Tom Cruise top 10: In defense of a 'crazy' actor

Tom Cruise

Almost 10 years ago if became sort of acceptable to call Tom Cruise crazy. He was lecturing Matt Lauer about postpartum depression, he was leaping off couches and he was becoming more and more comfortably spouting off his controversial Scientologist beliefs.

I like him as an actor, but I too joined the chorus of people who couldn't stand Tom Cruise 2.0. Prior to the Katie Holmes era, part of his appeal was his fierce protection of his private life. We all heard the gay rumors but we didn't care -- we just enjoyed his work as a slightly unlikely mainstream movie star.

Here was a diminutive, seemingly ageless ball of energy who, while exuding almost no sexual chemistry with anyone, was totally compelling in any number of genres and distinguished himself by playing every role to the hilt.

Say what you will about Tom Cruise, I don't recall ever seeing him give a "lazy" performance. And yet, his personal life "eccentricities" have compromised his appeal, I don't think there's any doubt about that. The stories about him allegedly interviewing potential girlfriends/wives are certainly distracting and cast his career in a different light.

Much has been made about his predilection for picking roles where he is somehow deformed or masked, and his increasing identification with the sci-fi genre (starting with Minority Report and leading to next month's Edge of Tomorrow) has also raised eyebrows.

I frequently grapple with artist vs. individual debates -- whether it be Roman Polanski or Mel Gibson -- and for the most part I always agree with the argument that a person's creative work should be put ahead of their individual flaws. Still, when those outside forces become so overwhelming that you can no longer accept that performer as anything but themselves (which for me is the case with Gibson), then you have a problem.

Cruise for me is a curious case. Every time I think he's finished he surprises me with a return to form. I'm not sure Edge of Tomorrow is that comeback vehicle. It's getting good reviews, but it also looks so derivative of so many recent sci-fi films that I expect it will flop. But I wouldn't count Tom Cruise out just yet. He's actually still pretty dependable at the box office and has remained remarkably fit and appealing into his 50s.

He's not one of my favorite actors, and I wouldn't go so far as to say I am a fan. But I do appreciate him and I have really enjoyed, even loved some of the movies he's made. Here are my top 10:

10) The Firm (1993) - As I've written before, this is not a very plausible movie, but it's a fun one. This was Tom Cruise at the peak of his heartthrob movie star prowess and he's a sympathetic hero in this mainstream thriller about a sinister law firm. A tailor-made vehicle for his cocksure charms.

9) Mission: Impossible III (2006) - The most underrated of the Ethan Hunt spy films had some really inventive set pieces thanks to the distinct visual style of J.J. Abrams. Cruise gets strong support from one of the series' best villains -- played by the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman -- and he has more emotional scenes to play for the first time thanks to a subplot involving his tentative attempts to forge a personal life.

8) Tropic Thunder (2008) - Sure, Cruise's role as a the bald, fat and foul-mouthed movie exec Les Grossman was obvious stunt casting -- but it worked! Cruise was as hilarious as he has ever been (and probably ever will be) and he clearly relished playing someone so unapologetically nasty. I thought this was one of the great comedies of the decade and his performance was a big part of that.

Tom Cruise in Risky Business

7) Risky Business (1983) - Before he started giving more histrionic and mannered performances in movies like Jerry Maguire, Cruise was a very relatable and believable young actor. He was probably never more likable than he was in this breakout hit, playing a lonely, horny teen who gets unintentionally sucked into the prostitution business. A smart and sophisticated comedy that holds up better than some of its '80s peers.

6) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) - What a breath of fresh air this movie was. It was something of a throwback (real stunts, instead of CGI!) and it somehow made Cruise and his signature franchise seem fresh and new despite being its fourth installment. His incredible performance scaling the Buri Khalifa tower in Dubai (the world's tallest building), should be one of the most iconic moments of his career.

5) Rain Man (1988) - Dustin Hoffman's committed method performance as an autistic savant won most of the praise and attention, but his role doesn't work without Tom Cruise's harried and increasingly more humane part of his younger brother. This blockbuster road movie would be hard to make today, it has no pyrotechnics or superheroes. It's just a beautiful tribute to the bond that brothers share.

4) The Color of Money (1986) - Martin Scorsese cast Cruise perfectly as an obnoxious jerk who grows into a clever hustler under the tutelage of a pool-playing legend played by Paul Newman (in an Oscar-winning role). This underrated sequel to The Hustler is visually dynamic but its the characters that drive the story and Cruise's stubborn, strutting Vince is an unforgettable creation.

3) Mission: Impossible (1996) - Cruise's breakthrough as an action star is still a classic. I am partial to the first Ethan Hunt film because I am a huge Brain De Palma fan and the break-in at the CIA headquarters is one of his greatest sequences. But I also really like Cruise's resourceful and sometimes playful performance in the lead role. He's an enormously gifted physical actor and those skills were put to best use in this film.

2) Magnolia (1999) - He scored an Oscar nomination (and probably should have won) for his lively and uncharacteristically personal performance as a deeply wounded self-help guru who promotes a kind of misogynistic philosophy in front of adoring male crowds. Cruise is just one part of a sprawling opus from P.T. Anderson, but his energy shines through and haunts you long after the credits have rolled. He's never been this exposed in a movie before or since.

1) Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - Although it was somewhat reviled when it was first released, this stunning exploration of marriage and fidelity has, like all Stanley Kubrick films, only grown in stature over the years. Finally recognized for the masterpiece that it is, this existential drama brilliantly utilized Cruise's strengths as an actor and plumbed his complex public persona for deeper meaning. Probably the one film in his oeuvre that will be fussed over for generations to come.