Tom Cruise & His Status As An Action Star

[Mitch Henessey]

Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol will hit theaters on December 16, and this film does have a good amount of hype surrounding it. This will be the first Mission Impossible film in over five years, the supporting cast looks good, and Tom Cruise will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt. Mission Impossible has been one of the more popular action film franchises over the years, and Cruise has starred in all three films, but does Tom Cruise deserve a place among the great action stars in film history?

Tom Cruise enjoyed some success in the action genre during the early stages of his career. Top Gun was a hit, when it debuted in theaters back in 1986, and this film has gained a good amount of popularity over the years. I've always thought Top Gun was somewhat overrated, but it's still an enjoyable film. Tom Cruise had his fair share of successful roles in the 90's, and Cruise was a popular big star in Hollywood. Although, recently, Cruise has been a slippery slide, because he does have a few disappoints and stinkers on his resumé (Valkyrie and Knight & Day). But MI: 4 could provide the resurrection he needs.

Cruise has delivered some other high quality and memorable performances in his career. Jerry Maguire was the fast-talking sports' agent, who delivered one of the most famous one-liners ever ("SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!"), Lt. Daniel Kaffee was the energetic and cocky young lawyer, who pushed Jack Nicholson's character in A Few Good Men, and together, they delivered one of the most memorable courtroom scenes ever. And Cruise was phenomenal, as Ron Kovic in Born On The Fourth Of July.

Tom Cruise will be remembered as one of as one of the more popular and talented actors, but his status as an action star is questionable. Ethan Hunt is a smooth and smart character. Hunt is a crafty spy, who can kick your ass and cause some damage, and Cruise always delivers with this character. But Ethan Hunt hasn't reached the iconic level of Hollywood's other famous action stars. Ethan Hunt hasn't reached the level of The Terminator (Schwarzenegger), Rambo (Stallone), or John McClane (Willis). Ethan Hunt will be remembered, but I don't think he deserves a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of famous action stars in Hollywood. Also, Cruise has delivered his fair share of memorable and high quality performances in other films, so Ethan Hunt WILL NOT define his legacy.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Larry]

I think you are forgetting some of his performances like Cocktails, Risky Business, Days of Thunder, Minority Report, The Firm, The Color of Money, Interview with a Vampire. Within those movies are some of his best performances as well.

As far as his status as an action star, I think he will be remembered as far more than that. Not just an action star, but one of the greatest actors of our time. His roles in the various action films he's done have always been good ,but I don't know that the action genre is what he'll be most notably remembered for, it will be his collected works

 

[JWGunslinger]

I will always remember Tom Cruise for Collateral and Top Gun, anything and everything else I do not care about. I've never disliked him and I think that he's a talented actor but that is the only memorable film that I thought he did a great job in, I liked Valkrie and Jerry Maguire is a great one too. As an action star though I could never count him amoung the elite, movies like Minority Report and Mission Impossible are entertaining but nowhere near Die Hard's level. I really could never get into Mission Impossible and I really thought that the franchise was overrated, and Tom Cruise's action movie status is nothing to brag about so I say that Cruise should stick to what he's best at and go for drama and thrillers.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I think you are forgetting some of his performances like Cocktails, Risky Business, Days of Thunder, Minority Report, The Firm, The Color of Money, Interview with a Vampire. Within those movies are some of his best performances as well.

I didn't forget about these other films, Ba-Bomb. I'm well aware of the other films you mentioned, and Cruise was enjoyable in those films, but Cruise received Oscar nominations for his performances in Jerry Maguire and Born On The Fourth Of July, and his role in A Few Good Men was one of the better and more memorable performances in his career. I selected these films, because these roles represent the major highlights in Cruise's career, and these performances do stand out among the rest of his work.

Minority Report is the only other film I would consider listing in my OP. Cruise was excellent in this film, Minority Report was one of the more fascinating and intelligent sci-fi thrillers ever, and Steven Spielberg was at his best here.

 

[jmt225]

Well see, the difference between Tom Cruise and other action stars is that Cruise didn't solely rise up in action films. He also starred in some heavily popular dramas and romantic comedies. Because of this, of course he could never be labeled in the same sentence as say Slyvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, etc. when it comes to action stars. Those guys built their careers off action movies, whereas Cruise came up with movies like Rain Man, Risky Business, etc.

I think what also takes away from Cruise's status as an action star is that he doesn't have that big iconic character that was made specifically for him. Guys like Stallone, Arnold, and Willis had portrayed these iconic characters such as Rocky, Rambo, Conan, The Terminator, and John McClane. Mission Impossible doesn't count for Cruise because it's a remake of a very popular television series, so Cruise can't be singled out as the main protagonist of that franchise.

However, that shouldn't take away from Cruise's great work in the action genre. Minority Report was brilliant, and the Mission Impossible films were a lot of fun. But, Cruise is/was much more than an just action star. His status as an actor doesn't belong to just that genre; it's just one part of his amazing career.

 

[Cena's Little Helper]

Tom Cruise needs a hit, BADLY. The man who was once indisputably the biggest movie star in the world is now one or two bombs away from Harrison Ford-like oblivion (yeah, you heard me right...besides the fourth Indiana Jones film and the modest success of What Lies Beneath, Ford hasn't had a box office hit since Air Force One). The holiday film season doesn't look too crowded, so, if Cruise doesn't offend anyone on his press junket and Ghost Protocol gets good reviews, then I could see it buying him some time. However, Rock of Ages is coming out next summer, and, even though it's being directed by Adam Shankman, I'll shit myself if it performs well at the box office.