While the Mission Impossible movies are what make Tom Cruise a global superstar, we bring you 10 Tom Cruise movies other than MI that you should definitely watch. Each of these movies proves why he is the best at what he does. While most of these are action movies, the ones that are not, only prove that he is a versatile actor.
The following movies not only stress his love for movies and his yearning to give the audience more every time but also prove that he is indeed a good actor. So without mincing any more words, let’s begin.
10 Tom Cruise Movies other than Mission Impossible
Top Gun Maverick
A movie that made history by ushering Cruise into the billion-dollar club, Top Gun Maverick is a sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. But you don’t need to see that in order to understand this one because you’ll get the explanation you need in the sequel itself. However, we put it at the top of the list due to its sheer grandeur and Cruise’s conviction to give the audience an experience worth lasting a lifetime. He is the only actor to have flown jets in a movie. Credit also goes to director Joseph Kosinski for the special delivery. The rest of the cast includes Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Jay Ellis, John Hamm, Val Kilmer and Jennifer Connelly.
If you have a love for jets, this movie is a blessing. It’s unfortunate if you weren’t able to watch it at the theatres, but you can avail it on Amazon Prime Video. Tom’s portrayal as Maverick reminds us of the same guy from the prequel 36 years ago and makes it clear that he has not forgotten what made his character iconic even a little bit.
The Last Samurai
Based in 19th century Japan, the movie tells the story of American captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom, who finds himself divided between two eras, the Samurai and their ancient techniques of war, and the art of modernised warfare. Which one will he choose? Does he even have a choice? The Last Samurai is arguably the best of Tom Cruise movies outside of Mission Impossible (personally speaking). Alongside Tom, the cast includes Ken Watanabe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki Kato and Tony Goldwyn. It has been directed by Edward Zwick.
Tom’s dedication to his role is crystal clear in the movie, and needless to say, all his actions were done by him. He trained for 8 months and spent an extra four months looking into the history of the Samurai. His acting even got him a Golden Globe nomination.
Knight and Day
An action comedy that is high on true-to-form action, Knight and Day stars Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. June (Diaz) meets the handsome Roy on a plane which she starts to like. But what she doesn’t know is that Roy is a covert operative and that the plane that she is in is about to go into a free fall. What follows is how Roy tries to protect June as they both escape the enemy, with June having no idea what’s happening. It has been directed by James Mangold.
The chemistry between Diaz and Cruise is very palpable, and it makes the movie thoroughly enjoyable while maintaining the stakes high. While the former is seasoned in humour, the latter was able to keep up with the pace, resulting in the perfect outcome.
Collateral
Tom plays the role of a hitman, Vincent, in this film alongside Jamie Foxx, who is a taxi driver, Max, who is supposed to make five different stops for him. Each stop is a hit. Max has no way to escape and has to take him to his spots while the cops try to track them down. Whether Max finds a way out of the whole stop-and-assassinate assignment is what the movie is all about.
Directed by Michael Mann, Collateral got Foxx a Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards. While Tom didn’t get any nominations, I found his negative portrayal of a cold-hearted assassin was spot-on. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Edge of Tomorrow
Staring Cruise and Emily Blunt, Edge of Tomorrow is a sci-fi movie wherein Cruise’s Major William Cage, has to protect Earth from an invincible alien force. The only way to do this is to team up with Blunt’s Rita Vrataski. The catch is that Cage is stuck in a time loop. So whenever he dies, he returns to a point where he has to befriend Rita all over again. In the process, he sharpens his skills and manages to extend his death a little more every time. But can he save the planet like this? It is a great movie that never gets old.
Emily Blunt proved big time that she is prepared to take on such “heavy-duty” roles, while Tom only re-established the fact that he is a bonafide action star. The rest of the cast includes Bill Paxton, Charlotte Riley, and Brendan Gleeson. Doug Liman directed the movie.
Rain Man
One of Tom’s best performances, if not the best performance of his career, Rain Man deals with Charlie Babbitt (Tom) and his autistic younger brother Raymond, played brilliantly by Dustin Hoffman. After their father’s death, Charlie finds out that his father has left his fortune at a metal institute in Cincinnati, wherein his brother Raymond, a person he had no idea existed, is admitted. The journey of the two brothers from Cincinnati to Los Angeles and how it transforms them is what the film is all about. An emotional roller-coaster that has stood the test of time, it is directed by Barry Levinson.
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If you want to see Tom in a most non-Tom-Cruise avatar, watch this movie. His mannerisms as a guy who has to deal with an autistic brother are very commendable in a way that makes it clear to us why he is doing what he is doing without him saying it.
A Few Good Men
Featuring a stellar cast that includes Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, and Kevin Bacon, it is a blood-boiling legal drama wherein Tom plays a military lawyer, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, who has to defend two U.S. Marines, the legacy of A Few Good Men stands strong. The catch in the story is that while the Marines have been convicted of killing a fellow Marine, he finds out that the two accused were possibly following the orders of their commanding officer, Col. Nathan R. Jessep (the great Jack Nicholson).
As a result, Daniel brings Jessep to the stand, and the interaction that follows between the two is so popular among fans that it has a dedicated YouTube video. The movie has been directed by Rob Reiner. Tom does a good job of making his presence felt in front of Jack Nicholson who, knowingly or unknowingly, manages to eclipse the other actors’ roles with his onscreen presence.
Valkyrie
Based on a true story about plotting by officers of the German army to assassinate Adolf Hitler and take back control of the country, Valkyrie has Tom playing the role of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the heads of the operation. The plan was to be executed on July 20, 1944 (World War II). The movie has been directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men fame). In this one, too, Tom pulls off a chilling portrayal of his character, even going to the extent of practising Scientology, which deals with reincarnation, among other stuff. This even led to issues in Germany, among the politicians and the von Stauffenberg family too. Talk about getting into character.
The rest of the Valkyrie cast includes Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann and Tom Wilkinson.
Oblivion
In this Joseph Kosinski directorial, Tom is back playing the saviour of Earth. This one, too, is based in the future (like Edge of Tomorrow) i.e., 2077. But this time, the planet is empty, and Jack (Tom) has only a couple of weeks left on it before leaving for another colony (think of Interstellar‘s last scene). But when he rescues a woman named Julia Rusakova, played by Olga Kurylenko, everything changes, and he has to save Earth on his own. When Tom is involved, it’s not over until there is a battle.
So there you have it folks, another sci-fi action that is rather underrated, in my humble opinion. The rest of the cast of Oblivion includes Andrea Riseborough, Morgan Freeman, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.
The way Tom performs makes his character and the whole plot feel quite personal and makes me think whether what happens in the movie is what the future has in store for humanity. Thus we have to hand it to him, and the makers for making the movie appear grounded.
P.S. – You do know that Tom Cruise is going to space, right?
Jack Reacher
Featuring Tom Cruise in a role that can be called Ethan Hunt’s alter ego, Jack Reacher deals with the conspiracy behind five shootouts that have the fingerprint of Reacher’s friend, a sniper, who now lies in a coma. Reacher will have to dig deeper and find out the real culprits. How he does it is what the movie deals with. The cast features Lee Child, Rosamund Pike, Werner Herzog, and David Oyelowo.
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie (Rogue Nation, Fallout, Dead Reckoning Part One), the movie explores Tom’s raw side that the actor pulls off like a pro. His behaviour makes it clear how dangerous he is. Jack Reacher is a worthy watch if you want to see him take down multiple guys single-handedly like only he can.
Which of these 10 Tom Cruise movies have you seen? Let us know in the comments below.
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