrates (and repeatedly escapes) the fascists occupying France, director Jean-Pierre Melville crafts a film that’s both a rip-roaring spy thriller and a soul-crushing examination of a good man forced to do terrible things — and the toll it takes on his soul. 

Amidst the movie’s various prison breaks (including one Nazi guard game sadistic enough to anticipate Sophie’s Choice ), Gerbier gathers the titular cadre of allies to carry out his daring missions. But he knows their shadowy work will inevitably put them in positions where unthinkable calls must be made. Released in a France still reeling from President Charles de Gaulle (see The Day of the Jackal above), Army of Shadows was thought to be an unfashionably laudatory depiction of the Resistance’s violent methods. However, as times and attitudes have changed, many now regard the film as a complicated, ugly portrait of how incompatible espionage is with a clean conscience. 

Where to watch Army of Shadows : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

4. Three Days of the Condor (1975)

Spy movies often play up the action, but there’s a lot of paperwork behind the derring-do. This exceptionally taut thriller from Sydney Pollack shows that even functionaries find themselves in the thick of things, with Robert Redford ’s nominal CIA analyst (he reads spy novels in search of coded plots) accidentally uncovering sensitive information and going on the run. 

Redford’s protagonist, who must hurriedly remember that his codename is “Condor,” is forced to dodge the shadowy forces pursuing him through 1970s New York. (Including a scene-stealing hitman played by the late, great Max von Sydow .) That involves kidnapping a photographer ( Faye Dunaway , also outstanding) in a desperate moment. But the gorgeous duo’s inevitable attraction never distracts from the danger — or the stakes of even the most tangential espionage. 

Where to watch Three Days of the Condor : Amazon Prime Video

3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

John le Carré is one of the most adapted spy novelists, and it’s easy to see why. A former member of Britain’s MI5 and MI6, he penned exquisitely detailed fiction based on insider knowledge, with one of his finest creations being dogged spymaster George Smiley. Gary Oldman plays the iconic character to Oscar-nominated perfection in this searing spy drama from Tomas Alfredson ( Let the Right One In ).

With the Cold War at its height and British intelligence under siege from Russian moles, Oldman’s unassuming Smiley assembles an underground team of similarly dedicated agents after he’s ousted as head of “The Circus.” The film portrays spy work in all its understated, politicking self-importance, punctuated by shocking violence and narrow escapes. Meanwhile, Oldman and Alfredson make Smiley’s gamesmanship as masterful as it is chillingly subtle, and the cast is crowded with some of Britain’s best actors, including John Hurt, Colin Firth, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy, and Benedict Cumberbatch. 

Where to watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy : Amazon Prime Video (to rent)

2. Notorious (1946)

Alfred Hitchcock's greatest spy movie, and one of the greatest spy movies in general, came via this romantic thriller about undercover operatives, Nazis, and a secret cache of potentially world-destabilizing secrets. Teaming Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant at their respective heights of star power, talent, and beauty, Hitchcock crafts a suspenseful story about espionage and the unthinkable sacrifices it demands. 

In the aftermath of WWII, Bergman’s party girl tries to drink away the shame of her father being a Nazi collaborator, leaving her ripe for recruitment by Grant’s government superiors when an enclave of escaped Nazis in Rio de Janeiro starts plotting a comeback. Tasked with pimping the conflicted Bergman out as a bride to a charming fascist (Claude Rains), Grant finds himself in an untenable war between love and duty. Meanwhile, Bergman’s position undercover becomes more and more fraught with danger and compromise. 

Replete with nerve-shredding, suspenseful set pieces — the wine cellar sequence is Hitchcock at his most sadistically brilliant — Notorious , for all its melodramatic beats, explores the horrible moral tension that lurks in even theoretically altruistic espionage. 

Where to watch Notorious : Tubi

1. The Conversation (1974)

Courtesy Everett Collection

Harry Caul is a spy only in the mercenary sense. Gene Hackman’s surveillance expert is a pair of ears for hire, sent to make a seemingly impossible recording of a couple’s hushed conversation amidst a noisy crowd. That Harry succeeds (in a brilliantly conceived scene) marks him as a true master in his grimy field, but that victory is soon overshadowed by his detecting an unsettling secret. 

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola , The Conversation fits into (and exemplifies) the spy genre by interrogating how power and covert surveillance are inextricably linked to moral rot. Harry fancies himself nothing but a technician, having cut himself off from all but the most superficial personal connections after a past disaster related to his work. But taking pride in an invasive and potentially devastating craft is, as Harry discovers with increasing paranoia, destined to boomerang when the observer becomes the observed. Hackman delivers one of his greatest performances here, with Harry’s fumbling conscience laying bare the no-win situation of a professional interloper.

Where to watch The Conversation : PlutoTV

Related content:

• Pierce Brosnan didn’t care who the next James Bond is, now wants ‘magnificent’ Cillian Murphy to play him
• Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning director explains why that major character had to die
• The 11 best spy movies to stream on Netflix

Related Articles

Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, sweepstakes, and more!

All The Mission: Impossible Movies Ranked

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to see if your favorite Ethan Hunt adventure topped our list. 

Fact:  Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol  saved the franchise. 

Brad Bird's live-action feature film directorial debut came at a time when star and producer Tom Cruise's relationship with the studio was tenuous, at best. During production, it was unclear if Cruise would be continuing with the Mission: Impossible  series that he started in 1996, with the very successful first outing from director Brian De Palma. How unclear? There was a draft of the script where, by the film's end, Cruise's Ethan Hunt traded his point man status for that of the Secretary of whatever government branch oversees the Impossible Missions Force. (And new team member Brandt, played by  Hawkeye 's Jeremy Renner, was seemingly poised to inherit all the running and jumping duties moving forward).

Thankfully, the studio brass and the filmmakers chose to  not  accept that mission and instead turned  Ghost Protocol  into an all-timer outing for the franchise. The fourth movie, then the most successful Mission , proved that the venerable action film series still has a lot of thrilling life left in it, as Hunt and his IMF team struggle to stop a nuke-stealing baddie in a (shocker) race against time to save the world while swinging from said world's tallest building. The movie is a landmark blockbuster for the genre, and one of the decade's best films. With the first four movies now streaming on Peacock , here's a definitive ranking of every one of Ethan Hunt's big-screen  Mission s. 

For More on Mission: Impossible : Tom Cruise’s latest stunt? A ‘Mission: Impossible’ thank-you skydive for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ fans Oops! Tom Cruise apologized to couple after interrupting their hike with 'Mission Impossible' stunt Why you should give J.J. Abrams' feature debut, Mission: Impossible III, a second chance

All of the Mission: Impossible Films, Ranked

7. m:i-2 (2000).

Holy sh**, did 2000 us love this movie. We were so, so wrong.

At the time, Mission: Impossible II  was one of the highest grossing action movies. We also thought it was one of director John Woo's best efforts. But the complicated and soulless storyline, a riff on Hitchcock's Notorious , does not hold up under the bare minimum of scrutiny 21 years later.  M:I-2  offers us a completely different (and somewhat unlikable) version of the spy we saw in the first film; this take on Ethan Hunt is all about hooking up with Thandie Newton's expert thief and using her to get his hands on a deadly virus by having Newton's character bed the film's baddie — her former lover who was so terrible to her, that she had to flee him after obviously suffering some serious emotional trauma. What a hero, huh? Sending the girl you really like — after one high-speed chase/dance thing in cliff-side racing sports cars — into the arms of a man you know she hates?

Woo's trademark doves and slow-mo gun ballets creep into self-parody, a`nd the third act motorcycle joust and subsequent kick-punching brawl between hero and villain are ridiculous in a very guilty pleasure sort of way. (The climax here would serve as the biggest third act finale for the series until 2018's Fallout ) But, ultimately, there are very few things to like about this movie, one of Cruise's worst.

Watch Mission: Impossible 2 right here .

6. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (2023)

What should have been an easy slam dunk for three-peat director Christopher McQuarrie, Dead Reckoning (initially billed as "Part One” of a larger narrative) feels like a step back for the Mission: Impossible franchise with an unnecessarily complicated plot, a lackluster villain, and some genuinely baffling story choices. All of it adds up to a strange dearth of charm and stakes.

This time around, Ethan & Co. are on the trail of a cruciform key that unlocks the power to a rogue and ever-evolving artificial intelligence known simply as “The Entity." The premise of a malevolent AI threatening humanity couldn’t have been more relevant. At the time of Dead Reckoning ’s theatrical debut last summer, Hollywood was at a standstill as writers and actors raged against the idea — among other things — of machines taking their jobs.

Ethan, of course, wants to destroy The Entity, while the CIA (fronted by a blast from the past: Henry Czerny's Eugene Kittridge) wants to take control of it and establish a new world order. Then there’s Gabriel (Esai Morales), a mysterious figure from Ethan’s past who does The Entity’s bidding. Why? Because he loves spreading chaos and pain...we think? His motivations are as murky as his connection to our favorite member of the Impossible Mission Force, but the mystery is more maddening than intriguing as McQuarrie clumsily attempts to retcon both Ethan’s backstory and how the IMF recruits agents.

And don’t get us started on the decision to kill off the fan favorite Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Of all the strange turns made by the seventh Mission: Impossible  blockbuster, this one stings the most. After clearing the air between Ethan and Julia at the end of Fallout , McQuarrie had a clean slate. His path forward was clear: deepen the super-spy relationship between Ethan and Ilsa we’d seen blossom over two whole movies. That should have been the emotional centerpiece of film. Instead, we get introduced to a stubborn pickpocket named Grace (Hayley Atwell), whose refusal to grasp the danger she’s in becomes tiresome after she’s given Ethan the slip for the umpteenth time. While Atwell always turns in a great performance, her character is superfluous to say the least.

Despite critical acclaim (the film holds the second-highest Mission: Impossible score on Rotten Tomatoes after Fallout ) and a pair of Oscar nominations for Sound and Visual Effects), Dead Reckoning failed to reach the dizzying box office heights of its predecessor. While the sequel did eventually manage to cross $500 million worldwide, Paramount was probably hoping for something closer to a billion-dollar yield, considering the project cost a whopping $178 million to produce. As such, the studio decided to rethink the two-part plan .

5.  Mission: Impossible III (2006)

Here's the thing: M:i:III  is good. Yeah, J.J. Abrams' feature directorial debut fails to fully embrace the anamorphic landscape to which the TV guru was brand new at the time, but what the movie occasionally lacks in visual spectacle it makes up for with a ton of much earned heart and big emotional themes.

This threequel suffered from bad Cruise PR post-couch jumping at the time, which is a shame, because Abrams nails all of the emotional beats as Cruise's Hunt gets engaged and married to a very likable Michelle Monaghan. The stakes quickly get personal for Hunt, as he must retrieve his favorite trainee (Keri Russell) before a bomb in her head explodes and sends Ethan and his team on a mission to stop Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the series' best villain.

On the action side? The franchise's most underrated sequence, breaking into the Vatican, is a Swiss watch — a perfect mix of entertainment and tension that will make you fist-pump when Ethan pulls off the intricate, white-knuckle mission. Also cool? That now-iconic sequence on the bridge where an explosion throws Ethan sideways into a Dodge Stratus and that fight scene in an elevator that culminates in a face-masked Ethan incapacitating a few guards with a telephone.

Watch Mission: Impossible III  right here .

4.  Mission: Impossible  (1996)

The one that started it all. It is amazing how the series has evolved and changed from these then-humble summer blockbuster beginnings. Now, Hunt shoots and punches lots of bad guys. Here, he wields a gun and never fires it. He kicks one guy, and it's not even a real, action sequence-y kick.

Instead, Mission: Impossible  forces Hunt to use his wits and action-y problem solves in the field when he goes on the run after a mission goes bad, his team is killed, and Ethan is framed for their deaths on his way to rogue operative status. (Every Mission save for the second film hinges on a variant of this "Ethan must go on the run/prove his innocence" plot line.) The end result is a taunt, entertaining spy thriller — full of Cold War grays and exceptional tension building, thanks to director Brian De Palma. (And that breaking into the CIA vault sequence still holds up; a genre all-timer.)

Watch Mission: Impossible right here .

3. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)

In this fifth installment, one of the best action movies of the last ten years, Cruise proves he is pathologically incapable of not giving it all to entertain audiences. In Rogue Nation , is attempt to be America's Jackie Chan gets cranked up to 11 as he hangs from a moving plane, taps his knee on racing pavement in a high-speed motorcycle chase, and drowns.

The first  Mission: Impossible  to be directed and co-written by Cruise's go-to collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie, finds a scary-good balance between humor and thrills, with tonal nods to old-school spy movies and '70s paranoia thrillers. (Watch for an Easter egg shot pinched from The Parallax View .) In addition to expounding upon the humorous tone of Ghost Prots ,  Rogue Nation adds to the franchise one of its most unique and high-tension set pieces: the Opera House sequence, where semi-automatic weapons are disguised as flutes and night sticks, respectively, as Hunt must stop an assassination attempt. And score bonus for introducing audiences to the scene-stealing Rebecca Furguson, as British operative Ilsa Faust. The movie's third act runs out of narrative gas, thanks in part to a lack of budget, but its minimalist execution only maximizes the cathartic experience for audiences as they watch Hunt's new nemesis, the ruthless Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), get the comeuppance he deserves in a clever scene that bookends the movie with a visual callback to where Ethan's dangerous mission started: Trapped in a glass box, with nowhere to go. But Cruise and McQuarrie's riveting collaboration here proves that Mission  can go anywhere it wants and often find success, especially with these two at the helm. 

2. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ghost Protocol  literally took the franchise to new visual heights, as evidenced with the IMAX Burj Khalifa sequence that never fails to entertain or leave audiences agape. Brad Bird wanted to give the franchise tonal upgrade by making it so the team has to rely on their wits more than they gadgets, the latter of which constantly malfunction at the worst times for our heroes but in a way that delivers the best time at the theater.

The plot is rougher around the edges and convoluted than previous films, and is at times too serpentine to follow, but Cruise's charisma and Bird's unyielding sense of forward momentum make up for any narrative pitfalls as Ghost Protocol  doubles-down on one inventive, complication-rich action sequence or comedic beat after another.  Ghost Protocol , like the  Fast & Furious  films before it, makes a strong argument that the fourth movie is the charm, as this installment reinvigorated the series with new blood (Renner, the talented Paula Patton) and visual splendor that rivals the Bond movies in terms of audiences getting the most bang for their buck at the box office. Ten years after its release,  Ghost  Protocol  remains an exceptional piece of very rewatchable blockbuster filmmaking.

Watch Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol  right here .

1.  Mission: Impossible - Fallout  (2018)

You know you are in for one hell of a time at the movies when Cruise performing a HALO jump at 20,000 feet, all in one take, all goes down before the halfway point. 

Unlike most Mission movies, Fallout ’s action doesn't peak in the middle — it saves the biggest and best for a third act helicopter chase shot mostly in IMAX that tops all that came before in the franchise. McQuarrie, the first director ever to helm two movies in the venerable series, returns with a brand-new visual style (which was a goal of his from the jump) that plays out like a big-budget version of a 1970s Alan J. Pakula movie, as if it was shot by Gordon Willis, while mainlining similar story elements and themes from blockbusters like Skyfall and The Dark Knight . While  Fallout has a few too many exposition-y info dumps that occasionally drag down the longest Mission movie yet, what keeps the exciting story clipping along for the most part is McQuarrie’s deft balance between emotional nuance and trailer-worthy set pieces. His fidelity to exploring the emotional toll of being a spy who cares about saving one life, as much he does saving a million of them is, offers a rewarding and necessary deepening of the character of Ethan Hunt, thus giving Cruise more to play than just running around a lot. (But, boy, does he run.) 

Fallout  offers other firsts for the franchise as well: Its first use of the "F-word," the first choir to be used in the main theme, and the biggest third act finale ever in a Mission . Fallout 's IMAX cameras capture Cruise dangling from and climbing onto a helicopter in order to chase down another, before the two air machines collide and crash into an icy mountain crevice. All the while, McQuarrie executes every scene (mostly) with the exact amount of whatever it needs, resulting in the type of summer entertainment that is basically a "top that!" to the Bond franchise. Fallout  gives Ethan Hunt a chance to out-spy Bond on the big screen and deliver a Fury Road -level blockbuster whose influence is felt long after the credits roll. 

Should you choose to stream them, the first four Mission: Impossible films are now available  on Peacock .

• Mission: Impossible

Related Stories

Watch: Tom Cruise thanks ‘Top Gun’ fans while skydiving

Tom Cruise apologized to couple for 'M:I 7' stunt

Tom Cruise reveals 'Mission: Impossible 7's ambitious title

Mission: Impossible 7 & 8 delayed to 2023 and 2024

Every 'Mission: Impossible Movie,' ranked

Tom cruise literally drove off a cliff for his most dangerous stunt ever in mission: impossible 7.

Why you should give J.J. Abrams' feature debut, Mission: Impossible III, a second chance

New 'Star Trek' film set for summer 2023, as studios shuffle several releases

Trekkies can thank Herb Solow for the most famous Star Trek plot device

Wire buzz: mission: impossible 7 starts production; supernatural's jensen ackles claims classic car; more, mission: impossible 7 reportedly plans on blowing up a 111-year-old polish bridge.

WIRE Buzz: Esai Morales boards Mission: Impossible; Relic teaser; and Solar Opposites

Recommended for you.

Linda Hamilton on Resident Alien Role: "I'm Not the Funny Girl, I'm the Straight Man"

The Classic Twilight Zone Episode That Inspired Jordan Peele's Us

Resident Alien's Alan Tudyk on Harry's New Love Interest, Edi Patterson's Blue Avian

20 Thrilling Behind-The-Scenes Facts From Tom Cruise's Biggest Films

F or nearly 40 years, Tom Cruise has been one of the biggest movie stars in the world. From his breakout role in Top Gun to the franchise lead in Mission Impossible , few stars boast the resume that Cruise has. He's also worth a cool $500 million. He's kind of a big deal. With four decades of movies under his belt, it's fair to assume a lot of interesting things have happened behind the scenes. Here are the craziest Tom Cruise movie secrets you need to know!

He Won't Sign Onto A Movie Unless He Gets To Do His Own Stunts

Tom Cruise famously performs the most dangerous stunts in all his movies. Watch any Mission Impossible movie, and it's shocking how much danger the action star is willing to put himself in. Cruise reportedly refuses to sign onto movies that won't let him do his stunts.

Say a movie wants to cast Cruise but won't let him jump from high rise to high rise for a critical chase scene. The producers better start looking for a different, more risk-averse actor. Tom Cruise feels the need, the need for speed!

He Took Lead Role In Valkyrie Because He Looked Like The Real Person

The movie Valkyrie is based on the true story of Colonel von Stauffenberg's assassination attempt on Hitler during World War II. When Cruise was offered the role, there was no sales pitch that convinced him to sign on. Instead, he noticed that he bared a striking resemblance to the German soldier.

Cruise was sold, proving sometimes looks are all that matters. The movie was a moderate success, earning $200 million worldwide. Doing his own stunts has its downfalls.

Mission Impossible: Fallout Literally Broke Tom Cruise

Mission Impossible: Fallout came close to missing its summer 2018 release date after Tom Cruise broke his ankle performing a stunt. The film had to take a break from filming in 2017 after Cruise couldn't stick his landing after a scary jump. The hiatus put the movie's release in serious doubt.

Never doubt Tom Cruise, though. After a brutal seven-week recovery, cameras were able to roll again. He also continued punishing his body by doing his stunts. All his hard work paid off. A seventh movie in the profitable franchise is already being planned.

The Last Samurai Almost Killed Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise earned an Academy Award nomination for his role in The Last Samurai . If it wasn't for his co-star saving his life, we'd be writing a very different article right now. Using real samurai swords rigged for safety was a bad idea when one of the rigs broke.

The sword came one inch from Cruise's neck before Hiroyuki Sanada stopped it. That reminds us of the helicopter scene at the end of the first Mission Impossible ! Somehow it always comes back to Ethan Hunt.

Anne Rice Hated His Casting In Interview With A Vampire

Without author Anne Rice, there would be no Interview With The Vampire . Having written the book, she was not happy to see the film cast Tom Cruise in the role of the vampire Lestat. She was so upset with his selection that she publicly criticized Cruise and everyone involved with the film.

After the movie came out, Rice changed her tune. It turns out Tom Cruise was perfect for Lestat, and he proved it with his performance. To apologize, Rice bought a two-page ad in Daily Variety praising Cruise's portrayal of her most famous vampire.

Les Grossman Was Created For Tropic Thunder By Cruise

When Ben Stiller was struggling to write Tropic Thunder he had Tom Cruise read the script. Cruise suggested he include a movie executive in the film as a way to create pressure on the characters. Later, he decided to play the role of Les Grossman himself, under two very odd conditions.

The first condition was the character have fat hands. The second condition was that the bald and overweight studio executive be a dancer. And that is how one of the most memorable characters in movie history was created.

The Iconic Risky Business Dance Was Adlibbed

Even if you've never seen Risky Business , you've probably seen Tom Cruise's infamous underwear dance. According to the actor, he made up the routine himself, on the spot, "I just ad-libbed that," he said during an interview .

But how did he stick the landing on his slide to enter the scene? As he explains, "I dusted the floor and then put stick (tape) on the other side so I would get the center frame on that and wore the socks."

The Mummy Was A Real Monster Behind The Scenes

The Mummy was supposed to start Universal's "Dark Universe." That is until Tom Cruise got his hands on it. According to reports, Cruise took over every aspect of the film, from the story to the direction, and even the editing.

Despite having a team hired by Universal, Cruise brought in his own editor and screenwriter, then wrangled control of the direction away from Alex Kurtzman. For all his meddling, Cruise's version of The Mummy earned terrible reviews and scared audiences away. Made for $190 million, the film only grossed $80 million stateside.

Cruise Destroyed A $100,000 Camera Filming Days Of Thunder

Tom Cruise's "need for speed" is iconic, and it got the better of him while filming Days of Thunder . Playing NASCAR driver Cole Trickle, Cruise drove his stock car during several scenes. I

n one scene he lost control of the car and crashed into a wall, destroying a $100,000 camera in the process.

He Didn't Get Paid For Minority Report

Tom Cruise was so passionate to film the 2002 film Minority Report with Steven Spielberg that he refused to take a paycheck. Spielberg refused money also, something he claimed to have on his last eight films. Instead of getting money upfront, the pair cut a deal to earn 15 percent of the movie's gross.

Minority Report made $358 million worldwide, netting Cruise and Spielberg around $54 million each. That's pretty amazing. They took a chance on a passion project and it paid off big time!

He Was A Passenger In A Car Accident During Filming For Edge Of Tomorrow

For Edge Of Tomorrow , Emily Blunt had to drive a van with Tom Cruise as her passenger. The van needed to be seen shaking for one particular scene, so producers had Blunt make a hard turn at a pretty high speed. But she lost control and the van crashed into a tree.

She was upset that she could have injured (or even killed) Cruise, but fortunately, they both walked away unharmed. And even laughed about the incident later.

One Stunt He Didn't Perform

We know that Tom Cruise prefers to perform even the most dangerous stunts himself. But according to director Martin Scorsese, there was one stunt that he didn't complete when filming the 1986 drama The Color of Money .

His character had to perform a bunch of complicated pool shots, which wasn't a problem for Cruise. Except for one: a shot where his ball had to leap over two others and sink a third. Scorsese said that he thinks Cruise could have made the shot but it would have taken two days. And that's just too long during movie production, so an expert was brought in to do the shot.

He Broke His Thumb Making The Outsiders

The 1983 coming-of-age drama The Outsiders featured a fight between two rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs. Things got pretty out of control during filming and one of Cruise's thumbs was broken in the scuffle.

He wasn't the only one to get hurt in the fight, either; two of Cruise's fellow actors were also injured. Tom Howell got a black eye and Emilio Estevez's lip was cut. That must have been quite a brawl!

He Lost A Lot Of Weight For Risky Business

The creators of Risky Business really wanted Tom Cruise to be as baby-faced as possible. To prepare for the role, he got serious about dropping weight fast. He told People that he followed a strict eating plan and jogged daily in the brutal Florida sunshine for five weeks. And then when he hit his target weight, he stopped exercising completely "so I could put on a little layer of baby fat."

"[Joel Goodson is] a very vulnerable person,” Tom explained. “I didn't want any physical defenses up for him. No muscle armor at all.”

Tom Cruise Has An Impressive Set Of Lungs

For 2015's Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation , Tom Cruise had to hold his breath for almost six and a half minutes! We knew he did all his own stunts but this might be one of the craziest of them. He called the experience unpleasant but explained his training technique to EW .

"You get rid of the regulator, get rid of the bubbles, get on the side and we wanted to do it one shot, so they were very, very long shots," he said. “I'd have to hold it consistently, you know safely, up to four minutes almost for every take.”

He Really Sang In Rock Of Ages

For the 2012 musical Rock of Ages , Tom Cruise insisted on singing his own parts. Of course, he did, right? He trained for four months, up to five hours each day to perfect his voice.

Cruise also filmed the scene where he sang "Pour Some Sugar On Me" while Def Leppard (the band that originally performed the song) watched. The guy just doesn't like to make things easy for himself.

Born On The Third Of July

In the 1989 war drama Born on the Fourth of July , Tom Cruise played a real-life Vietnam War veteran named Ron Kovic. Kovic was actually born on the 4th of July, as the title indicates.

It turns out that Cruise and Kovic almost share the birthday. Cruise was born on July 3, though, just a day early. Audiences didn't mind the discrepancy (as if they were even aware of it), as the film pulled in $161 million worldwide.

He Wasn't Expecting Emily Blunt To Kiss Him In Edge Of Tomorrow

Maybe he hadn't read the script thoroughly, because it sounds like Tom Cruise was surprised when Emily Blunt kissed him during filming for Edge of Tomorrow . She opened up about the moment to BBC Radio . "I mean, [it was] great. I don't think he was expecting it. I just sort of planted one on him," she said.

Blunt continued, "I think he was a bit taken aback. He was like, 'Oh my god! This is what we're doing.' Well, Tom had read the scene but he hadn't really read the stage directions. There were some new pages."

He Holds A Huge Box Office Record

We already know that his movies rake in tons of money at the box office, but Tom Cruise holds another distinction in that area. He became the first actor ever to star in five consecutive movies that each made more than $100 million in the United States.

The films were A Few Good Men (1992), The Firm (1993), Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), and Jerry Maguire in 1996. That's a pretty good run for the money.

Cruise Inspired A Character In A Movie He Wasn't Even In

Although he's been in some live-action Disney movies, Tom Cruise hasn't yet voiced an animated character for the studio. However, he was the inspiration for a very famous Disney prince. Can you guess which one? Turns out that Aladdin was based on the actor!

While providing commentary for the 2004 DVD release of the film, producers revealed that executive Jeffrey Katzenberg decided that the animation should be modeled after Cruise because of his "iconic hero" look.

Tom Cruise spotted filming major Mission Impossible scenes in London

The 61-year-old will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two released next year

• 14:06, 15 APR 2024

Subscribe to our daily What's On newsletter to keep up with what's happening around Greater Manchester

We have more newsletters

Hollywood star Tom Cruise was spotted filming scenes for the new Mission Impossible film in London.

The 61-year-old plays Impossible Missions Force agent Ethan Hunt in the popular movie franchise. New photos suggest there will be a major twist in the upcoming eighth film, with Ethan looking set to be captured.

The series of images, shot near Downing Street, show Cruise clad entirely in blue uniform, with his hands in the air crouching down. Another sees him on his knees with his hands in the air. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Two will see Ethan's battle with the Entity continue.

READ MORE: Bridget Jones fans say 'no thanks' as film set to return WITHOUT iconic love interest

Vanessa Kirby, Hannah Waddingham, Hayley Atwell and Simon Pegg are all set to star alongside Cruise. The film will release in May 2025.

Filming first began in May 2022 but was halted due to writers' and actors' strikes. Mission Impossible is the 17th highest-grossing film series of all time. Created by Bruce Geller, the first instalment released 28 years ago in 1996.

Cruise, who was 34 years old when he was first cast in the iconic role, previously hinted there could be even more to come from the franchise.

Speaking about Indiana Jones' Harrison Ford last year, he told the Sydney Morning Herald: “Harrison Ford is a legend. I hope to still be going. I’ve got 20 years to catch up with him.” He continued: “I hope to keep making Mission: Impossible films until I’m his age.”

Ford bid farewell to the daredevil archaeologist at the age of 80 years old with final instalment Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Meanwhile, Netflix's Ripley star Dakota Fanning recently revealed that Cruise gifted her her first ever mobile phone - and still sends her birthday presents every year. The actress starred in the 2003 romcom Uptown Girls with the Cruise.

She revealed Cruise's dedication to her birthday tradition during an interview alongside Ripley co-star Andrew Scott for Harper's Bazaar earlier this week. Andrew was asked: "Who gave Dakota her first cell phone?" To which he guessed: "Okay, well it's gotta be some Hollywood icon... Tom Cruise?"

Dakota confirmed: "Yes!" while adding: "It was a Motorola Razr," before her co-star asked: "Wow! Were you so excited?"

"Oh my God, I was so excited," Dakota replied. "I didn't have anyone to call or text at the time. You know, I was 11...But I loved having it!" The actress revealed she "still keeps in touch" with the actor, adding: "Tom still sends me a birthday gift every year and has since that birthday."

• Most Recent

Screen Rant

Glen powell’s upcoming sequel to 28-year-old disaster movie is making up for top gun 2’s mistake.

In July 2024, Glen Powell will star in a highly-anticipated disaster movie remake, which could make up for his role in Top Gun: Maverick.

• Glen Powell's rise from a minor role in The Dark Knight Rises to a lead in Twisters showcases his Hollywood potential.
• Twisters offers Powell the chance to shine as Tyler Owens, similar to his Hangman role in Top Gun, in a disaster thriller.
• With Twisters potentially becoming a franchise, Powell's action star potential could surpass his success in the Top Gun sequel.

Glen Powell's leading role in the upcoming disaster movie Twisters is making up for a mistake from 2022's Top Gun: Maverick . The long-awaited Tom Cruise sequel grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office, making it one of the highest-grossing movies ever and introducing the masses to Glen Powell. The 35-year-old actor had been appearing in films for years, including a minor role in The Dark Knight Rises , but it wasn't until he played Hangman in the Top Gun sequel that he truly made waves, launching him into the spotlight as one of Hollywood's most exciting young stars.

Glen Powell recently starred opposite Sydney Sweeny in the romantic comedy Anyone But You , which became a massive hit on a medium budget, grossing over $200 million. 2024 will be Powell's biggest year yet, as roles he earned from his heightened Top Gun popularity are finally beginning to be released. Summer 2024 will be enormous for the young star , as Glen Powell has an exciting new action movie releasing on Netflix in June, then a big-budget blockbuster releasing in theaters on July 19.

Twisters Makes Glen Powell The Lead Of A Thriller Sequel Movie After Being Sidelined In Top Gun 2

After playing a supporting role in top gun, glen powell is the star of twisters.

Initially, Glen Powell wasn't sure about playing Hangman in Top Gun: Maverick after he'd auditioned for the part of Rooster, which went to Miles Teller. After missing out on the part he thought he deserved, it took some convincing from Tom Cruise for Powell to warm up to playing Hangman. Despite his initial apprehension, Powell was rewarded for the role, playing an outstanding and unforgettable character. Still, Hangman is a minor character and is used primarily to reflect off Rooster , which is why Twisters is so exciting.

Unlike with Top Gun , original cast members like Helen Hunt won't return for the sequel, leaving all the more room for the young stars to flourish.

Glen Powell leads the Twisters cast , headlining an ensemble with Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and more. Powell may have been underutilized in Top Gun , but Twisters will make the most out of him, demonstrating his capabilities as an action movie lead. The films have similar premises, with Twisters being another long-delayed action/thriller movie, this time focused on a riveting disaster narrative. Unlike with Top Gun , original cast members like Helen Hunt won't return for the sequel, leaving all the more room for the young stars to flourish.

Tyler's "Old Ways" Focus In Twisters Calls Back To Powell's Top Gun 2 Story

Glen powell's twisters character has a lot in common with top gun: maverick's narrative.

In Twisters , Glen Powell will play the character Tyler Owens, who bears a lot of similarity to Hangman. The Twisters trailer portrays Owens as a thrill-seeking cowboy-like hero who's sort of an old-fashioned, one-with-nature tornado wrangler. Powell is going to continue getting typecast as the over-confident protagonist types because he's terrific at playing them, and Tyler Owens could be the most perfectly suited role yet, with an improvement over Cary Elwes's role in the original Twister .

Tyler Owens, being an old-fashioned tornado wrangler, likely creates a dichotomy with Daisy Edgar-Jones' character, who will be a more modern, scientific storm chaser. This creates even more similarities to Top Gun: Maverick , where Tom Cruise's character had to utilize the riskier ways of the past, rather than playing things by the book, to save the day . Powell's character seems like he'll fit a similar archetype to Maverick, where he'll be the guy who refuses to work within the system, and ultimately, the two strategies balance to solve the crisis.

Twisters' Future Is More Promising For Glen Powell Than Top Gun 3

Top gun 3 could happen, but glen powell has a better opportunity with twisters sequels.

Glen Powell is an incredibly exciting young movie star who can bring swagger and charisma to any role he takes on. The next few years will be fascinating to see play out as he navigates the post- Top Gun spotlight in a slew of top-quality roles. The possibility of Top Gun 3 has been discussed frequently since the movie's release, as Paramount would obviously love to capitalize on the title while the excitement is still there. It'd be wonderful to see Powell return as Hangman in a bigger role, but the Top Gun franchise will still prioritize Cruise or Miles Teller .

Miles Teller was fantastic in Top Gun: Maverick, and it would be great to see him carry on with the franchise. However, Glen Powell's talents may be better suited for Twisters , which could quickly expand into more sequels if the 2024 movie is better received. In his own action franchise, Powell has the chance to be the leading man opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones and cultivate his own environment where he can flourish as a movie star. Twisters is an exciting movie for Glen Powell, allowing him to fully prove himself as one of the 2020s most prolific stars.

A follow-up to the 1996 original film Twister, Twisters is a sequel set years after the original, said to be fast-tracked by Steven Spielberg and Mark L. Smith, with Frank Marshal as producer. Little details exist about the film, but Helen Hunt is expected to reprise her role as Jo, with the film likely to pay homage to the late Bill Paxton. 

Sort by Year - Latest Movies and TV Shows With Tom Cruise

• Movies or TV
• IMDb Rating
• In Theaters
• Release Year

1. Top Gun 3

Action | Announced

Plot kept under wraps.

Stars: Tom Cruise , Glen Powell , Miles Teller

2. Live Die Repeat and Repeat

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi | Announced

Plot unknown. A follow-up to the 2014 sci-fi film, 'Edge of Tomorrow'.

Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Tom Cruise , Emily Blunt , Rolando Davila-Beltran

3. Untitled Tom Cruise/SpaceX Project

Pre-production

Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman travel far beyond Earth to film the first ever Hollywood motion picture in outer space

Director: Doug Liman | Star: Tom Cruise

4. Luna Park (I)

A group of renegade employees who venture to the moon to steal an energy source.

Director: Doug Liman

5. Untitled Alejandro G. Iñárritu Film

Plot under wraps.

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Star: Tom Cruise

6. Untitled Les Grossman Project

Comedy | Announced

A comedic biography of renown movie producer Les Grossman.

7. Adventurer's Club

Adventure | Announced

8. The Late Late Show with James Corden (2015–2023) Episode: Tom Cruise/Monica Barbaro/Teddy Swims

TV-14 | Comedy, Talk-Show

Actor Tom Cruise and actress Monica Barbaro (movie, "Top Gun Maverick"); Teddy Swims performs;

Stars: James Corden , Reggie Watts , Tom Cruise , Monica Barbaro

9. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part Two (2025)

Action, Adventure, Thriller | Post-production

The 8th entry in the long running Mission Impossible franchise.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise , Vanessa Kirby , Hannah Waddingham , Hayley Atwell

10. 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards (2024 TV Special)

Explore the winners and nominations for the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards, celebrates the very best in film of the past year.

Director: Tony Grech-Smith | Stars: David Tennant , Hannah Waddingham , Nick Mohammed , Judi Dench

11. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #43.107 (2024)

News, Talk-Show

Willie Geist, Martin Scorsese, Paul Giamatti, Lily Gladstone, Mark Ruffalo, Bradley Cooper, Zac Efron, and Jeremy Allen White hit the red carpet for the National Board of Review Awards Gala... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Denny Directo , Rachel Smith

12. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #43.154 (2024)

On the red carpet for the Billboard Women in Music Awards; actress DeWanda Wise (movie, "Imaginary"); Drew Barrymore on her Oscar preview show; Garth Brooks at the grand opening of his bar ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Cassie DiLaura

13. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #43.170 (2024)

The latest on King Charles and Kate Middleton's cancer battles; the premiere of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire"; Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Ryan Seacrest dish on "American... See full summary  »

14. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

PG-13 | 163 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.

Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise , Hayley Atwell , Ving Rhames , Simon Pegg

Votes: 245,316 | Gross: $172.14M

15. The Coronation and Crowning of King Charles III & Queen Camilla (2023 TV Special)

Documentary, Music, News

Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, on May 6th, 2023 at Westminster Abbey following the death of Charles' mother, Elizabeth II.

Stars: Kirsty Young , Huw Edwards , Abdullah II King Of Jordan , Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

16. 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards (2023)

The 31st edition of the MTV Movie and TV Awards, and the sixth to jointly honor film and television. It was originally scheduled to be held on May 7, 2023 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, and be hosted by Drew Barrymore.

Director: Joe DeMaio | Stars: Drew Barrymore , Adrian Blanco , Sofia Carson , Erica Christensen

17. etalk presents: Mission: Impossible - All Access (2023 TV Special)

30 min | News

We're in Rome with Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell and the rest of the 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One' cast. They break down all the wild stunts, bemoan Toronto traffic and Tom even learns a little Hindi from Sonia Mangat.

Stars: Hayley Atwell , Angela Bassett , Sonia Beeksma , Tom Cruise

18. SAT.1 - Das ist die Krönung! (2023 TV Special)

390 min | Family, News, Reality-TV

"SAT.1 - Das ist die Krönung!" is a TV Special on SAT.1 (DE,AT,CH).

Stars: Abdullah II King Of Jordan , Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah , Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani , Patrick Allen

19. König Charles III - Tag der Krönung (2023 TV Special)

420 min | Family, News, Reality-TV

"König Charles III - Tag der Krönung" is a TV Special on WeLT Television (formerly known as N24).

20. The Last Last Late Late Show with James Corden Carpool Karaoke Special (2023 TV Special)

A prime time special that aired before James Corden's final episode.

Directors: Glenn F. Clements , Tim Mancinelli | Stars: Adele , James Corden , Tom Cruise

21. Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2003– ) Episode: Tom Cruise/Camila Morrone/Walk Off the Earth (2023)

TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Music, Talk-Show

Actor Tom Cruise (movie, "Top Gun: Maverick"); actress Camila Morrone (TV mini-series, "Daisy Jones and The Six"); Walk Off the Earth perform;

Director: Danny Jelinek | Stars: Jimmy Kimmel , Tom Cruise , Camila Morrone , Walk Off the Earth

22. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.140 (2023)

TV-PG | 20 min | News

Happy Valentine's Day; interviews with Tom Cruise, Angela Bassett, and Colin Farrell; Rob Lowe's untold pizza delivery story; Carrie Underwood;

Stars: Billy Bush , Renee Bargh , Charissa Thompson , Jana Kramer

23. Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019– ) Episode: Bounce Back (2023)

TV-MA | Documentary, Sport

Mercedes principal Toto Wolff works to combat the team's unexpected struggles, while Lewis Hamilton navigates a bumpy ride in the team's redesigned car.

Stars: Mattia Binotto , Will Buxton , Jost Capito , Tom Cruise

24. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.143 (2023)

TV-PG | News, Talk-Show

Alec Baldwin appears in court for the "Rust" shooting; the cast of "Daisy Jones and The Six"; the Producer's Guild Awards; the NAACP Image Awards; the SAG Awards; singer Adam Lambert; singer Quincy Jones;

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Matt Cohen , Will Marfuggi

25. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.145 (2023)

The SAG Awards; actress Courteney Cox receives her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; actor Tom Cruise hits the red carpet for the Producers Guild Awards; back stage at the 450th episode ... See full summary  »

26. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.161 (2023)

Tom Cruise, Rihanna, and Jimmy Kimmel prepare for the Oscars; David Letterman and rock legends U2;

27. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.182 (2023)

James Corden talks about his final shows; a Tom Cruise surprise; Jennifer Garner's new collaboration with Reese Witherspoon on the TV series, "The Last Thing He Told Me";

28. Dish Nation (2011– ) Episode: Episode #11.178 (2023)

TV-PG | News

Tom Cruise is spotted with Shakira; Kroy Biermann seeks full custody of his children in his split from wife, Kim Zolciak; Doja Cat says that her latest two albums were money grabs; Jennifer... See full summary  »

Stars: Da Brat , Gary With Da Tea , Heidi Hamilton , Porsha Williams

29. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.213 (2023)

Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible: Deadly Reckoning - Part One"); Sydney Sweeney ("Reality"): Marcia Gay Harden ("So Help Me Todd"); Matt Dillon and Patricia Arquette ("High Desert");

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Hallie Stephens

30. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.229 (2023)

Summer movie preview; Tom Cruise; Harrison Ford; Margot Robbie; Sydney Sweeney;

31. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.223 (2023)

"Mission Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"; "Barbie"; "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts"; "Gran Turismo"; "Joy Ride"; "Asteroid City"; "Oppenheimer"; "No Hard Feelings"; "Equalizer III";

32. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.237 (2023)

Happy Flag Day; Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, and more at the premiere of "Asteroid City"; Samuel L. Jackson, Olivia Colman, and the cast of "Secret Invasion"; Gordon Ramsay (TV series, "... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Matt Cohen , Rachel Smith

33. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.247 (2023)

Juneteenth; Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); Robert Downey Jr's new reality series, "Downey's Dream Cars";

34. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.248 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); Sarah Jessica Parker (TV series, "And Just Like That..");

35. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.249 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); "And Just Like That..";

36. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.250 (2023)

Sofia Vergara tells of launching her own beauty line; Jeremy Allen White (TV series, "The Bear");

37. Access Hollywood (1996– ) Episode: Episode #27.242 (2023)

The cast of "And Just Like That"; Tom Cruise and the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; Harrison Ford and the cast of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny"; Erin ... See full summary  »

Stars: Mario Lopez , Kit Hoover , Scott Evans , Sibley Scoles

38. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.242 (2023)

"Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; "And Just Like That"; "Tudum"; Jonathan Majors faces another hearing; "Jack Ryan"; a tour of the Hollywood Memorabilia House; "Secret Invasion"; "Downey's Dream Car";

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Deidre Behar , Hayley Atwell

39. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.243 (2023)

"Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; Jennifer Lawrence (movie, "No Hard Feelings"); "LA Fire and Rescue" and the West Hollywood Fire captains; Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris ("Trippin' with Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris");

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Matt Cohen

40. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.244 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"); Christina and Josh Hall (TV series, "Christina in the Country"); Morning Save's Amy Paffrath has "60 Seconds of Steals";

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Hallie Stephens , Cassie DiLaura

41. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Bahamas Week - Day 2 (2023)

Actor Edwin Hodge (TV series, "FBI: Most Wanted"); actors Andy Devine, Pierce Brosnan, and Nina Dobrev, and producer Adam Sandler (movie, "The Out-Laws"); actresses Ashley Park, Stephanie ... See full summary  »

42. Entertainment Tonight Canada (2005–2023) Episode: Episode dated 27 June 2023 (2023)

Family, News

Stars: Hayley Atwell , Angela Bassett , Luke Bryan , Carlos Bustamante

43. Access Hollywood (1996– ) Episode: Episode #27.255 (2023)

Interview with Kate Bosworth; the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; interviews with Sylvester Stallone and family;

44. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.259 (2023)

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling (movie, "Barbie"); Matt Damon and Emily Blunt (movie, "Oppenheimer's"); Thunder From Down Under's series. "Flip the Strip", with celebrity guests; "Mission: ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Hallie Stephens , Scott Evans

45. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.260 (2023)

"Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; the cast of "Barbie"; Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan discuss their formerly secretive relationship; Tiffany Haddish (movie, "Haunted ... See full summary  »

46. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.261 (2023)

Patrick and Brittany Mahomes at the premiere of his TV series, "Quarterback"; the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One";

47. Entertainment Tonight (1981– ) Episode: Episode #42.263 (2023)

The new cast members of "The Real Housewives of New York City"; the cast of "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; Melissa Joan Hart and her family do charity work in Zambia; ... See full summary  »

Stars: Kevin Frazier , Nischelle Turner , Rachel Smith , Brice Sander

48. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.266 (2023)

Tom Cruise (movie, "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One"; how Margot Robbie (movie, "Barbie") got Ryan Gosling to be her Ken;

49. Extra (1994– ) Episode: Episode #29.269 (2023)

Tom Cruise's "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning: Part One" co-stars talk about working with him; Sterling K. Brown's new movie puts his survival skills to the test;

50. Entertainment Tonight Canada (2005–2023) Episode: 4th July 2023 (2023)

Stars: Anne-Marie , Hayley Atwell , Carlos Bustamante , Belinda Carlisle

Recently Viewed

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Mark ruffalo, jessica hecht set for performance of ‘ironweed’ at bam (exclusive).

The play is based on William Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and is in early stages of development for an off-Broadway run.

By Caitlin Huston

Caitlin Huston

Business Writer

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

Mark Ruffalo is returning to the stage in a one-night performance of the new play Ironweed: An Evening of Art & Humanity.

Ruffalo will star opposite Jessica Hecht in a performance set for May 17 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The play is based on William Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, which was first published in 1983, and conceived of by Jodie Markell, who directs, and Brad Gilbert, who is the producer. 

Related Stories

Crystal kung minkoff exits 'real housewives of beverly hills' after 3 seasons: "it was an honor", ron thompson, actor in 'no place to be somebody' and 'american pop,' dies at 83.

The play is set on All Hallow’s Eve in Albany in 1938. Francis Phelan, played by Ruffalo, returns to his hometown after being homeless for many years and reckons with his journey up to that point and the possibility for redemption as he nears the end of his life. Hecht plays Francis’ friend Helen Archer, who once was a classical pianist at Vassar but accompanies Francis through town as his drinking companion.

The production is in early stages of development for an off-Broadway run. It comes to BAM as part of the theater’s renewed commitment to developing new works.

“This project taps into BAM’s longstanding support of the creativity of New York-based actors, directors, and writers working together on fresh, relevant adaptations and new works,” said BAM’s Interim Artistic Director Amy Cassello. 

Following the May 17 performance, Ruffalo and Hecht will conduct an onstage conversation with advocates and experts on the unhoused crisis in the U.S., moderated by The New Yorker ’s Vinson Cunningham.

Ruffalo’s recent projects induce Yorgos Lanthimos and Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things and the Netflix miniseries All the Light We Cannot See. His upcoming projects include Warner Bros and Bong Joon Ho’s sci-fi drama Mickey 17 and an untitled crime series on HBO by Mare of Easttown ’s Brad Ingelsby.

Hecht appeared opposite Ruffalo in The Price ; her many other stage credits include Summer, 1976 opposite Laura Linney, Fiddler on the Roof opposite Danny Burstein, Brighton Beach Memoirs with Laurie Metcalf, Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington and A View From the Bridge with Liev Schreiber and Scarlett Johansson. Her onscreen work includes starring in the Netflix series Special , as well as recurring roles in Dickinson, Succession, Friends and Breaking Bad. 

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Rafael nadal returns to tennis tour: here’s how to stream the barcelona open online, disney+ and national geographic unveil galápagos islands giveaway for earth day: here’s how to enter, the best gifts for new moms, from sleepwear seen on starry mamas to services that treat them like a-listers, british menswear brand thom sweeney shows david duchovny’s “weekend in the life”, the best luxury gifts for everyone, from custom fine jewelry to ‘designer cookies’, these spring dyson deals save you up to $230 on vacuums, hair tools and air purifiers.