Which decade did Tom Cruise do his best work?
 

Since he's the rare four decade movie star, which decade do you think that he did his best work?

80's gave us serious actor Tom Cruise and probably his best roles: Risky Business, The Color of Money, All the right moves, Rain Main, Born on the 4th of July, and his first action role in Top Gun.

90's gave us Days of Thunder, The Firm, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, and the first Mission Impossible.

2000's we started to see him morph into doing more action movies. Minority Report, Collateral, War of the Worlds, Two Mission Impossible sequel's, a memorable appearance in Tropic Thunder, as well as the forgettable Valkyrie, Lions for Lambs and Vanilla Sky.

2010-presnt has basically been nothing but action movies and franchises. Edge of Tomorrow, two Jack Reachers, 3 Mission Impossibles, Knight and Day and The Mummy.

So which decade was your favorite? I honestly can't choose. I think he's been good in every decade. If I had to chose it would either be the 80's or 2000's but I still think it's a tough choice.

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

Top gun is probably one of my favorite movies ever made. I watched Jerry Maguire way too much the summer it came out on VHS. My vote goes to the 80s, followed close second by the 2000s. I still need to see Collateral, but I liked Tropic Thunder and Vanilla Sky.

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

His filmography in the 90's is an actor that could do anything he wanted and people will come. Crazy string of hits that ends with arguably his best performance.

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

I honestly haven't really loved anything he has done since Jerry Maguire and that goes back to 1996 (Although Valkyrie and Vanilla Sky are very good).

While the 1-2-3 punch in the 90's of

A Few Good Men
The Firm
Jerry Maguire are probably when he was at his peak.

I would give the slight edge to his work in the 80's:

Born on the 4th of July
Rain Man
The Color of Money
Top Gun
Risky Business


I haven't really followed his career much in the last decade, did he ever recover when he went apeshit/jumping on the couch on Oprah and berated Matt Laurer regarding Postpartum Depression?

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

Yes

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

I guess he sucked in :

Interview with the Vampire
Magnolia
Eyes Wide Shut

:sarcasm:

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

Give Edge of Tomorrow a shot.

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

I said 80's because my favorite TC movies are from that decade but I think as an actor, his best performances were mostly from the 90's with a few sprinkling from the 2000s. He's still enjoyable in his roles today but as a whole, 2010's lags behind.

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

This was his best performance, so whatever decade this is from, that is my pick:

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

Still to be determined, as he's been great the whole time imo.

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

His incredible 1999 seals that decade for me.

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

I didn’t say that, was just not a fan of those movies. The movies I listed are the one’s I love from Cruise.

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

The only Cruise movies I really liked are all from the 2000s:

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2
COLLATERAL
THE LAST SAMURAI

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

Cruise was mesmerizing as an enormous arrogant jerk in Magnolia, a movie that never quite jelled for me. He was also good as an ordinary arrogant jerk in EWS, a movie I do like, but I was unconvinced when he cried on his wife's lap.

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

I agree, he was great. Can't say the same for the film even though I'm a huge PTA fan.

For me EWS is a masterpiece and Cruise was also excellent as was also his then wife Nicole Kidman.

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

My vote goes for 90s Cruise. His output of:
Far and Away
A Few Good Men
Interview with the Vampire
Jerry Maguire
The Firm
Eyes Wide Shut
Magnolia

Are all top notch (ok maybe Not Far and Away, but I enjoyed it. :lol:)

But I gotta say his films from the last decade or so have been really fun and are all mostly worthwhile.

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

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

You’re missing some really fun movies. Oblivion, the last couple Mission: Impossible movies, the first Jack Reacher, and Edge of Tomorrow are all really cool movies!

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

Agreed. The 90s for me. Far and Away sucks, but he's good and so are most of his other movies in that decade.

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

i really think he is doing it now. i just like him and his performances...

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

He sucked in nearly all his movies.

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

Decidedly not a Cruise follower here, but I have in years past seen a few of his '80s movies. He's a very good actor in the right role. He has a rare sincerity and zeal, which can also be seen in his loony Scientology adherence. Below he can be seen vigorously shaking hands with Bobby Flay.

https://media.giphy.com/media/tzw9Nj...ized-large.gif

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

Its crazy how short David Miscavige is, considering Tom Cruise towers over him and Tom Cruise is like 5'7.

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

Hard to pick between 80's and 90's. He made quite a few films in each decade that I enjoy very much.

the 00's and the 10's haven't been as noteworthy. Minority Report and Collateral I really like. His character in Tropic Thunder is a bright spot in an otherwise mediocre movie. Edge of Tomorrow is the only movie I've really dug of his in the 10's so far. I guess American Made was alright.

Gun to my head, I'd say the 90's by a hair.

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

I think overall I like all of his movies, some to lesser degrees than others but some of my favorite movies from him have been from each decade, Rain Man, Cocktail, Last Samurai, Vanilla Sky, Rock Of Ages, Edge Of Tomorrow. But overall he did more great movies in a row in the 90s

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.