The Best Tom Cruise Movies Ranked by the KinoCheck Community

He is arguably the biggest Hollywood star of our time: Tom Cruise. The actor has been gracing the big screen for decades and has shaped the film world like few other stars. With his new movie "Digger," Cruise is now returning to the big screen—and he's almost unrecognizable! The 64-year-old is supposed to look like... well, a 64-year-old?

His role in "Digger" is certainly one of the most extraordinary of his career, if only because of this transformation. But over the course of his long career, Cruise has portrayed countless iconic roles in a wide variety of films. Of course, Cruise is best known for his action movies. But a glance at his filmography quickly shows that the superstar should by no means be reduced to just that. Want to take a trip down memory lane and revisit the actor's greatest films and iconic roles? Then we highly recommend the following trailer highlighting Tom Cruise's career:

The KinoCheck Community's Top 10

To coincide with the theatrical release of "Digger," we'd like to take a look back at the actor's career. So we turned to the KinoCheck community and asked: What's your favorite Tom Cruise movie? At the same time, we also held a vote among the KinoCheck editorial team—with a slightly different result.

But which movie tops your list? You voted enthusiastically, and we received around 11,000 votes. But please keep in mind: Not all of Cruise's feature films could be included in the poll. Unfortunately, the poll only allows for a limited number of options—and Cruise has made a lot of movies. Ultimately, the KinoCheck community's Tom Cruise ranking yields the following top 10:

No. 10: Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Today, many viewers remember Cruise primarily as an action hero—but especially in the 90s, the actor also took on other roles. Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" is a perfect example of this and shows Cruise from an unusual side. Cruise plays Dr. Bill Harford, whose seemingly perfect life is thrown into disarray after his wife tells him about her sexual fantasies. In search of answers, Bill stumbles into New York's mysterious underground world.

To this day, the production history of "Eyes Wide Shut" remains iconic: Kubrick's trademark attention to detail resulted in one of the longest film shoots in history. Kubrick died before the film's release, making "Eyes Wide Shut" the final feature film by one of the greatest directors of all time. And then, of course, there are the lead actors: Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, two of the biggest stars of their time, starred in the film—and they were also THE Hollywood couple of the 1990s.

No. 9: Collateral (2004)

In "Collateral," Cruise also played a character atypical for him: In the film by "Heat" director Michael Mann, Cruise is suddenly transformed from an action hero into a cold-blooded hitman. As Vincent, he gets into the taxi driven by Max (Jamie Foxx) in Los Angeles. What initially looks like an ordinary ride quickly turns into a nightmare: Vincent forces Max to drive him on several murder missions through the city at night. Cruise's casting was particularly unusual, as he deliberately subverted his usual image as a shining hero. It's one of the superstar's few villain roles. For the community, Mann's thriller ranks ninth.

No. 8: Minority Report (2002)

The next film on the list features Cruise collaborating with a true film legend: With "Minority Report," Steven Spielberg created a science-fiction thriller that, even more than two decades later, raises thought-provoking questions about surveillance and the predetermination of human actions. Cruise plays a police officer living in a future where crimes can be predicted before they are committed. When he himself is accused of the future murder of a stranger, a race against time begins for him. The film is based on a short story by science fiction author Philip K. Dick.

No. 7: Rain Man (1988)

"Rain Man" is one of the films that established Tom Cruise as a serious actor early in his career. He plays Charlie Babbitt, a young businessman who, after his father's death, learns that his father has bequeathed his considerable fortune not to him, but to his autistic brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman). The unlikely brothers set out on a journey... "Rain Man" won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Dustin Hoffman.

No. 6: A Few Good Men (1992)

In "A Few Good Men," Tom Cruise stars in a courtroom drama that is best remembered for its all-star cast and the memorable dialogue by screenwriter Aaron Sorkin. Cruise plays military lawyer Daniel Kaffee, who, along with his colleagues, is tasked with investigating the death of a soldier at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay. Alongside Cruise, the cast includes Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, among others. The verbal duel between Nicholson and Cruise toward the end of the film is particularly iconic. The courtroom drama was directed by the late Rob Reiner.

No. 5: Interview with the Vampire (1994)

In "Interview with a Vampire," Cruise plays the role of the charismatic but ruthless vampire Lestat. The film tells the story of Louis (Brad Pitt), who recounts his life as a vampire to a journalist. The spotlight is, of course, on Cruise and Pitt, two of the biggest Hollywood stars of the past few decades. Kirsten Dunst and Antonio Banderas also star. "Interview with the Vampire" is based on Anne Rice's famous "The Vampire Chronicles."

No. 4: The Last Samurai (2003)

"The Last Samurai" takes Cruise to 19th-century Japan. He plays former U.S. Army Captain Nathan Algren, who travels to Japan to train the Emperor's army in the use of modern weapons. After a defeat, however, Algren is taken prisoner by the samurai and begins to learn about their way of life and values. For this lavishly produced historical film by director Edward Zwick, Cruise received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. Somewhat surprisingly, "The Last Samurai" ranks fourth in the community poll. Yet this ranking proves that the film remains highly popular even today.

No. 3: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

In third place is "Edge of Tomorrow," one of the more unusual action films in Tom Cruise's filmography. Cruise plays Major William Cage, who dies fighting alien invaders—only to suddenly wake up at the beginning of the same day. Trapped in a time loop, he teams up with soldier Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to stop the invasion.

The basic premise of "Edge of Tomorrow" is reminiscent of classic time-loop films like "Groundhog Day," but here it's combined with spectacular sci-fi action. Today, many fans consider the film one of the highlights of Cruise's later career. Since its release in 2014, there has been ongoing speculation about a possible sequel. You can read the latest rumors here.

No. 2: "Mission: Impossible" Series (1996–2025)

The "Mission: Impossible" franchise takes second place. Since 1996, Tom Cruise has portrayed agent Ethan Hunt in a total of eight films. In the movies, Hunt faces off against spies, terrorists, and ever-greater threats—and regularly has to tackle impossible missions. The franchise has become known not only for its spectacular action sequences but also for Cruise's willingness to perform many of the stunts himself.

Many films in the franchise are hugely popular among action fans; in addition to the first film, "Mission: Impossible – Fallout" is particularly beloved. In the case of "Fallout" in particular, it's no exaggeration to call it one of the best action movies of the last decade. The franchise came to an end in 2025 with "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning." One thing is clear: Tom Cruise will forever be remembered for his role as Ethan Hunt.

No. 1: "Top Gun" Movies (1986–2022)

But at the very top of the community ranking isn't "Mission: Impossible," but rather the "Top Gun" movies. Here, Tom Cruise plays the daring pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. The original film made the actor one of Hollywood's biggest stars in 1986. Decades later, Cruise reprised the role in "Top Gun: Maverick," where, as an instructor, he must prepare a new generation of pilots for a dangerous mission.

Both films combine spectacular flight scenes with an underdog story and plenty of nostalgia. The second installment became a global cinematic phenomenon and impressively demonstrated that, even after more than 30 years, Cruise still epitomizes big-budget blockbuster cinema. For our community, that means it takes first place in the ranking. And by the way: "Top Gun 3" is already in the works. You can find out more about it here.

The KinoCheck Editorial Team's Ranking

The vote among the KinoCheck editorial team yielded a slightly different result. In the top 3 of the editorial ranking, "Edge of Tomorrow," "Collateral," and "Magnolia" share third place. However, "Minority Report" and—unsurprisingly—the "Mission: Impossible" franchise are particularly popular with us:

3rd Place: Edge of Tomorrow & Magnolia & Collateral

2nd place: Minority Report

1st Place: Mission: Impossible

Honorable Mentions: Which movies didn't make it into the ranking?

But one thing is clear: Tom Cruise has made a whole lot of movies over his long career. Not all of them could be included in the top 10. The community poll made it clear that some of you have a completely different favorite movie starring the superstar. Quite a few voted for the "Another movie" option in the poll.

Paul Thomas Anderson's "Magnolia," for example, made it into the top films in the editorial ranking—but missed the community's top 10. Nevertheless, many fans still remember Cruise's performance in particular. Quite a few consider it one of the actor's strongest and most challenging performances. Cruise's zany performance in the comedy "Tropic Thunder" has long since become iconic. There are even talks of a standalone film featuring his character, Les Grossman.

Meanwhile, Cameron Crowe's "Jerry Maguire" also has many fans. Cruise was even nominated for an Oscar for his performance in the film. Several quotes from the movie have long since become iconic. Another popular Cruise film is Sydney Pollack's conspiracy thriller "The Firm." And just recently, "Days of Thunder" has also been in the public spotlight. The reason: Cruise will be filming a sequel alongside Anne Hathaway.

In addition to "Minority Report," Cruise also collaborated with Steven Spielberg on "War of the Worlds." Furthermore, the actor has appeared on screen alongside other Hollywood greats: In the 80s, he starred alongside Paul Newman in Martin Scorsese's "The Color of Money." With "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola, he filmed the coming-of-age movie "The Outsiders," which hit theaters in 1983. That same year, he appeared in "Risky Business," which is generally considered Cruise's breakthrough.

The superstar is also known for his "Jack Reacher" film adaptations, the action comedy "Knight and Day," and the sci-fi film "Oblivion." Cruise also appears in Oliver Stone's war drama "Born on the Fourth of July" and the historical film "Valkyrie".

Digger: Cruise's New Movie

Now, Cruise is once again in the public spotlight because of his new movie. "Digger" is currently piquing the curiosity of many movie fans. After all, while Cruise has primarily worked in the classic action genre in recent years, the actor is now taking a slightly different path with "Digger." One question looms large: Can Cruise finally win his first acting Oscar for this film by "The Revenant" director Alejandro González Iñárritu?

The official plot synopsis for "Digger": The most powerful man in the world embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity's saviour before the disaster he's unleashed destroys everything. You can find more details in the trailer below. And if you want to know what we and other critics think of "Digger," you can read the KinoCheck META movie review here.