Top Gun (1986)

Tom Cruise is Maverick; ace Navy fighter pilot, member of elite "Top Gun" school with fellow fliers Iceman (Val Kilmer) and Goose (Anthony Edwards); goes against the rules and riles his boss (Tom Skerritt); falls for teacher Charlie (Kelly McGillis); wants to fly his way; exciting dogfight finale; blazing jets; beach volleyball; lots of rock ’n’ roll. Co-stars Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Tim Robbins; directed by Tony Scott. 109 min. C/Rtg: PG

Days Of Thunder (1990)

Tom Cruise plays Cole Trickle, a land-based "top gun" in this thrilling drama set against the danger-filled world of auto racing. Mentored by a veteran crew chief (Robert Duvall), Trickle romances a beautiful surgeon (Nicole Kidman) as he prepares to face a skilled and merciless rival (Cary Elwes) on the track at the Daytona 500. Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly, and Randy Quaid co-star. 107 min. C/Rtg: PG-13

The Firm (1993)

Riveting adaptation of John Grisham’s best-seller stars Tom Cruise as Mitch McDeere, an ambitious young attorney recruited by a posh Memphis law firm. Soon, he and his wife, Abby (Jeanne Tripplehorn), find their lives are in danger when they suspect shady maneuvers by Mitch’s employers and uncover blackmail and ties to organized crime. With Gene Hackman, Holly Hunter, Gary Busey, and Ed Harris; directed by Sydney Pollack. 154 min. C/Rtg: R

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Cameron Crowe’s reworking of the 1997 Spanish film "Open Your Eyes" stars Tom Cruise as David Aames, a wealthy magazine publisher who’s attracted to a beautiful dancer (Penélope Cruz, who starred in the original). When a car accident caused by his obsessed ex-lover (Cameron Diaz) kills her and leaves his face disfigured, a shattered David seeks help from a police psychologist (Kurt Russell), as he becomes increasingly unable to discern reality from fantasy. With Jason Lee. 135 min. C/Rtg: R

Minority Report (2002)

In 2054 Washington, detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) works for a government agency that use psychics known as "Pre-Cogs" to locate would-be murderers before they act. When a vision shows Anderton himself will be a killer, he must dodge a federal agent (Colin Farrell) and his crew to find the potential victim and the truth behind the premonition. Steven Spielberg’s electrifying filming of Philip K. Dick’s 1956 short story also stars Max Von Sydow, Samantha Morton, and Peter Stormare. 146 min. C/Rtg: PG-13

Collateral (2004)

Hired to kill five witnesses before they can testify against a drug cartel, existential hit man Vincent (Tom Cruise) forces cabbie Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive him through Los Angeles as he embarks on his murderous mission. With the LAPD and FBI in hot pursuit, Max attempts to save himself and the life of one would-be victim. Intense thriller from director Michael Mann ("Heat") co-stars Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Berg. 120 min. C/Rtg: R

War Of The Worlds (2005)

Steven Spielberg’s masterful take on the H.G. Wells classic stars Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a divorced New Jersey Everyman whose weekend with his kids (Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin) is shattered by an alien invasion. As the decidedly unfriendly E.T.s and their menacing tripods devastate the planet, Ferrier bravely attempts to reach his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) in Boston, encountering the best and worst of humanity along the way. Tim Robbins also stars. 117 min. C/Rtg: PG-13

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Never has "the horror, the horror" of making a realistic war movie been quite as hilarious as when an egotistical leading man (Ben Stiller), a comedy star (Jack Black), and a Method-mad Australian (Robert Downey, Jr.) sporting surgical blackface are dropped into the midst of the Vietnam jungle as the director calls for "action." Chaos ensues when the actors run afoul of heroin traffickers armed with real guns. Directed/co-written by Stiller; with Steve Coogan. Director’s cut; 120 min. C/Rtg: NR

Jack Reacher (2012)

Tom Cruise stars as novelist Lee Child’s bruising, heroic wanderer in this action-packed adaptation of the novel "One Shot." In his debut cinematic adventure, Reacher travels to a U.S. city in the heartland to investigate the arrest of an ex-military sniper accused of five heinous murders. After the district attorney (Rosamund Pike) persuades Jack to help her uncover more evidence, the clues point to a dangerous conspiracy. With Richard Jenkins, David Oyelowo, and Werner Herzog. 130 min. C/Rtg: PG-13

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016)

Based on the 18th novel in author Lee Child’s long-running series, this exciting sequel finds former military police officer Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) coming to the aid of friend and U.S. Army officer Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) when she’s accused of espionage. And as Reacher is framed for murder, he and Turner must go on the run as they attempt to clear their names, all while Reacher deals with the idea that he may have a teenage daughter (Danika Yarosh). With Aldis Hodge, Patrick Heusinger. 117 min. C/Rtg: PG-13