Tom Cruise movies, ranked
So far critics seem to love "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," which premiered on July 27, 2018.
Using data from sister site Metacritic, we've listed every major Tom Cruise movie spanning his 30-plus-year-long career, from the worst to the very best. See where is latest flick falls on the list.
"Cocktail" (Metascore: 12)
"Cocktail" (1988), in which Cruise played a New York City bartender, earned him a Golden Raspberry Award nomination for Worst Actor.
"Legend" (Metascore: 30)
In the fantasy film "Legend" (1985), Cruise must defeat the demonic Lord of Darkness before the world plunges into an eternal ice age.
"The Mummy" (Metascore: 34)
This 2017 film rebooted the Mummy franchise, but critics' reviews were scathing.
"The Outsiders" (Metascore: 41)
Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders" (1983), based on S.E. Hinton's acclaimed novel, featured Cruise and just about every other up-and-coming male star in Hollywood, including Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez.
"Vanilla Sky" (Metascore: 45)
In "Vanilla Sky" (2001), Cruise plays a man who has everything before his face is badly disfigured in an accident.
"Knight and Day" (Metascore: 46)
In this 2010 action comedy, a woman (Cameron Diaz) gets caught up with a secret agent (Cruise) on the run from the CIA.
"Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (Metascore: 47)
In this 2016 sequel to "Jack Reacher," Cruise's character is on a quest to uncover a government conspiracy.
"Rock of Ages" (Metascore: 47)
Cruise plays the role of Stacee Jaxx in this 2012 screen adaption of the Broadway rock musical.
"Lions for Lambs" (Metascore: 47)
Cruise plays a U.S. Senator and Republican presidential hopeful in this 2007 drama about the Afghan war.
"Far and Away": (Metascore: 49)
Cruise and Nicole Kidman star in this 1992 historical epic about two Irish immigrants seeking a new life in America in the 19th century.
"Taps" (Metascore: 49)
In Cruise's second film, from 1981, he plays a military student trying to save his school with other cadets.
"Jack Reacher" (Metascore: 50)
In the 2012 thriller, Cruise plays a former military officer investigating the murders of five people.
"Top Gun" (Metascore: 50)
Despite mixed critical reviews, this 1986 action drama about fighter pilots was a massive commercial hit.
"Losin' It" (Metascore: 51)
In this 1983 teen comedy, Cruise plays a young man who travels with a group of friends to Tijuana, Mexico on a quest to lose their virginity.
"Oblivion" (Metascore: 54)
In this 2013 science fiction film, also starring Morgan Freeman, Cruise plays a drone repairman with the fate of humanity in his hands.
"The Last Samurai" (Metascore: 55)
Cruise was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in this 2003 period drama as an American soldier who becomes an instructor in the Japanese army.
"Valkyrie" (Metascore: 56)
This 2008 World War II thriller concerns a plot by German officers to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
"The Firm" (Metascore: 58)
In this 1993 thriller from the John Grisham novel, Cruise plays a young lawyer who accepts a job at a prestigious law firm. But when two associates are murdered, he has to decide whether to become an informant for the FBI.
"Mission: Impossible" (Metascore: 59)
From 1996: The first film in the franchise inspired by the 1960s TV spy series starred Cruise as Ethan Hunt. Accused of being a mole within his intelligence agency, Hunt has to uncover the real double-agent in order to clear his name.
"Mission Impossible II" (Metascore: 59)
The second film in the franchise in 2000 received exactly the same Metascore as the first. In this film, Ethan Hunt in on a quest to destroy a genetically-engineered biological weapon.
"Interview with the Vampire" (Metascore: 59)
Cruise, Brad Pitt and a young Kirsten Dunst starred in this 1994 horror flick based on the Anne Rice novel.
"Days of Thunder" (Metascore: 60)
Cruise plays a race car driver in this 1990 film, one of three in which he co-starred with Nicole Kidman, his wife from 1990 to 2001.
"A Few Good Men" (Metascore: 62)
In this 1992 Academy Award-nominated film, Cruise plays a military lawyer assigned to a murder case.
"All the Right Moves" (Metascore: 62)
In this 1983 sports drama, Cruise plays a high-school football player hoping to get out of his small Pennsylvania town by earning a college scholarship.
"Rain Man" (Metascore: 65)
In this 1988 Best Picture Oscar-winner, a self-absorbed character (played by Cruise) travels across the country with his autistic brother (played by Dustin Hoffman).
"Mission: Impossible III" (Metascore: 66)
In the franchise's third entry from 2006, Ethan Hunt comes out of retirement to take on an evil arms dealer.
"Eyes Wide Shut" (Metascore: 68)
Cruise and Nicole Kidman starred in Stanley Kubrick's 1999 drama about a married couple torn by jealousy and infidelity.
"Edge of Tomorrow" (Metascore: 71)
In this 2014 science fiction film, Cruise plays a soldier in a war against invading aliens forced to relive the day he died in combat over and over.
"Tropic Thunder" (Metascore: 71)
Cruise received a Golden Globe nomination for his nearly-unrecognizable cameo as a volatile movie studio executive in Ben Stiller's 2008 action-comedy.
"Collateral" (Metascore: 71)
Cruise plays an assassin opposite Jamie Foxx as a cab driver in this 2004 crime thriller.
"War of the Worlds" (Metascore: 73)
Cruise plays a father on the run during an invasion by aliens in this 2005 Steven Spielberg-directed sci-fi film.
"Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (Metascore: 73)
In the 2011 installment in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, Ethan Hunt and his team are on the hunt for a terrorist.
"Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (Metascore: 75)
And in the fifth "Mission: Impossible" movie, Ethan Hunt and his team go head-to-head against an international criminal consortium.
"Born on the Fourth of July" (Metascore: 75)
This 1989 film biography of Vietnam war veteran Ron Kovic, directed by Oliver Stone, was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including a Best Actor nomination for Cruise.
"Risky Business" (Metascore: 75)
Cruise plays a well-behaved high school student who lets loose when his parents leave town in this 1983 comedy.
"The Color of Money" (Metascore: 77)
Cruise plays a student of the craft of hustling in pool halls. He's eventually pitted against his mentor, played by Paul Newman, in this 1986 sequel to "The Hustler."
"Jerry Maguire" (Metascore: 77)
"Show me the money!" Need we say more?
"Magnolia" (Metascore: 77)
Cruise earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as a motivational speaker reconnecting with his dying father in Paul Thomas Anderson's 1999 film featuring several intersecting storylines.
"Minority Report" (Metascore: 80)
In Steven Spielberg's 2002 sci-fi film, based on a Philip K. Dick story, Cruise plays a police officer in the future when crimes can be predicted before they are committed.
"Mission: Impossible - Fallout" (Metascore: 86)
Yes, really! According to critics, the best Tom Cruise movie to date is also his latest -- the action flick that brings back the indomitable Ethan Hunt.