Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

While Cruise’s behavior and love for Katie Holmes in this interview comes as someone in High School, the women in the crowd and their over the top reactions is even more embarrassing.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I love some movies with Tom Cruise, such as Vanilla Sky, Rain Man, Last Samurai, Edge Of Tomorrow.
I did not like the Vampire Diaries (

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Eyes Wide Shut is of course his masterpiece. So I guess the answer is the '90s. But I like more of his 80s films.

He, or someone, developed a sort of framework during that period that was repeated successfully over and over. Top Gun, Cocktail, Color of Money, and Days of Thunder, are all essentially the same movie. And three out of four of them are great films.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I voted 2000's only because the movies of his that I'd personally rewatch and enjoy the most are from that period. He's had better performances and movies in the 90's though.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Cruise knew how to play the characters too. The cocky pilot, the cocky bartender, the cocky pool player, the cocky race car driver... :lol:

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

He's done a lot of good work over his career and has always had an impeccable ability to choose the right films with good directors.

Lately his choices seem to be so carefully calculated to a point where he's just another action hero for the international film market.

I guess that's par for course as the non-English speaking overseas market is where the financial growth lies for the film industry.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

That's something else about him too is all of characters are striving to be the "the best" be it a wheel-chair veteran or a car driver. He rarely plays a loser or an outcast or if he does, the character is always redeemed at the end in a positive light.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I'm giving it to the 90s:

Days of Thunder
Far and Away
A Few Good Men
The Firm
Interview With the Vampire
Mission: Impossible
Jerry Maguire
Eyes Wide Shut
Magnolia

While they're not all great movies, that is an incredibly varied filmography that any actor would love. You've got two period movies requiring accents, an action movie, a sports movie, a comedy-drama that plays to all of his strengths, three thrillers (one of which is directed by frickin' Kubrick!), and a solid supporting role in an acclaimed auteur project. He gets to play the hero, the villain, and the loser. He got two Oscar nominations, and most of these movies made serious money. Aesthetically, he was at his peak too. He was a four quadrant superstar in the 90s.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Don't forget Taps and The Outsiders, even though Cruise had small parts.

But the 80s gets my vote for the masterpiece that is Losin' It.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

"Valkrie"? Maybe forgettable to you. I loved it. It was also a minor hit for Cruise. 83M at the box-office. It was also one of my favorite movies that year. And while I hated "Vanilla Sky", it too was a sizeable hit (100M). I can't forget that film because I thought it was terrible. I'll give you "Lions for Lambs" though. Just 15M at the box-office and critically savaged.

"Vampire" was great, as was Cruise in it. I didn't like "Magnolia" as a whole, but felt Cruise was serviceable in it. "Eyes Wide Shut" is a classic.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

For as goofy as I think he is on a personal level, I enjoy his body of work. Doesn't matter to me if he's really a closeted gay, but the whole Scientology thing is crazy to me. More than one actress has said he's nixed kissing scenes. WTF! Film it anyway Tom. I think he's pretty much an idiot mouthpiece for these Scientology whackos. He tends not to open his mouth about until he is asked questions in an interview.

I even enjoyed Mummy and Jack Reacher 2 so I give him a pass. As a 50 year old action hero he's one of the few that have gotten better with age instead of worse. We'll see how he holds up approaching 60.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

The irony of his behavior during that Katie Holmes period is he got alot of shit for being honest (even though it was weird honest), yet in the same vein we hate Hollywood actors that do interviews and are totally phony and programmed with their answers.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I was being sarcastic, he was great in all 3 films.
Not a fan of Magnolia, liked IWTV and loved EWS.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Although the couch jumping was a little extreme I did appreciate his honesty and enthusiasm in his love for Katie Holmes. Maybe if I was tapping Katie Holmes I'd jump a couch too?! Cute as a button that girl.

Agreed. We poo-poo the fluff pieces where they gush over everyone they worked with as a family and the best experience ever. Then we trash them for being honest. I think in Tom's case though, his honesty is a little controversial. When you espouse one of the scientology doctrines like he did with Lauer you have to anticipate a little backlash.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I will go with the 1980's.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Would he still have a career without the Mission Impossible franchise?

I liked War of the World and Born on the 4th of July was his best movie.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I think his best films were: A Few Good Men, The Firm, and Minority Report.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Rain man is my favorite of his films. He doesn’t run once.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

I believe 2000's Cruise had the most broad ranging appeal. First you got Collateral which I think is his finest performance. I completely forget that I'm watching Tom Cruise in that role. It is so convincing and a fascinating character. Some of the best scenes are not the action, but the ones where he and Jamie Fox are just riding and talking in the cab.

Then you got War of the Worlds, Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion, Jack Reacher, Minority Report, Mission Impossible sequels, The Last Samurai, Knight and Day, Valkyrie

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

As much as people put him down, looking at the poll numbers, his quality movies cover three decades. Not too shabby. Sure, his best stuff is behind him but that can be said for anybody.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

My two favorite movies he has done are Minority Report and Collateral so I went with the 2000s.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

He was definitely the best part of Magnolia as Frank T.J. Mackie. He was great in Rain Man, Eyes Wide Shut, Valkyrie, Born on 7/4, and A Few Good Men. Generally, I will seriously consider seeing anything that he is in.

Re: Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

It doesn’t get much attention but I think The Firm is one of his best performances.