Tom Cruise is one of the few actors who had an equally lucrative career in both the 20th and 21st centuries. His movies go back to the early 1980s, when he was one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood and virtually every role he took was box office gold. He's worked with a variety of directors and has shared the screen with a diverse group of actors that span three generations of cinematic magic.
When a person is so famous that they're a "household name," there's no reason for them to step out of the spotlight, and Tom Cruise is still working like he was 40 years ago with no sign of slowing down. It's difficult to pin down just a few of these movies that he carried into Hollywood legend, but here are some of his best works.
7 Risky Business (1983)
Risky Business was part of a tradition in the 1980s that meant teen comedies had to be raunchy, visceral, and rated R. Think of a version of Ferris Bueller's Day Off but with a lot more sex, drugs, and crime in the spirit of a National Lampoon flick instead. This is one of the last and best examples of a genre that faded out as the decade came to a close. With a profit of $63 million dollars on a budget of just over six, its commercial success can't be understated.
The main character, Joel Goodsen, is a rich kid on his way to Princeton when his parents go away for the weekend, leaving him in an empty house by himself. Throwing a party isn't even half of what Joel gets into, but it all turns out okay in the end. Hopefully, however, he won't choose a career in politics.
6 Top Gun (1986)
If Risky Business was Cruise's breakthrough role, this movie was his coronation as King of All Movies. He stars with other iconic names including Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, and Anthony Edwards, and the soundtrack that includes tracks from Kenny Loggins is an immortal time capsule of 1980s rock.
The movie is about Maverick, also known as Lt. Pete Mitchell, a hotshot fighter pilot that plays by his own rules at the TOPGUN flight school. Maverick is surrounded by equally beautiful and ambitious egomaniacs. While it's not exactly the most complex movie ever made, the music and characters were enough to make this movie famous.
5 Legend (1985)
Like so many of Ridley Scott's movies, there are different versions of Legend aside from the theatrical cut. Mia Sara and Tim Curry also make appearances in this horror fantasy, which was inspired by Celtic myth and was ahead of its time in the genre of realistic fairy tales. Jack, the main character, is an everyman but pure of heart, and he must prevent the Lord of Darkness from taking over the world by killing two unicorns. His co-star, Mia Sara as Princess Lili, isn't just a typical damsel in distress and has an active role in this dark adventure.
Unlike most Tom Cruise movies, this one was not a commercial success, but there was ample praise for cinematography, makeup, costumes, and special effects, and they still hold up in the present day. That's why this movie is still a cult classic with a dedicated fan base.
4 Born On The Fourth Of July (1989)
Ron Kovik published his autobiography, Born On The Fourth of July, in 1976. The book tracked his life from the Vietnam War to becoming a staunch anti-war activist in later years. Tom Cruise proved that he had some serious dramatic abilities with this adaptation of Kovik's book, and the movie manages to be anti-war and pro-veteran at the same time.
Oliver Stone intended this movie to be the second in his Vietnam War trilogy, with Platoon as the first installment and Heaven And Earth as the third and final one. All three are heartbreaking, visceral, and brutally honest, with Tom Cruise's amazing performance making this entry the most highly critically acclaimed. Tropic Thunder, the ultimate war movie parody film, includes a comical version of this character.
3 Rain Man (1988)
This is a unique role and a complex character. The plot leads the viewer to initially believe that Charlie Babbit is the movie's antagonist, and not even he seems to understand that at first. Played by Tom Cruise, Charlie expects to inherit some of his father's money. When he finds out that his older brother is the sole trustee, he kidnaps him from the institution where he lives and tries to bargain for at least part of the inheritance in exchange for his return.
By the time Charlie has spent some time on the road with his brother, it's not about the money anymore, and he actually refuses a cash payment in return for giving up his legal claim. In the end, Raymond returns to the institution, but Charlie has obtained something much more valuable: a brother.
2 Jerry MacGuire (1996)
Jerry MacGuire is a movie about an amoral person who has a moral dilemma about the direction his career is taking him. His work environment has become so toxic that his friends and co-workers mistake his reluctance to literally work his clients to death as a nervous breakdown.
This movie questions whether is possible to have a successful career and to have feelings and morals at the same time. On another level, is anyone really honest about anything, or is the Game of Life just a tactical game everyone plays with personal relationships as well as business clients? These are the kinds of thoughts we banished in the go-go '90s.
1 Interview With A Vampire (1994)
There are so many things to like about this movie, and Tom Cruise's portrayal of Lestat is just one of them. Viewers can also enjoy Antonio Banderas in his breakthrough role, the various costumes and sets of different time periods, and one of the best examples of successful novel adaptation. Brad Pitt's character isn't half as interesting or as compelling as the sultry yet frigid Lestat, who could easily carry this story on his own.
The author of the original book, Anne Rice, had some doubts about the casting for the role and might have been miffed that all of her suggestions were rejected by the studio. She wasn't the only person who thought Cruise was miscast, but he proved everyone wrong with an iconic portrayal that is recognized today as one of his best roles.