Top Ten Tom Cruise Movies (Before He Went Crazy)

With everyone jumping off the Tom Cruise bandwagon, including Paramount Pictures who just severed its ties with Cruise's production company, I thought it would be fun to take a look at Tom Cruise's best movies. So with out further adieu here is one man's humble opinion on Tom Cruise's best movies in no particular order.

1) Taps (1981) Students at a military school take over the campus when it is learned that the school is going to be shut down. Cruise plays David Shawn in supporting role as an over the top student Green Beret. Also stars Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn.

2) Risky Business (1983) Cruise plays Joel Goodsen the perfect teenage son who gets himself into trouble while his parents are out of town. Set the standard for the 80's teen sex comedy.

3) All The Right Moves (1983) Tom Cruise plays Stefan Djordjevic, a high school football player looking to use the sport to get out of a dying Pennsylvania steel town. He runs into trouble when he butts heads with the head coach. Good movie about the perils of living in a small town.

4) Rain Man (1988) Plays Charlie Babbitt a self-involved egomaniac who learns he has an autistic brother when his father dies. When his father leaves all the money to his brother Charlie takes him on a cross-country trip in hopes of getting the money. Along the way he learns valuable life lessons. Dustin Hoffman won the Oscar for Best Actor for playing the role of Ray and the picture won Best Picture.

5) Born on the 4th of July (1989) True story of Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam Veteran who becomes an anti-war activist. Tom Cruise was nominated for Best Actor for his role as Ron Kovic.

6) A Few Good Men (1992) As Naval Lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee, Cruise represents two Marines who are accused of murder whose defense is that they were acting on orders. Excellent courtroom drama with an excellent cast including Jack Nicholson as Col Nathan Jessup. Also stars Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon.

7) The Firm (1993) Based on the bestselling John Grisham novel, Cruise plays Mitch McDeere a hotshot Harvard Law Graduate who joins a small but prestigious firm in Memphis, TN. He soon discovers that the firm has a dark secret and works to protect himself.

8) Collateral (2004) Tom Cruise plays Vincent a cold as ice hit man who hires a cab to driver to chauffer him around Los Angeles while he makes his hits. Jamie Foxx plays the cab driver who quickly finds out what Cruise is up to and works to stop him.

9) Top Gun (1986) Cruise plays Maverick a hotshot Naval Pilot who does not always fly by the book and steps on many toes along the way. Maverick may not be the best, but he is the pilot they all want along side them. Excellent flight scenes.

10) The Color of Money (1986) Sequel to The Hustler. Cruise plays Vincent a wacky pool player who Fast Eddie Felson, played by Paul Newman, takes under his wing to teach him the art of the hustle. Paul Newman won best actor.

And lets not forget his cameo role in Austen Powers in Goldmember, an unforgettable role or forgettable you be the judge.