Tom Cruise is currently one of the most celebrated action heroes that continues to push boundaries in action filmmaking. Unlike most actors, he doesn’t employ stuntmen for physically challenging action sequences or stunts. His work in The Mission Impossible franchise proved that he is ready to take risks that even stuntmen would think twice before committing to.
However, he was not the unparalleled action hero that he currently is in his earlier works. His works in the 80s and 90s established him as an incredible dramatic performer, earning accolades for his versatility in acclaimed films. 1999’s Magnolia presented Cruise as an unhinged, arrogant yet complex motivational speaker, and audiences have not seen that level of performance from him since the 2000s.
Tom Cruise’s Frank Mackey From Magnolia May Be The Actor’s Last Great Performance
Before he became associated with game-changing and adrenaline-pumping action cinema, Tom Cruise starred in some acclaimed projects that showed his amazing versatility as an actor. The Mission Impossible star showed great promise with his performances in the 80s with films like Rain Man, The Color of Money, and Born on The Fourth of July, earning an Oscar nomination for the latter.
Cruise continued impressing critics and fans with his dramatic work in the 90s with The Firm, A Few Good Men, Eyes Wide Shut, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. The actor earned his second and third Oscar nominations for the latter two films. While Jerry Maguire had a charming and earnest performance from him. Magnolia saw a completely different side of the actor that fans hadn’t seen till that point.
Cruise’s role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1999 film was of an obnoxious and arrogant motivational speaker who advises men how to seduce women and offers other dating tips. A fake infomercial was also released to promote the film, featuring his character Frank Mackey as the ‘master of the muffin’. He advertises his ‘Seduce and Destroy’ System and audio cassette which, according to him, will make any woman come running after men.
In the film, the character acts arrogant and impulsive as he does not pull his punches with his controversial statements about relationships and women. However, Frank starts to show his vulnerable side as the film progresses. Cruise’s intense and three-dimensional performance won him various accolades, including a Golden Globe award.
Fans are still clamoring to see the return of ‘Cruise-the actor’ as @renatolandyt commented on a YouTube video for the infomercial “Why did Tom Cruise stop acting at this level?”. Another fan
@agenerichuman wrote, “This character is more relevant today than it was back then”. Magnolia received a glowing 82% on Rotten Tomatoes and is considered one of the actor’s best works.
Paul Thomas Anderson Calls Tom Cruise The King And Praises His Incredible Versatility
Paul Thomas Anderson worked with Tom Cruise in 1999’s Magnolia and is a huge fan of the actor’s works that came before that. While the director appreciates his current foray into action films, he is eagerly waiting for the next phase of his career, where he will be transitioning into more dramatic works reminiscent of his films of the 80s and 90s.
The Boogie Nights director revealed on The Ringer podcast that he loves Cruise more than anyone else in the world and predicts that he has so much amazing work coming his way. He names Color of Money, Born on The Fourth of July, and Rain Man as three of his strongest performances. Anderson called Cruise the king and declared that no one does movies like him. The director said,
He has so many more moves he has yet to pull. I always loved Tom Cruise like everyone else, but in ‘Rain Man’? I think I love Tom Cruise more than anyone loves Tom Cruise. ‘Born On The Fourth Of July’ and ‘Color Of Money’—those three are strong.
When you see Tom Cruise on screen, name me anyone else that can do that right now. Whether in his action films or dramatic films, Cruise is the fucking king if you step back a little bit and it’s like, ‘right, game’s on, it’s fu*king Cruise’.
Fans have also echoed Anderson’s statements and are clamoring to see the return of Cruise in more dramatic performances. He is reportedly doing just that as he wants to work with more auteur filmmakers (via Variety). Cruise is set to star in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s upcoming film along with returning as Ethan Hunt in Mission Impossible 8.
