He’s been in over 35 films, but which in your opinion is the best?
My top 8:
Risky Business
A Few Good men
Top Gun
The Firm
Rainman
Jerry Maguire
Born on the Fourth of July
The Color of Money
Didn’t we JUST do this? Only with a poll?
No poll that I could find, but yes, there is this thread from last month: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=828639
He was in some very good movies, but they were great despite of him, he never carried a good movie I have seen.
Apologies. In the future, I shall search for a thread before creating a new one.
I think he carried Born on the Fourth of July. Cruise to me is much better at drama, and not so good at sci-fi or fantasy.
Valkyrie being the best example of this.
I think he caries Mission Impossible 4 more than any other in the series. It’s not just stunts; he’s really good in the movie.
It along with Minority Report are probably his best movies and I’ve seen a lot of them.
Actually, he carries Edge of Tomorrow as well and he really delivers.
He’s still the best thing in Tropic Thunder, too.
9 of 10 non-Tom Cruise fans agree. 
My TC faves:
Taps
Mission: Impossible
Minority Report
Tropic Thunder (a small role, almost unrecognizable, but great)
Risky Business
Valkyrie
Knight and Day (I liked it more than most people; I just imagine that he’s playing his M:I character on a psychotic break)
A Few Good Men
Top Gun
Rainman
Jerry Maguire
Edge of Tomorrow
Born on the Fourth of July (where I think he did the best out-of-his-comfort-zone real acting of his entire career)
Isn’t it weird that I have little overlap with others on this:
Collateral
Magnolia
Interview with a vampire
Edge of tomorrow
Jerry Maguire
Basically any when he’s not a total d*ckbag.
Interview with a Vampire was the best film with Cruise in it.
Which one is he in the least?
That one.
He was great in Jack Reacher.
Really fun movie. He was surprisingly good as a bad guy in **Collateral
**.
Jack Reacher
Collateral
A Few Good Men
Edge of Tomorrow
Taps
Top Gun
knight and Day
The Color of money
Of the 3 best movies in which he’s appeared (Magnolia, Collateral, Tropic Thunder), he’s a supporting player in two of them. Going further down brings up movies that definitely have problems but where he’s quite good as the lead (Jerry, Born) or in a more substantial secondary part (Color). He brings an enormous amount of commitment to his roles, which makes some of his action films (MI 3 & 4, J.Reacher, Minority, Firm, Edge, Knight) better than they would be in most any other hands. Risky Business is probably the best movie he’s in where his presence is almost incidental. Rebecca De Mornay owns that movie so conclusively, he barely matters (though he’s fine).
No comment on RAIN MAN, which was the highest-grossing movie of its year and won Best Picture? (Not saying that’s proof of how great it was, but I figure it’s evidence that it deserves quick mention if you’re naming the best movies he’s been in.)
I thought the way he flipped bottles around in Cocktail was pretty good.
BIAS (but in all seriousness) - he was actually quite tolerable in Magnolia - his scenes with Robards weren’t all that bad, really.
No hugs for Changing Lanes?
I think it’s one of his best, very underrated.
mmm
I think you’re confusing Tom Cruise with Samuel L. Jackson. Easy mistake.