Tom sprints! Tom leaps! Tom hangs on for dear life. It's
time to set your brain for Cruise control.
Right out of the gate, we have to talk about Tom's tendency to run,
because this particular trademark has reached levels of absurdity at this point.
"Don't run."
"You don't have to chase me."
"You don't have to run."
Dating all the way back to 1981's "TAPS," Tom has found a way to show off his incredible knack
for sprinting in all but a handful of films. The legal drama "The Firm" gave him several
opportunities to dash around in a suit, and Cameron Crowe even figured out a way to slip
a sequence of Tom's running technique into two non-action films: the opening of 2001's
mind-bending drama "Vanilla Sky" and the tail end of the 1996 romantic comedy/drama "Jerry Maguire."
Those were mere warmups. Nowadays, when Tom runs — he runs. You need only pop in any of
the "Mission: Impossible" features to catch a glimpse of his fancy footwork. In fact,
J.J. Abrams devotes nearly an entire minute of the climax of "Mission:
Impossible 3" to Tom literally sprinting in pursuit of the film's key villain.
The latest trailer for "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One" teases viewers
with a brief shot of the man, the myth, the legend running through a mysterious locale
immediately following his name credit. So, yeah, at this point, it seems Tom is in on the joke.
Tom's wild stunts weren't always a staple in his films. There are no death-defying leaps off of
high rises in "Rain Man" or vertigo-inducing jet battles in "Eyes Wide Shut," but the actor still
managed to show off his need for adrenaline-fueled antics early in his career. Case in point:
In "The Outsiders," Tom's character does a backflip for no apparent reason after running
out of a house. According to actor Rob Lowe in an interview with Entertainment Tonight,
director Francis Ford Coppola asked the cast to learn how to do a backflip and
Tom was the only one capable of pulling off the difficult feat.
"Check this out, buddy."
The actor also insisted on driving a real NASCAR racecar in "Days of Thunder," and
according to a profile in Rolling Stone, rode the fastest horse on set during the climactic
land race in "Far and Away." It's small potatoes compared to the stunts he achieves in "The Mummy"
and the "Mission: Impossible" films and his other action-based roles, but worth noting.
So, why does he do it? During an appearance on "The Graham Norton
Show," Tom admitted it all comes down to the storytelling, saying:
"I feel that you're bringing everything, you know,
physically and emotionally, to a character in a story. I've trained for 30 years doing
[stunts] and it allows us to put cameras in places where you are normally not able to."
Not only is Tom Cruise a thrill junkie, but he also loves himself a slick motorcycle — a
fact made abundantly clear when the actor memorably rode a Kawasaki GPZ900R along an
airport runway in 1986's "Top Gun." Over 35 years later, Tom once again
hopped aboard a Kawasaki — the Ninja H2 to be exact, a.k.a. the fastest motorcycle in
the world — for the enormously successful sequel "Top Gun: Maverick." In the interim,
Tom has thrilled audiences with his astonishing motorcycle skills in John Woo's "Mission:
Impossible II," Joseph Kosinski's "Oblivion," and "Mission: Impossible — Fallout."
Tom's love for motorcycles extends off-screen as well. Apparently, after wrapping a project,
the actor will take home or purchase the motorcycle used in the film and
add it to his vast collection. According to Motorious, Tom has in his possession
the BMW S1000 RR used in "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," the Triumph Thruxton used in
"Edge of Tomorrow," and yes, even that Kawasaki from "Top Gun," among others.
And if motorcycles don't exist in the context of the movie, Tom will usually hop on a horse
instead, but we say that counts. What is a horse if not a motorcycle with legs?
While many of Tom's movies feature the box office star working alongside a group of notable
co-stars, there always seems to be a moment where his character must cut the rip cord and go solo to
save the day. We see this often in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise in which Tom's IMF Agent
Ethan Hunt leaves his teammates in the dust to go one-on-one with the film's principal bad guy.
"We didn't have this conversation. You don't know where I am, if I'm dead or alive."
But this trait also extends to some of the actor's more dramatic ventures. Notably,
in "A Few Good Men," Tom's cocky lawyer ignores the advice of his team and takes
on Jack Nicholson's sharp-tongued Colonel Nathan Jessep all on his own.
Likewise, in 2008's "Valkyrie," based on real events, Tom's one-armed,
one-eyed Colonel plots with an assortment of German officers to assassinate Adolf
Hitler and ends up planting the bomb himself. Other Cruise vehicles such
as "Minority Report," "Jack Reacher," "Born on the Fourth of July," and "The
Firm" position Tom against an evil or corrupt establishment that he must battle on his own.
"I am not a hero. I'm a drifter with nothing to lose."
You can't really discuss Tom Cruise without acknowledging his vast collection of shades.
Whether he's mixing drinks on the beach, driving Dustin Hoffman cross country,
or simply jumping out of explosions, Tom Cruise has an eye for a classy pair of eyewear.
In "Risky Business" and "Top Gun," Tom slid on Ray-Bans and helped popularize
the brand in the 1980s, according to Mental Floss.
"There's one thing I've learned in all my years. Sometimes you gotta say, 'What the f—.'"
And in "Top Gun: Maverick," the shades were so important that
his Ray-Bans were custom-made to fit his face.
In other words: It ain't a Tom Cruise film unless it features Tom Cruise in sunglasses.
"Thank you."
Aside from a few exceptions, Tom is typically the de facto star of the films he appears in. So yeah,
it makes sense that his character always ends up saving the day from the forces of evil. Of course,
that's outside of films where he is the force of evil, like "Interview with the Vampire" and
"Collateral." And even in "Collateral," his cold-hearted assassin influences Jamie Foxx's
world-weary cab driver enough to force a positive change in the young man's life,
which can technically be seen as a win for Tom. Without Vincent,
it's doubtful Max ever finds the confidence needed to dump his crappy job and move on with his life.
Otherwise, Tom is typically the man of the hour by the final reel of any film.
Whether its stopping dastardly terrorists or corrupt operatives from destroying the world,
saving Iceman and Rooster in the "Top Gun" films, or taking down an alien tripod to save his
daughter in "War of the Worlds," you can pretty much count on Tom Cruise to get the job done.
"Yeah baby."
No matter the circumstances, Tom Cruise characters always get the girl. In "Risky Business," he ends
up with Lana, the sensitive sex worker. "Top Gun" sees our beleaguered hero ride off with
Kelly McGillis, and "Minority Report" rewards his efforts by fixing him up with his estranged wife.
In "A Few Good Men," it's strongly hinted that Demi Moore has eyes for Tom,
while Cameron Diaz locks lips with our main man in "Knight and Day."
Those are just a few examples, but it's clear: Tom's characters can get any woman they want. Now,
whether they're attracted to the killer good looks, impeccable fashion sense,
or heart swelling one-liners is a topic worth discussing.
Tom Cruise may be the king of cool, but even the most even-keeled action heroes
lose their patience every now and again. And God forbid you get in his way when it happens.
As it turns out, an explosive temper is practically a trademark of his characters.
It's little wonder that Ben Stiller cast him as the foul-mouthed Les Grossman in
the 2008 comedy "Tropic Thunder." Hidden under layers of prosthetics,
Tom shouts, curses, and dances away with the film,
revealing a darker side that somehow fits snugly amidst the comic antics of the movie.
More dramatically, in "A Few Good Men," Tom rages against Demi Moore after she makes an
error and even does the "toss everything off the desk" bit for good measure. In "Mission:
Impossible," he justifiably loses his cool after his entire team is killed during a
mission gone wrong. He even gets a little grumpy at his kids in "War of the Worlds."
"I'm not hungry either."
"You're not hungry either?
Fine."
These are but a few examples of Tom's ability to blow a gasket,
but make no mistake, Tom has many captivating tantrums throughout his filmography.
Save for his overweight character Les Grossman, Tom typically carries an incredible physique
that he's clearly not afraid to show off at every possible opportunity.
In "Jack Reacher," for example, Tom sheds his shirt and attempts to carry a serious
conversation with Rosamund Pike's Helen Rodin. Likewise, in the action comedy "Knight and Day,"
Tom wows Cameron Diaz during a foray on a tropical island. In "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation,"
he sheds his top for an exciting fight sequence during which he crunches up a pole to escape. And
who could forget the infamous volleyball scene in "Top Gun?" Hey, if you've got it, flaunt it.
"I'm sorry, could you please put a shirt on?"
"This is my shirt."
We've already discussed Tom's obsession with motorcycles, but that's only part of
the story. Nearly every Tom Cruise movie features the actor going really fast,
either by running, driving, flying, boating, or vampiric trickery.
"Top Gun" is the obvious choice here, but also consider Ron Howard's dramatic epic
"Far and Away," in which Tom hops on a horse and outruns everyone to claim his piece of
Oklahoma property. Or, how about "Minority Report," where he leaps around on cars on a
futuristic highway? He rides a speeding car off a bridge in "Vanilla Sky," and,
of course, much of "Days of Thunder" takes place on a race track.
So, yeah, Tom Cruise means it when he says…
"I feel the need, the need for speed."
"Ow!"
And while almost all his movies feature Tom's characters going fast, it's not uncommon for the
actor himself to be hitting the same speeds. In fact, Newsweek notes that in "Top Gun:
Maverick," the actor took to the skies in an actual fighter jet, while "Mission:
Impossible — Fallout" gave him a chance to fly a helicopter through snow-covered mountains.
Smithsonian Magazine details how "American Made" allowed the actor to put his pilot's license to
use and perform intense flying sequences in a six-seater Piper Aerostar 600 and a Cessna 414.
It's a weird trademark, but at some point in many of Tom's films, the actor is forced to hang onto
something for dear life. "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation," might take the cake for literal
representation of it, but there are actually so many instances of the superstar clinging
to the side of something or other in a desperate attempt to keep himself from falling. In "Knight
and Day," the action maestro hangs onto Cameron Diaz's car while battling bad guys; in "War of
the Worlds" he hangs onto a group of strangers to avoid being sucked into an alien ship; and he
spends most of "Rock of Ages" barely clinging to his own sanity. Which…that counts, right?
Perhaps most famously, Tom hung off of the side of the massive Burj Khalifa building for "Mission
Impossible: Ghost Protocol." Even "Edge of Tomorrow" featured the actor clinging to an
object — a machine gun attached to a military aircraft — during the action-packed climax.
At the end of the day, we'll continue to enjoy
his many death-defying feats for as long as he's willing to perform them.