robin2099

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.

Bluelitespecial

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.

sauce07

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.

mcnabb

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?

bralph

Yes

inri222

I guess he sucked in :

Interview with the Vampire
Magnolia
Eyes Wide Shut

JeremyM

Give Edge of Tomorrow a shot.

Goat3001

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.

Jaymole

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

Trevor

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

Drexl

His incredible 1999 seals that decade for me.

mcnabb

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.

Ash Ketchum

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

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 2
COLLATERAL
THE LAST SAMURAI

Nick Danger

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.

inri222

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.

GoldenJCJ

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. )

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

Why So Blu?

GoldenJCJ

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!

Throwing Copper

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

OldBoy

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

movieguru

He sucked in nearly all his movies.

Norm de Plume

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.

Hazel Motes

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

Hazel Motes

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.

MR Round

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