- Tom Cruise has done every type of movie you can think of over his nearly 40-year career.
- Here we rank every one from worst to best.
- See where his latest, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” ranks in his career filmography.
43. “Rock of Ages” (2012)
Somehow Cruise got roped into being part of this feature-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. But leave it to him to lay it all out there.
Though the movie is unwatchable, Cruise provides its only memorable moments when his rock-star character belts out classic songs like “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Wanted Dead or Alive.”
42. “Endless Love” (1981)
Cruise’s first appearance in a movie is this 1980s teen romance drama starring Brooke Shields that’s best known for giving us the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie title song.
Cruise gets a brief bit of screen time as one of the male lead’s friends. It’s quite forgettable, but it’s still better than “Rock of Ages.”
41. “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” (2016)
Between “Mission: Impossible” movies, Cruise tried to kick off another action franchise by bringing the main character of the Lee Child novel series to the big screen.
Though the first movie just got over the $200 million mark at the worldwide box office, the performance (or lack thereof) by the sequel indicated no one wanted any more Mr. Reacher. It barely made $162 million worldwide.
40. “The Mummy” (2017)
Cruise was all set to be the Robert Downey Jr. of Universal’s Dark Universe with the release of this movie and promises of more creature pictures to come. But playing a soldier of fortune who tries to stop an ancient Egyptian princess from taking over the world didn’t grab audiences. It was another franchise not meant to be.
39. “Losin’ It” (1983)
John Stockwell and Cruise in “Losin’ It.”Embassy Pictures Corporation
Still getting his legs under him in the movie biz, Cruise signed onto this teen comedy in which he’s one of four friends who go on a hard-partying road trip to Tijuana in hopes of losing their virginity. Yes, even Cruise couldn’t hide from the teen-sex-comedy genre when he started his career.
38. “Mission: Impossible II” (2000)
Man, John Woo deserved better than this. The legendary Hong Kong director took over the “Mission: Impossible” reins after Brian De Palma kicked things off with the first movie, but Woo didn’t find the same success.
“Mission: Impossible II” did go on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2000, with over $546 million earned worldwide, but with its weak plot and character development, it has not aged anywhere near as well as the first movie (or the other movies in the franchise).
37. “Jack Reacher” (2012)
Though “Jack Reacher” was the first time Cruise worked with his longtime “Mission: Impossible” director, Christopher McQuarrie, and it features the legendary director Werner Herzog as the movie’s villain, Cruise as Jack Reacher is a seen-it-before character who isn’t exciting.
36. “Oblivion” (2013)
Here, Cruise attempted to go the sci-fi route in hopes of having a breakthrough “Minority Report”-like experience for the audience. But the story was nowhere as sharp, and its postapocalyptic vibe left us all feeling uninterested.
35. “Lions for Lambs” (2007)
Marking the first movie released by United Artists after Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner took over (the two left UA after a couple of years) was “Lions for Lambs,” a tense drama set around the war in Afghanistan and directed by Robert Redford.
Cruise gave his all playing an agenda-pushing senator and has some strong scenes opposite Meryl Streep. But the movie is just dull.
34. “Far and Away” (1992)
Cruise and his wife at the time, Nicole Kidman, paired together in this 1890s-set epic directed by Ron Howard. The two play Irish immigrants seeking a fortune in America. Outside the lush photography, there isn’t much to enjoy about this movie. And don’t get me started on Cruise’s awful Irish accent.
33. “Vanilla Sky” (2001)
At the tail end of Cruise’s heartthrob phase, the director Cameron Crowe teamed with him again after their hugely successful collaboration on “Jerry Maguire” to make a very different love story.
Based on the Spanish movie “Open Your Eyes,” Cruise plays a vain New York City media playboy who has a different outlook on life after being in a horrific car crash. Though Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Penélope Cruz (who also starred in “Open Your Eyes”) all give top performances, Crowe goes too weird with the story, leaving viewers out in the void by the time the movie gets into the home stretch.
32. “American Made” (2017)
Mixing action and dark comedy in telling the real-life story of the drug runner Barry Seal seemed like a nice pivot for Cruise, but at the end of the day, the director Doug Liman’s movie is just too glossy to be taken seriously. (Accent update: Cruise delivers a tolerable Southern drawl.)
31. “The Last Samurai” (2003)
Cruise stars as an American soldier in 19th-century Japan who embraces the samurai culture. The movie went on to receive four Oscar nominations, but it’s the kind of title in which one viewing is enough.
And on a side note: Wow, would this movie get hammered on social media if it came out today.
30. “Valkyrie” (2008)
Another release from the time Cruise was calling the shots at UA, “Valkyrie” sees him playing one of the rogue Nazi officers who attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
(Accent update: Cruise — and basically most of the other Nazi officers — decided to not even bother with a German accent. Good choice; the audience didn’t even notice [holds back giggles].)
29. “Cocktail” (1988)
It’s one of the movies in Cruise’s career that ride fully on his good looks. Honestly, this movie should have just been titled “Sex.” Cruise plays a hot New York City bartender who has dreams of making it big, and it’s his hotness that’s going to get him to the top. It’s classic Hot Guy Cruise — who cares that the story is garbage.
28. “War of the Worlds” (2005)
Steven Spielberg teamed up with Cruise after “Minority Report” for this blockbuster remake of the classic sci-fi movie. Though it made a lot of money, it was dark in tone — maybe a little too dark. Be honest: Have you wanted to see this movie again?
27. “Knight and Day” (2010)
This is one of those movies that don’t get enough c
