THE RANKING
Four Empire writers. Ten movies. Ordered definitively.
Tom Cruise movies
Illustration: Jacey
Chris: When did we first discover Tom Cruise?
Ben: The Mission films were always a big deal. I grew up with him as Tom Cruise: Action Star, but he’s done a lot of things through his career, starting off as that cocky upstart, then into intense character performances, and then ascending to a new level of action insanity.
Beth: For me, it was Jerry Maguire. I could have watched other films of his, but they were quite mature. Risky Business was called risky for a reason.
Helen: I remember the first time hearing about him was my mum telling me about Top Gun. They’d been to the cinema the night before.
Chris: Did she wake you up in the middle of the night?
“Helen, there’s a young man whose ego is writing cheques his body can’t cash!”
Helen: And the first one I saw was Top Gun.
Chris: That’s the movie that made him Tom Cruise. Which is why your mum woke you up.
Ben: It has incredible flying sequences, it has honky-tonk piano, it has volleyball and incredible sunsets. And you believe him as a character called Maverick.