The Top 25 Tom Hanks Movies

When it comes to great actors who can play a just about any role that is given to them, they don't come much finer than Tom Hanks.

Whether it's some of his earlier movies, like Splash and Big, his classic performances in movies like Philadelphia, Forrest Gump and Apollo 13, or his more recent movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Terminal, pretty much everyone loves at least one Tom Hanks movie, if not most of them.

This is a list of what I feel are the Top 25 Tom Hanks Movies:

1. Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks plays a terrific acting role as the socially challenged yet in some ways brilliant lead character. Everyone by now knows the classic line from this movie "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get".

2. Apollo 13. Tom Hanks plays Jim Lovell in this epic recreation of the mission to the moon that almost turned into tragedy. Classic movie quote "Houston, we've got a problem".

3. Saving Private Ryan. With the opening sequences showing what are probably the most accurate recreations of the D-Day landings on Omaha Beach, this is a great movie full of action as well as drama.

4. A League Of Their Own. A drunken ex-baseball star coaches a team of women baseball players during World War II to help keep the game alive when the men were away at war. Classic movie quote "Are you crying? There's no crying in baseball!".

5. Sleepless In Seattle. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are wonderful as they look for love on opposite sides of the country.

6. You've Got Mail. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan are reunited in this remake of The Shop Around The Corner.

7. Big. One of my all time favorite movies sees Tom Hanks as Josh Baskin, a boy who is small for his age, and makes a wish to be big. When he wakes up next morning as a man, he ends up having all kinds of adventures, gets a job in a toy company, and falls in love with the lovely Elizabeth Perkins. The scene in FAO Schwartz with the giant keyboard is priceless.

8. Turner & Hooch. As a detective, Tom Hanks has to investigate the murder of a junkyard employee and ends up looking after his monster of a dog, who stinks, drools and tears his apartment to pieces. Hooch is a hoot and this is a great movie for all ages.

9. The Da Vinci Code. Tom Hanks is sent to investigate a murder inside the Louvre, and ends up involved in a web of intrigue that could upset the Catholic Church.

10. Cast Away. As a FedEx employee, Tom Hanks is the only survivor of a plane crash in the Pacific Ocean, that ends up with him stranded on a small island for the next four years. Great scenery, acting, and the classic movie quote "Wilson...".

11. Philadelphia. This is one of Tom Hanks's finest roles, as he plays a man who is dying of AIDS.

12. That Thing You Do. A fun movie and a flash back to the Beatles era, with a band called The Wonders being signed up by agent Tom Hanks, producing a hit record, and turning out to be One Hit Wonders. Great music, great performances.

13. The Terminal. Another great performance by Tom Hanks, who arrives at JFK airport in New York to find that the authorities will not allow him into the country, yet while he was on the plane his own country had a revolution and no longer exists, therefore he can't be sent home either. Tom is wonderful as a man who is stranded at the airport and seeks a way to survive there, touching the hearts of those he meets as he does so.

14. The Green Mile. This is a dark movie set in the 1930's about a man who is sentenced to death and who appears to have special powers. Very moving performances, and a great drama.

15. Angels And Demons. The sequel to The Da Vinci Code sees Tom Hanks trying to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican. If you enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, you will enjoy this.

16. Splash. One of Tom Hanks's earlier performances, where he meets a real-life mermaid, Darryl Hannah, and struggles unsuccessfully to keep her a secret. This is a fun movie for all ages.

17. The Ladykillers. A remake of the 1955 classic starring Peter Sellers and Sir Alec Guinness sees Tom Hanks as the leader of a gang of hopeless crooks. This was made by the Cohen Brothers (There's Something About Mary), so if you like their work you will love it. Some do, some don't.

18. Charlie Wilson's War. A corrupt Texas congressman takes on a plan to assist the rebels in Afghanistan in their war against the Russians. Great roles by both Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

19. Catch Me If You Can. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, this movie sees Tom Hanks as an investigator chasing a man (DiCaprio) who cleverly impersonates an Airline Pilot, Doctor, and Legal Prosecutor amongst other things.

20. The Money Pit. Another of Tom Hanks's older movies, that sees him co-starring with Shelley Long as the owners of a home that needs a lot of work doing on it, and things just keep on going wrong.

21. The Man With One Red Shoe. Another of Tom Hanks earlier roles, which see him as a musician in an orchestra, who is randomly picked to be followed by the CIA because he is wearing mismatched shoes.

22. Road To Perdition. Another dark movie that sees Tom Hanks as a hit man, who in turn finds himself the target of a hit, and tries to save his son while on the run.

23. Dragnet. Yet another of Tom Hanks earlier movies, this being a movie version of the television series of the same name, in which Tom stars with Dan Aykroyd.

24. The Burbs. Another of Tom's movies from the 1980's sees him living in the suburbs and worrying about his neighbors, who he thinks are really strange. This is rarely seen on television, but is a comedy classic.

25. Joe Versus The Volcano. Tom Hanks plays a hypochondriac who has convinced himself that he is dying. He accepts an offer to throw himself into a volcano on a tropical island, and in the process of submitting to his destiny, finally learns how to live.

Well there you have my top 25 Tom Hanks movies. Which one is your favorite and why? Did I miss one that you really like? Please leave a comment and let me know.

Sources:

Top 25 Tom Hanks Movies

Internet Movie Database