Top 5 Fave Tom Cruise Roles

Keeping in mind that this is in no way an endorsement of Tom Cruise as my favourite actor, I laid out my top 5 favourite Tom Cruise films on The Buzz last night, and thought I’d throw them up on the blog as well with a more concise explanation of why I chose each of them.

5. Legend:With a few exceptions, the really big blockbusters stars tend to shy away from fantasy films – unless those fantasy films are what turned them into blockbuster stars in the first place. So it should be considered a rare treat to have Tom Cruise appear in a fantasy film directed by Ridley Scott of all people, as the forest dwelling hero, Jack. My assumption is that Scott’s involvement is what caught Cruise’s attention – he’s otherwise always been more of a sci-fi kind of actor. Legend’s storyline was a little flaky, but you’d be hard pressed to find a more raw depiction of the struggle between good and evil than Legend. Beyond young Tom Cruise’s pre-Top Gun performance, Tim Curry’s insanely intricate make-up and Tangerine Dream’s one-of-a-kind soundtrack place Legend in a category all by itself – which might account for the fact that few people even know of the film’s existence. There was a special extended version of this film released on DVD, but I think there’s too much singing in it – rent it before adding it to your collection.

4. Interview with the Vampire:This was Cruise’s biggest “In yo’ face!” roles, in that nobody, not even Anne Rice herself, thought that Cruise had the chops to handle this role. He was too much of a pretty boy, he didn’t have the shoulders for something like this. As far as I’m concerned, that man carried this entire film. Brad Pitt’s performance was decent – I think even he would be willing to admit he was mainly there to be looked at, and Kirsten Dunst put everyone on notice that she was the little girl you didn’t mess with, every moment that Lestat was on screen was the time your eyes were fixed on the screen. He was pure charm, mischief and malevolence – he was Lestat through and through, and he gave the film both an authenticity and credibility that hasn’t been seen in vampire movies since.

3. Jerry Maguire:I think you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t like this film. It had so many elements packed into it that it could hit just about every demographic in every direction simultaneously. And while it didn’t really have to be Tom Cruise in this role, it was a very interesting way of looking at him: being the man who had everything, and then losing it. I doubt he could have pulled off the kind of likability he achieved in his current state of publicity – he has so utterly dehumanized himself in the media with all of his strange antics. Much like this movie strikes at the core of the everyman, in showing that it’s never too late for anyone to redefine their life, Tom Cruise seems to have gone to great lengths to show that in his personal life he is as far from common as they come. Regardless, this movie is so loaded with lines that have seeped deep into the heart of pop-culture, and scenes that are so beautifully played out, yet so common in their scenario, this role was a great move for Cruise.

2. Tropic Thunder:I know it might be a little too soon to be putting this movie into any “all time” list, but there are a number of reasons why this should be considered a very special performance on the part of Tom Cruise. While Tropic Thunder might not “belong” to Cruise, that honour certainly belongs to Robert Downey Jr., without Cruise on board it could not have gone “over the top” like it did. While a large number of critics seem to have interpreted Ben Stiller’s Tugg Speedman as a play on Sylvester Stallone, it couldn’t have been clearer to me that it was a total jab at Tom Cruise. So when Tom made his surprise appearance in Tropic Thunder as studio-exec Les Grossman, it seemed like such a classy move on both Stiller’s and Cruise’s parts. It became clear that not only could Tom laugh at himself, but he could also poke fun at the men who had been pulling his strings throughout his entire career at the same time. Combine that with him playing a role that couldn’t have relied less on his looks – probably the best example of this since Born on the 4th of July, and you have a tremendous performance from a man who really needed to pick a role that showed he wasn’t taking himself too seriously. Good on ya, Tom.

1. Magnolia:For those who want to witness what Tom Cruise is truly capable of when he gives himself over to a role, I implore you to check out PT Anderson’s crowning achievement to date: Magnolia. While Tim made it pretty clear that he had nothing to do with the film outside of the actual production of it, he leaves a stamp that is unmistakable as Tom Cruise quality, but is otherwise nothing like anything he has ever made before. Frank “TJ” Mackie is the ultimate chauvinist, and at the same time one of the most vulnerable characters he has ever played. Mackie takes the portrayal of a type ‘A’ personality to new heights, yet also manages to display a crippling uncertainty in his own identity as he explodes from one scene another, threatens to dropkick his estranged father’s dogs, sings Aimee Mann to himself in the rain, and urges his throngs of followers to seduce and destroy. This role is the farthest thing from any character that Cruise has ever played before, and yet he makes it seem so natural. I attribute it to skilled directing, coupled with Cruise’s notorious work ethic. Again, if you haven’t seen this movie, you have no idea of what Tom Cruise is capable of.

Again: Jeff Bridges, don’t worry, this is not an endorsement of Tom Cruise as my favourite actor. It’s simply a nod to a man who might make the occasional professional or personal blunder, but can still manage to impress us with his strong performances in roles that diverse barely manages to describe.