For the first time in more than 20 years, Tom Cruise is acting again. Sure, he's performed in plenty of movies in that time. But he's mostly stuck to action and sci-fi movies, stepping into serious drama (Lions for Lambs) and musicals (Rock of Ages) to mixed results. But while Digger is the biggest risk he's taken in a long time, it's not quite good enough to crack his five best performances. Here they are, according to me:
5. Eyes Wide Shut as Dr. William Hartford
There's an almost perverse pleasure in watching the biggest movie star in the world experience the worst day of his life. After his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman) admits she once considered cheating on him, Bill sets out on a true dark night of the soul, stumbling into a world his privileged life hasn't equipped him to understand. It's a stark contrast to the man who has no qualms about sitting atop the world's tallest building or hanging off the side of a plane. This is the weakest he's ever been onscreen, and we'll probably never see anything like it again.
4. Collateral as Vincent
"Yo, Homie. Is that my briefcase?"
With a shock of white hair and an unsettling calmness, Cruise goes deliciously against type as a hitman in Michael Mann's nocturnal crime odyssey. He rarely takes on the villain. Instead, he often plays the incorruptible hero, even if the role doesn't suit him (like Jack Reacher). But he's so terrifying here, luring and taunting Jamie Foxx's cab driver to become more complicit as the evening rolls on. If he's open to more uncomfortable roles post-Digger, he should try on the black hat again.
3. Jerry Maguire as Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire shows off all of Cruise's skills: his undeniable charisma, his cleverness, his physicality, his yelling. But unlike all the other performances on this list, it's his best showcase for him as a romantic lead. Even in some of his best movies – including some co-starring his offscreen partners – he doesn't always have chemistry with his love interest. But the tenderness and vulnerability he displays as sports agent dealing with the fallout of listening to his conscience makes lines as cheesy as "You complete me" feel believable.
2. Magnolia as Frank "T.J." Mackey
I'm still not over Cruise losing his best chance at a competitive Oscar to Michael Caine in a movie as dull as The Cider House Rules. This is Cruise at his most raw, playing a proto-Andrew Tate figure who spews misogynistic bile to an audience of loyal incels. But a tough interview with a reporter (April Grace) cracks his entire persona. This leads to a reunion with his father (Jason Robards) that should be hokey. But Cruise – and Paul Thomas Anderson's writing and direction – make it rapturous.
1. Born on the Fourth of July as Ron Kovic
Oliver Stone may have a wildly inconsistent filmography, but the highs are incredibly high. And the night he won his second Oscar, Cruise probably should have won his first. Except he faced stiff competition from the likes of Robin Williams, Morgan Freeman, and Kenneth Branagh. And of course the eventual winner: the G.O.A.T. Daniel Day-Lewis.
Kovic was a real-life veteran and writer. His gruesome injury in battle in Vietnam and reprehensible treatment by the V.A. after led to a lifetime of activism. He wanted to keep young men from suffering his same fate, or worse. Cruise had spent the previous decade building up a résumé of impressive performances, acting alongside Paul Newman and Dustin Hoffman. Both actors would win the Oscars for their respective turns in The Color of Money and Rain Man. But Born on the Fourth of July undoubtedly proved that Cruise was both a star and serious actor. It's almost two performances. The first hour is Cruise as the dutiful son and loyal soldier. The second sees his passions ignited for the first time. It seems unlikely he'll ever top this one.
