Tom Cruise is the very definition of a movie star. Since the 1980s, he has defined himself as one of the greatest and most versatile actors in the history of Hollywood, and has starred in a variety of iconic movies, from Top Gun to Mission: Impossible. While Cruise is perhaps best known for his action roles, such as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, the actor has proved his versatility and is unafraid to step into more dramatic, emotional roles if possible.
Cruise’s greatest scenes often tap into both his emotional nuance and his ability to bring heart-thumping action to the big screen. He is an actor who consistently delivers captivating performances in these scenes, whether that’s flying an F-16 jet or delivering a powerful courtroom monologue. These are the movie scenes that have defined the actor’s career. They are all iconic, of course, but it is how they elevated Cruise as a behemoth of acting that truly make them great.
10 A Conversation With Iceman
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) | Directed By Joseph Kosinski
One of the main reasons why Top Gun: Maverick is often seen as a step up from the 1986 original is due to the movie’s dedication to emotional complexity. The “macho” themes of Top Gun have been stripped away, leaving Cruise’s character, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, vulnerable and guilt-ridden over the death of his partner, Goose. In a touching moment of camaraderie and respect, Maverick turns to his rival-turned-friend, Iceman (Val Kilmer) for support.
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This scene is incredibly powerful, with both Cruise and Kilmer demonstrating their incredible ability to delve deep into the emotions of their respective characters. Iceman is unable to speak due to an illness (made all the more powerful when one considers that Kilmer has battled throat cancer), but the few words that the two exchange, and the tears that roll down Maverick’s cheek, are proof enough that the characters understand each other. It’s a rare moment where Cruise can finally reveal Maverick not to be brash and overconfident, but vulnerable and emotional.
9 The Phone Call
Tropic Thunder (2008) | Directed By Ben Stiller
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Cruise is not an actor known for his comedy roles. Some of his characters may have moments of comic relief, but on the whole, Cruise has steered clear of roles that specifically revolve around comedy. This is what makes his performance as the wildly inappropriate Hollywood executive Les Grossman in the movie Tropic Thunder one of the standouts of his career. In particular, the scene where Grossman receives a call from the kidnappers of one of his prized movie stars is one of the most memorable of Cruise’s career.
This appearance is hilarious enough on its own, but it is Cruise’s dialogue that truly makes this scene great.
Cruise has been utterly transformed into Grossman, wearing a bald cap, fat suit, and prosthetic hands, making him unrecognizable. This appearance is hilarious enough on its own, but it is Cruise’s dialogue that truly makes this scene great. Instead of capitulating to the demands of the kidnappers, Grossman unleashes a tirade of expletive insults down the phone, screaming while he does so. Tropic Thunder‘s phone call scene is great because of how it demonstrates Cruise’s ability to easily slip into any role, in any genre.
8 Scaling The Burj Khalifa
Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Directed By Brad Bird
It is well known that Cruise is an actor defined by his commitment to performing most of his stunts himself. In particular, the Mission: Impossible franchise has been particularly demanding of Cruise’s stuntwork, with one of the most iconic happening in the franchise’s fourth installment, Ghost Protocol. Cruise’s character, Ethan Hunt, has to climb up the outside of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in search of nuclear launch codes.
It’s a nail-biting, nerve-wracking scene that combines both sweeping wide shots and up-close angles to gain a true sense of tension. Cruise actually climbed up the Burj Khalifa himself for the scene (with the help of secure harnesses), making this all the more impressive. This stunt is one of Cruise’s greatest movie scenes because of how it embodies one of the most important factors of him as an actor, his constant commitment to pushing the boundaries of stuntwork on film.
7 “You Can Be My Wingman Anytime”
Top Gun (1986) | Directed By Tony Scott
The final dogfight scene in 1986’s Top Gun may be one of the greatest action sequences in movie history, but it is the scene immediately after the battle that cements Cruise’s status as an incredible actor. After Maverick and Iceman have successfully shot down the incoming enemy fighters in a tense dogfight, they reunite on the deck of an aircraft carrier. In this moment, their rivalry and past animosity is all put to rest with the iconic exchange:
“You can be my wingman anytime”
“Bulls**t, you can be mine”.
After watching both Maverick and Iceman at each other’s throats for basically the entirety of Top Gun, it is a truly emotional moment, and one that has been well worth the wait. The reason why this scene is so great is because of how Cruise is able to capture Maverick’s transformation from a selfish show-off to a pilot who inspires teamwork and loyalty. It’s an acknowledgment of Maverick’s arc throughout Top Gun, and is home to one of the most iconic lines in movie history.
6 The Casino Scene
Rain Man (1988) | Directed By Barry Levinson
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Rain Man sees Cruise take on one of the most emotionally complex roles of his career in Charlie Babbitt, a fast-talking businessman who discovers that he has an estranged brother, Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), an autistic savant. In one of the most iconic scenes of the movie, Charlie takes Raymond to a casino to exploit his remarkable ability to count cards and win big. The scene is, of course, entertaining, but also proves a pivotal moment for both the characters.
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While the scene appears just for comedic purposes at a glance, it soon becomes apparent that Charlie is beginning to change his feelings towards his brother. No longer is he seen as just a “walking calculator”, but as a human being. The subtle moments of genuine connection are incredibly portrayed here, and while Hoffman steals the show whenever he is on-screen in Rain Man, it is in this scene that audiences can truly appreciate Cruise’s emotional depth and suave nature as an actor.
5 The Dance
Risky Business (1983) | Directed By Paul Brickman
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Risky Business is widely considered Cruise’s breakout role. The movie follows high schooler Joel (Cruise) as he explores the freedom of being left home alone while his parents are away on vacation. In a scene that has since become an instant classic, Joel pours himself a whiskey and Coke, eats his dinner, before dancing across his living room to the tune of Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll”.
The dance showcases Cruise’s natural on-screen charisma, with Joel being able to convey joy and liberation without a single line of dialogue being spoken.
What makes this scene so great isn’t just Cruise’s iconic dance moves or outfit. It is the fact that without this scene (and Risky Business as a whole), Cruise might never have established himself as one of the best actors in Hollywood. Without this, audiences might never have seen another Cruise role again. The dance showcases Cruise’s natural on-screen charisma, with Joel being able to convey joy and liberation without a single line of dialogue being spoken.
4 “I Want The Truth”
A Few Good Men (1992) | Directed By Rob Reiner
Very few scenes or lines of dialogue have become as legendary in movie history as the courtroom showdown in A Few Good Men. Cruise plays Lt. Daniel Kaffee, and is desperate to get Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) to admit that he was accidentally responsible for the death of a young Marine. His desperation reaches a boiling point when, after a line of relentless questioning, Kaffee yells at Jessup, and the two exchange two of the most iconic lines of dialogue in movie history:
“I want the truth!”
“You can’t handle the truth!”
Cruise’s performance in this scene is a true highlight, as he builds tension before the eventual climactic shouting match. Seeing two acting heavyweights such as Nicholson and Cruise go up against each other in a courtroom drama is incredible to watch anyway, but it is Cruise’s performance that truly steals the show. As Kaffee, Cruise slips easily into a dramatic role, and proves his worth having to go toe-to-toe with such a legendary actor as Nicholson.
3 The Biggest Stunt In Movie History
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) | Directed By Christopher McQuarrie
Cruise has always been known for his stunts, but his commitment to performing them himself reaches a whole new level in the latest Mission: Impossible installment. During the third act of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt is riding a motorbike along a mountain trying to catch up with a train. In a moment of pure action movie glory, Hunt rides the motorbike off the mountain and parachutes to safety.
Cruise’s motorcycle mountain jump has since been dubbed as “the biggest stunt in movie history”, and is truly jaw-dropping to watch. The actor, of course, actually did ride a motorbike off a mountain, showcasing his true commitment to authentic stuntwork. This scene earns its spot on this list because of how it demonstrates the fact that even as Cruise gets older, he is unrelenting in his dedication to his craft.
2 The Test Run
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) | Directed By Joseph Kosinski
In Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise reprises his role as the titular, cocky, pilot. The movie is centered around Maverick’s attempts to teach a class of aspiring TOPGUN graduates how to execute an extremely dangerous mission. The mission involves flying very low to the ground to avoid detection, before embarking on an extremely steep ascent to clear a mountain. The mission is seen as impossible by both Maverick’s students and his superiors, who eventually step in to make the mission more doable, but less likely to succeed.
This scene is the culmination of everything that makes Cruise such a fantastic actor, primarily his ability to balance incredibly memorable action sequences with moments of genuine emotion and drama.
Taking matters into his own hands, Maverick flies a jet (without permission, obviously) and completes the simulated mission’s test run in less time than what was previously thought possible. By proving that the mission can, in fact, be done, Maverick endears himself to both audiences and his students. This scene is the culmination of everything that makes Cruise such a fantastic actor, primarily his ability to balance incredibly memorable action sequences with moments of genuine emotion and drama.
1 The Langley Heist
Mission: Impossible (1996) | Directed By Brian De Palma
Cruise’s stuntwork is nothing short of legendary, and consistently grows in scale as the actor fights to constantly outdo his previous stunts. However, it’s important to remember where Cruise’s reputation for incredible stunts comes from. The answer, of course, is the first Mission: Impossible movie. In the movie, Ethan Hunt has to break into a secure CIA headquarters and retrieve a list of undercover agents from a heavily guarded vault.
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Being unable to trip any alarms, Hunt is lowered from the ceiling on a cable as he accesses the computer. He also has to be completely silent and keep his cool while doing so. It’s truly hard to put into words just how good this scene is at building tension, but the one thing that is for certain is how Cruise elevates it. The visual of Ethan Hunt dangling mere inches from the ground has become a staple of the movie industry, but it is how Tom Cruise navigates the tension (and the stunt itself) that makes this scene the greatest of his career.
Tom Cruise
Discover the latest news and filmography for Tom Cruise, known for Top Gun and Mission: Impossible.
Birthname THOMAS CRUISE MAPOTHER IV Birthdate July 3, 1962 Height 5 feet 7 inches Notable Projects Edge of Tomorrow , Oblivion , Mission: Impossible , Top Gun Professions Actor , Producer