Why don’t enough people think Tom Cruise is a brilliant actor?

Picture Tom Cruise and chances are he’s hanging from a plane or a skyscraper, maybe jumping out of a helicopter or speeding down narrow roadways on a motorcycle. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, we might at the same time be neglecting just how incredible of an actor Tom Cruise is.

Kenneth Branagh – who worked alongside Tom Cruise in 2008’s Valkyrie – isn’t about the star going down as only an action movie hero, which, while that’s a reputation a lot of guys would dream of, is so far from what Cruise is. “If he ever tires of wowing the world with action, he’s going to surprise those who view him as only a movie star. What he’s done with Mission and Top Gun is unique — cinematic entertainment with a serious intent to give you a wonderful time at the movies. But he’s an underestimated actor — for whom a golden age of performance beckons.”

We couldn’t agree more, at least in our anticipation of more dramatic roles. Tom Cruise has given a lot of brilliant performances throughout his movie career, but right now, a lot of fans are just banking on Ethan Hunt to save the day. With that, his talents haven’t gotten lost yet again, echoing his perception from decades ago when people thought he was just another pretty (albeit asymmetrical…) face.

Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, A Few Good Men, Jerry Maguire, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia – brilliant performances all, normally the ones cited as proof that Tom Cruise is a hell of an actor. OK, not a single one of those is less than 25 years old. But that brings up another point: Cruise isn’t just leaping and chasing in his action movies, he’s giving terrific performances.

Really, it’s our job as movie fans to point out that Tom Cruise is an incredible actor. Heck, if you wanted to only focus on his action flicks, you still couldn’t just boil down his acting to merely popcorn performances – there’s something completely magnetic in his roles that serves as a prime example that action acting is still acting.

And while we as fans should take some responsibility here in that we tend to get lost in the heart-pounding set pieces to recognize good acting, Tom Cruise isn’t exactly doing many favors with his recent movies. Looking at his filmography, he hasn’t had a straight-up dramatic performance since Valkyrie more than 15 years ago. What he needs – and what he might deliver – is another dramatic role to remind people just how damn good he’s always been.

Do you think Tom Cruise gets enough credit for his acting? What is your favorite Cruise performance?

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