There are few more famous actors in the world than Tom Cruise. The 59-year-old has won three Golden Globes during his esteemed career, and has picked up widespread acclaim for his performances in some of the most commercially successful films over the past couple of decades. He is a global superstar and is often mobbed whenever he appears in public.
Cruise has recently been working on the latest Mission Impossible film in Birmingham, England, and as reported by We Love Brum, the Hollywood star certainly enjoyed his time in the city, paying a visit to a renowned curry house. But, what lesser-known Cruise films should fans watch if they haven’t already?
Rock of Ages
Tom Cruise hasn’t only appeared in action movies throughout his career, as he tried his hand in a musical in the 2012 release of Rock of Ages. The film, based on the Broadway show with the same name, sees Cruise play Stacee Jaxx, and appears alongside an A-list cast, which also includes Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige and Alec Baldwin.
Cruise was widely acclaimed for his singing in the film, as he performed classics such as ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ and ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’. The film was a smash around the world, taking in $59 million at the box office. Furthermore, the soundtrack that accompanied the film was also number one in the Billboard soundtrack chart following its release.
All The Right Moves
One of the first movies that Cruise starred in was called All The Right Moves, and it was released in 1983. Cruise played the main character in the film, called Stefan Djordjevic. The film follows the fallout from an American Football defeat for Djordjevic’s college, and the fallout with the coach, played by Craig T. Nelson.
The coach attempts to blackmail Cruise’s character before later admitting that he was wrong and offering Djordjevic a scholarship at the new college that he has a job at. It was one of Cruise’s most disappointing showings at the box office, with the film taking just over $17 million. However, it received largely positive reviews from experts.
Legend
Legend was another of the early Cruise releases, as it came out in the cinemas in 1985. Though it wasn’t a huge commercial success, taking just $23.5 million, which was a million less than the budget, it has stood the test of time and is now revered as a cult classic. The film went on to win a number of awards, including the award for Best Cinematography in the same year that it was released by the British Society of Cinematographers awards. Cruise played Jack O’ the Green, and appeared alongside Mia Sara, Tim Curry and David Bennent in the film.
Cruise held off stiff competition to be the main character in the film, beating Jim Carey, Robert Downey Jr and Johnny Depp. After nearly 20 years, the director’s cut was released on DVD in 2002, before the ultimate edition was released in May 2011. It continues to be a much-loved film among sci-fi fans.
