As Tom Cruise completes filming for the latest Mission Impossible movie, we look at which of the star’s best films are available to enjoy on streaming services this Christmas.
Mission: Impossible
Inevitably our list starts with Brian De Palma’s 1996 opening instalment of the MI cinema franchise.
Released just a few years after a disappointing TV reboot of the original series this big screen adaptation could have gone either way.
However, Cruise’s easy charm and a host of set piece stunts, which couldn’t fail to excite audiences when revealed in a trailer featuring Lalo Schifrin’s theme from the original TV series, helped the film achieve box office success and spawn a legacy of its own.
Available to stream on Now TV
The Last Samurai
Set in 19th century Japan, this 2003 action flick sees Cruise play a former US Cavalry captain who is asked to train the Imperial Japanese Army.
The film helped introduce international audiences to Cruise’s castmate Ken Watanabe – who went on to be nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination – and also stars UK actors Billy Connolly and Timothy Spall.
Available to stream on Netflix
Jack Reacher
Adapted from Author Lee Child’s novel One Shot, this 2012 film sees a city thrown into chaos following a shooting that leaves five dead. What at first seems like a simple case to solve becomes complicated when the accused requests that Jack Reacher be put on the case.
While the film had a muted performance at the US box office of just $80m, internationally it fared well enough to prompt Paramount to order a sequel which finally surfaced four years later.
Available to stream on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video
Rain Man
Barry Levinson’s 1988 partners Cruise with Hollywood legend Dustin Hoffman and sees him play against type as selfish wheeler-dealer Charlie Babbitt who discovers on the death of his estranged father that he has a brother, Raymond.
Initially only interested in how he can use Raymond’s mathematical genius to win big at cards, he comes to form a new bond with his brother.
The film scooped a host of award nominations and wins, including winning the Oscar for Best Picture and the Golden Globe Best Actor for Hoffman, and its atmospheric casino scenes see it regularly included on lists of the best gambling related films. Find a review here. The film’s also been widely referenced in popular culture, including in Miss Congeniality and an appearance by Charlie and Raymond in the fifth series of The Simpsons.
Available to stream on MGM via Amazon Prime Video
Top Gun
Tony Scott’s 1986 flick has it all – a great cast, fast aerial action sequences and a killer soundtrack, including Berlin’s Oscar-winning Take My Breath Away.
Taking more than $350m on a budget of just $15m, the movie was an undoubted box office hit and quickly spawned both a PC and arcade game, with further officially licensed games following decades after the film’s original release.
The long-awaited sequel finally arrives in cinemas next July.
Available to stream on Now TV
