Can you name a still-active actor who, for openers, has starred in over 3o movies, including numerous hugely successful blockbusters?
Much more impressive, at least 10 of his movies have earned a score of 80% or higher on the Tomatometer — indicating overwhelming critical approval. These are almost all great movies. Several other of his movies barely missed the cut, getting scores in the 70-79% range.
In addition, he’s been nominated three times for acting Academy Awards.
There may well be more than one actor who meets or exceeds these criteria. But there aren’t many. This actor is a member of an elite group. And yet, surprisingly, he doesn’t get nearly the respect or credit I believe he deserves.
Who is he? [Answer is below]
Tom Cruise.
Especially in light of some of the criticism Cruise has received for his latest movie, Oblivion, I thought it was worth drawing attention to his impressive list of prior accomplishments.
In case you’re wondering, here are his ten movies that got the highest Tomatometer ratings:
Risky Business 98%
Mission Imp. Ghost Protocol 93%
The Color of Money 92%
Minority Report 92%
Born on the Fourth of July 90%
Rain Man 88%
Collateral 86%
Jerry Maguire 85%
Tropic Thunder 83%
A Few Good Men 81%
Personally, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, and Rain Man are among my all-time favorite movies.
And let’s not forget:
Top Gun
The Firm
Interview with the Vampire
Mission Impossible
Eyes Wide Shut
The Last Samurai
War of the Worlds
Update: Wow! I had completely forgotten I had written about Tom in a prior column back in 2006. I promise this will be the last time. :)
The problem with Tom Cruise is his wacky Scientology connections. I know people who now refuse to see any of his movies just because of the crap he’s done as a Scientologist. IMHO, this — and the fact that he’s apparently a real headcase — will always prevent him from getting the respect his acting might deserve. Academy Awards are voted on by his peers, no? ‘Nuff said.
I completely agree about the wackiness of his Scientology connections. But then I think all religions/cults/whatever are on the wacky side. Scientology is just more extreme than the mainstream. In any case, I try to separate all of that out from his film career.
In some cases, such as with Mel Gibson, I find this life vs. career separation nearly impossible for me to do. With Cruise, I’ve managed to succeed.
How about Bruce Willis?