cruise the movie

Cruise (2018) Stream and Watch Online

Watch 'cruise' online.

Need to watch ' Cruise ' on your TV, phone, or tablet? Searching for a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or watch the Robert D. Siegel-directed movie via subscription can be challenging, so we here at Moviefone want to take the pressure off. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription choices - along with the availability of 'Cruise' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into the various whats and wheres of how you can watch 'Cruise' right now, here are some particulars about the AG Studios romance flick. Released September 28th, 2018, 'Cruise' stars Spencer Boldman , Emily Ratajkowski , Noah Robbins , Kathrine Narducci The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 30 min, and received a user score of 58 (out of 100) on TMDb, which collated reviews from 79 respected users. You probably already know what the movie's about, but just in case... Here's the plot: "Set in the 1980s a young ItalianAmerican from the wrong side of the tracks falls for a Jewish girl from Long Island" 'Cruise' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on YouTube, Vudu, The Roku Channel, Apple iTunes, Plex Channel, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Plex, Hoopla, and Tubi TV .

'Cruise' Release Dates

Popular romance movies.

Featured News

Movie Reviews

Follow Moviefone

Latest trailers.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

• About Rotten Tomatoes®
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening This Week
• Top Box Office
• Coming Soon to Theaters
• Certified Fresh Movies

Movies at Home

• Fandango at Home
• Prime Video
• Most Popular Streaming Movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• 85% Speak No Evil Link to Speak No Evil
• 77% Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Link to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
• 95% Rebel Ridge Link to Rebel Ridge

New TV Tonight

• -- Emmys: Season 76
• -- American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez: Season 1
• -- Agatha All Along: Season 1
• 93% The Penguin: Season 1
• -- Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story: Season 2
• -- Twilight of the Gods: Season 1
• -- Tulsa King: Season 2
• -- High Potential: Season 1
• -- Frasier: Season 2
• -- A Very Royal Scandal: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 61% The Perfect Couple: Season 1
• 85% The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2
• 74% Kaos: Season 1
• 63% The Old Man: Season 2
• 100% Slow Horses: Season 4
• 100% Dark Winds: Season 2
• -- Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter: Season 1
• 93% Bad Monkey: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV

Certified fresh pick

• 93% The Penguin: Season 1 Link to The Penguin: Season 1
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Box Office 2024: Top 10 Movies of the Year

Resident Evil Movies In Order: How To Watch The Series Chronologically

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

2024 Emmy Winners: 76th Primetime & Creative Arts Emmy Winners

Transformers One First Reviews: The Best Transformers Movie Yet

• Trending on RT
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• Spanish-Language Movies
• Re-Release Calendar

Where to Watch

Rent Cruise on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Critics Reviews

Audience reviews, cast & crew.

Robert D. Siegel

Spencer Boldman

Gio Marchetti

Emily Ratajkowski

Jessica Weintraub

Sebastian Maniscalco

Lucas Salvagno

Chris Carbone

Kathrine Narducci

Mama Fortunato

More Like This

Film Review: ‘Cruise’

Robert Siegel's enchanting time-capsule romance is set in the summer of 1987, and it's the rare '80s nostalgia film that touches the heart of an era.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

• Can the Sundance Film Festival Survive Leaving Park City? 2 days ago
• Kamala Harris Did What She Needed to Do. She Displayed the Force of a President — and Goaded Trump Into Revealing His Inner Frothing Crackpot 5 days ago
• ‘Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’ Review: A Soulful Celebration of the Live-in-Concert Bruce, Past and Present 6 days ago

“ Cruise ,” written and directed by Robert Siegel , is its own intoxicating brand of youth nostalgia film. It’s set in the outer boroughs of New York in 1987, and it’s every bit as fresh and authentic about the period as a movie like “Adventureland” was — it gets the big hair and the bangles, the mall-boutique “street” fashions and greasy-synth-pop optimism, the whole dressed-in-attitude vibe of kids who’ve had five years of MTV to model themselves on. But “Cruise” also feels like a 1980s movie. That may sound like a contradiction in terms: How can an ’80s nostalgia film be authentic if it’s also mining our affectionate kitsch memories of what the ’80s looked like at the multiplex?

The reason it’s not a contradiction is that Siegel, who wrote the superb screenplays for “The Wrestler” and “The Founder,” isn’t interested in microwaving John Hughes tropes. He has gone back and tapped into a richer vein of ’80s moviemaking: the supple and searching socio-romantic drama of films like “Diner” and “Baby, It’s You” and “The Flamingo Kid,” with a nod to the cock-of-the-walk street grit of “Saturday Night Fever” (which came out in 1977, but helped to set the stage for the New York glitter dream of the decade that followed). With “Cruise,” Siegel has made a bauble with soul, a small but exuberantly lived-in snapshot of an era that captures what life was like for the first generation to play out every moment as if it were being reflected in a pop-culture mirror.

Related Stories

Does Streaming Hurt Theaters? This Survey Says It Helps

Songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul Achieve EGOT Status With Emmys Win

The film’s enchantingly wily, more-layers-than-you-think quality is right there in its hero, Gio Fortunato ( Spencer Boldman ), who when we first see him registers as a classic (if not cliché) screen type: the working-class Italian-American dreamboat Casanova in his Brylcreem hair and white T-shirt. In “Cruise,” Spencer Boldman, with heartthrob eyes and a sidelong grin, comes off as ridiculously good-looking, like a genetic fusion of George Michael, Luke Perry, Colin Farrell, and the young Matt Dillon, and that’s just how Gio carries himself: as the rebel-stud king of the neighborhood. He’s a player, but he’s also a moody nobody who hangs out each night with his rat pack of two at the local diner — and yes, the diner setting has been done, but what matters is the tastiness of Siegel’s dialogue, whether he’s referencing the period pop detail (“Cookie Puss is not a cat!”) or having his characters debate the metaphysics of ordering a double cheeseburger deluxe with a side of disco fries again .

Popular on Variety

As we get to know Gio, we realize that his old-fashioned quality is at once touching and deceptive. He still lives with his immigrant Italian-American parents in Whitestone, Queens, and races his shiny black Buick Grand National, with its “Smokin’ Six” decal and 3.8 liter engine with fuel injection, along a drag strip every night (he always wins). At the same time, he’s a private if not quite introspective dude who seems to be straddling four eras at once. He’s James Dean, he’s Paul Le Mat in “American Graffiti,” he’s Tony Manero 10 years later, he’s a “Jersey Shore” guido 10 years too soon, and he’s a manicured ’80s white-boy hustler who says “yo” a lot. He’s also a reckless thief who rips stereo radios out of cars and doesn’t realize (the way the movie does) that he’s heading for oblivion.

Gio spends his nights hitting on local girls by cruising past them in his car, and that’s how he meets Francesca Russo ( Emily Ratajkowski ). She tells him she’s from Bay Ridge, and with her Roman nose and sensual lips, her pile of thick, dark curls, and her feminine stugots , she’s just the sort of guidette a guy like Gio was born to be with. She plays hard to get (but not too hard), and before long they’re grinding away in his front seat. So far, so classic. Except that Francesca, who carries herself like Italian-American hottie royalty, isn’t Francesca at all. She’s a nice Jewish girl from Great Neck named Jessica Weinberg.

Emily Ratajkowski is probably best known for being one of the models in Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video, but let me just say: She may be a movie star. She is that good. In “Cruise,” Ratajkowski is sparkling in her playful verve. She convinces you that Jessica is just the sort of college princess who would put on a bad-girl ethnic alter ego she learned from the movies and consider it a form of slumming that’s also a form of liberation. Once she’s revealed to be Jessica, the attraction between herself and Gio is still palpable (maybe more so). But the drama is: Can a privileged girl from Long Island who listens to New Order and wants to work at a gallery to discover “the next Basquiat” take a guy like this seriously? Or is she just having a summer fling with an Italian Stallion cliché? Or is it, in fact, her upscale new-wave art dream that she needs to outgrow?

The slyest aspect of “Cruise” is the way the film portrays its leader-of-the-pack sexual politics: as something that was standard back then but looks downright exotic now. Jessica rides along in a drag race with Gio, which gets her fear and adrenaline pumping, and that’s the moment she stops slumming. But it’s not until she learns that he’s a petty criminal and goes along with him to break into some cars, looking for the holy grail of a Nakamichi radio, that the danger of being with a true bad boy starts to kick in for real. That’s also when it starts to seem (maybe) like a less than perfect idea.

Boldman and Ratajkowski are superb together — they forge an opposite-sides-of-the-tracks connection that’s spry, soulful, forlorn, ambiguous. Ratajkowski cues us to see that Jessica is still playing a role (she wants to live, as they used to say in the ’80s, on the edge), but then so is Gio. He’s living an image out of the movies that he’s never bothered to question, because it works for him. He doesn’t dare to ask himself, What’s next?

Siegel has directed one previous film, “Big Fan” (2009), a deadpan character study that deconstructed American sports mania, and as he demonstrated in that movie he’s got a rare classical feel for pace and structure. “Cruise” unfolds with a gentle effervescence. When Gio and Jessica find a stash of cocaine in a car they’ve broken into, it’s just the ticket to rev the film up into a true ’80s party movie (without making the ripping off of a drug dealer look any easier than it is). Some may question the veracity of the ending, but going with it doesn’t mean that we’re signing off on this relationship forever. It just means that the characters have decided they don’t want the movie they’re living in to end. And maybe, the film suggests, that’s part of what love now is (and has been ever since the ’80s). By the time “Cruise” is over, you’re invested enough to want to see where this real-life fairy tale is going. You also want to see more Robert Siegel movies.

Reviewed at Parabolic Sound, New York, Sept. 21, 2018. MPAA Rating: Not rated. Running time: 90 MIN.

• Production: A Vertical Entertainment release, in association with Slated, of an AG Capital production. Producers: Alex Garcia, Scott LaStaiti, Holly Brown, Laura Walker. Executive producers: Gino Cafarelli, Robert Siegel.
• Crew: Director, screenplay: Robert Siegel. Camera (color, widescreen): Noah Greenberg. Editor: Paul Frank. Music: Jay Wadley.
• With: Spencer Boldman, Emily Ratajkowski, Lucas Salvagno, Noah Robbins, Gino Cafarelli, Kathrine Narducci, Sebastian Maniscalo, Theresa Moriarty, Jen Cohn, Peter Gaudio.

More from Variety

Linkin Park Rises From the Ashes With Dark Songs, a Joyful Attitude and a New Singer Who Does Primal Scream Therapy Proud: Concert Review

Virtual Production Growth in Focus at IBC Event

‘Perfumed With Mint’ Review: A Languid, Visually Striking Work of Magical Realism

‘40 Acres’ Review: Danielle Deadwyler Leads With Strength in Subversive Siege Thriller

First Paramount, Now SiriusXM: Can Warren Buffett’s Media Investments Be Trusted?

‘Beloved Tropic’ Review: Paulina García Shines in Tender Drama

More from our brands, ‘snl’ stars reassure lorne michaels ‘it gets better’ after 85 emmy losses in 50th-anniversary tribute.

What It’s Like to Watch an America’s Cup Race Right on the Water

UFC 306 at Sphere Pulls in Record $22M for UFC, Sphere

The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists

Emmys: The Bear Breaks Its Own Record for Most Wins by a Comedy

Currently available on 1 streaming service.

The Cruise (1998)

76min - English

Watch similar movies on Apple TV+ for free

7 Days Free

Then $9.99 / month

Didn't find what you were looking for?

Let us notify you once it becomes available on more services.

We checked for updates on 236 streaming services on September 13, 2024 at 5:33:17 PM. Something wrong? Let us know!

The Cruise streaming: where to watch online?

You can buy "The Cruise" on Amazon Video as download or rent it on Amazon Video online.

Affectionate portrait of Timothy "Speed" Levitch, a tour guide for Manhattan's Gray Line double-decker buses.

Videos: Trailers, Teasers, Featurettes

Where does The Cruise rank today? The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

The Cruise is 14185 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The movie has moved up the charts by 8082 places since yesterday. In the United States, it is currently more popular than High Strung but less popular than The Unforgiven.

Streaming charts last updated: 9:23:19 PM, 09/13/2024

Popular movies coming soon

Upcoming Documentary movies

Similar Movies you can watch for free

More popular Movies directed by Bennett Miller

Other popular Movies starring Timothy "Speed" Levitch

All 44 Tom Cruise movies, ranked from worst to best

• Tom Cruise has done every type of movie you can think of over his nearly 40-year career.
• Here we rank every one from worst to best.
• See where his latest, "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One," ranks in his career filmography.

43. "Rock of Ages" (2012)

Somehow Cruise got roped into being part of this feature-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. But leave it to him to lay it all out there.

Though the movie is unwatchable, Cruise provides its only memorable moments when his rock-star character belts out classic songs like "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Wanted Dead or Alive."

42. "Endless Love" (1981)

Cruise's first appearance in a movie is this 1980s teen romance drama starring Brooke Shields that's best known for giving us the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie title song.

Cruise gets a brief bit of screen time as one of the male lead's friends. It's quite forgettable, but it's still better than "Rock of Ages."

41. "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016)

Between "Mission: Impossible" movies, Cruise tried to kick off another action franchise by bringing the main character of the Lee Child novel series to the big screen.

Though the first movie just got over the $200 million mark at the worldwide box office, the performance (or lack thereof) by the sequel indicated no one wanted any more Mr. Reacher. It barely made $162 million worldwide.

40. "The Mummy" (2017)

Cruise was all set to be the Robert Downey Jr. of Universal's Dark Universe with the release of this movie and promises of more creature pictures to come. But playing a soldier of fortune who tries to stop an ancient Egyptian princess from taking over the world didn't grab audiences. It was another franchise not meant to be.

39. "Losin' It" (1983)

Still getting his legs under him in the movie biz, Cruise signed onto this teen comedy in which he's one of four friends who go on a hard-partying road trip to Tijuana in hopes of losing their virginity. Yes, even Cruise couldn't hide from the teen-sex-comedy genre when he started his career.

38. "Mission: Impossible II" (2000)

Man, John Woo deserved better than this. The legendary Hong Kong director took over the "Mission: Impossible" reins after Brian De Palma kicked things off with the first movie, but Woo didn't find the same success.

"Mission: Impossible II" did go on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of 2000, with over $546 million earned worldwide, but with its weak plot and character development, it has not aged anywhere near as well as the first movie (or the other movies in the franchise).

37. "Jack Reacher" (2012)

Though "Jack Reacher" was the first time Cruise worked with his longtime "Mission: Impossible" director, Christopher McQuarrie, and it features the legendary director Werner Herzog as the movie's villain, Cruise as Jack Reacher is a seen-it-before character who isn't exciting.

36. "Oblivion" (2013)

Here, Cruise attempted to go the sci-fi route in hopes of having a breakthrough "Minority Report"-like experience for the audience. But the story was nowhere as sharp, and its postapocalyptic vibe left us all feeling uninterested.

35. "Lions for Lambs" (2007)

Marking the first movie released by United Artists after Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner took over (the two left UA after a couple of years) was "Lions for Lambs," a tense drama set around the war in Afghanistan and directed by Robert Redford.

Cruise gave his all playing an agenda-pushing senator and has some strong scenes opposite Meryl Streep. But the movie is just dull.

34. "Far and Away" (1992)

Cruise and his wife at the time, Nicole Kidman, paired together in this 1890s-set epic directed by Ron Howard. The two play Irish immigrants seeking a fortune in America. Outside the lush photography, there isn't much to enjoy about this movie. And don't get me started on Cruise's awful Irish accent.

33. "Vanilla Sky" (2001)

At the tail end of Cruise's heartthrob phase, the director Cameron Crowe teamed with him again after their hugely successful collaboration on "Jerry Maguire" to make a very different love story.

Based on the Spanish movie "Open Your Eyes," Cruise plays a vain New York City media playboy who has a different outlook on life after being in a horrific car crash. Though Cruise, Cameron Diaz, and Penélope Cruz (who also starred in "Open Your Eyes") all give top performances, Crowe goes too weird with the story, leaving viewers out in the void by the time the movie gets into the home stretch.

32. "American Made" (2017)

Mixing action and dark comedy in telling the real-life story of the drug runner Barry Seal seemed like a nice pivot for Cruise, but at the end of the day, the director Doug Liman's movie is just too glossy to be taken seriously. (Accent update: Cruise delivers a tolerable Southern drawl.)

31. "The Last Samurai" (2003)

Cruise stars as an American soldier in 19th-century Japan who embraces the samurai culture. The movie went on to receive four Oscar nominations, but it's the kind of title in which one viewing is enough.

And on a side note: Wow, would this movie get hammered on social media if it came out today.

30. "Valkyrie" (2008)

Another release from the time Cruise was calling the shots at UA, "Valkyrie" sees him playing one of the rogue Nazi officers who attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

(Accent update: Cruise — and basically most of the other Nazi officers — decided to not even bother with a German accent. Good choice; the audience didn't even notice [ holds back giggles ].)

29. "Cocktail" (1988)

It's one of the movies in Cruise's career that ride fully on his good looks. Honestly, this movie should have just been titled "Sex." Cruise plays a hot New York City bartender who has dreams of making it big, and it's his hotness that's going to get him to the top. It's classic Hot Guy Cruise — who cares that the story is garbage.

28. "War of the Worlds" (2005)

Steven Spielberg teamed up with Cruise after "Minority Report" for this blockbuster remake of the classic sci-fi movie. Though it made a lot of money, it was dark in tone — maybe a little too dark. Be honest: Have you wanted to see this movie again?

27. "Knight and Day" (2010)

This is one of those movies that don't get enough credit. The director James Mangold cleverly takes all the common action-hero traits and has Cruise make fun of them. You might want to give this one another viewing.

26. "Taps" (1981)

Unlike in "Endless Love," Cruise really capitalized on this small role. As a military cadet who takes his responsibilities way too seriously, Cruise is a standout in the movie and showed audiences (and Hollywood executives) that he had leading-man potential.

25. "Mission: Impossible III" (2006)

J.J. Abrams takes over the franchise for this one and does an impressive job. It also helps that you have the talents of Philip Seymour Hoffman playing the villain. It's better than "Mission: Impossible II," so we're going in the right direction.

24. "The Outsiders" (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of the classic novel brought all the biggest names from young Hollywood together, and Cruise was right there in the mix. With Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, C. Thomas Howell, Emilio Estevez, and Rob Lowe, the movie is pretty heavy-handed with the drama, but it's fun to watch all these amazing talents on the screen together.

23. "Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation" (2015)

Rebounding from the so-so performance of "Jack Reacher," McQuarrie jumps on the "Mission: Impossible" franchise and ups the action stakes. Yep, this is the one where Cruise hangs from the side of a giant plane taking off. The movie also got an extra jolt with the inclusion of Rebecca Ferguson in the supporting cast.

22. "Mission: Impossible — Fallout" (2018)

This "Mission: Impossible" could go down as one of the best action movies ever — its stunts and action sequences are that amazing. This time, McQuarrie gives us a deeper look at what makes Ethan Hunt tick and the values he lives by. But it's really the action that stays with you.

21. "Minority Report" (2002)

With its breakthroughs in CGI and tech, the first teaming of Spielberg and Cruise lived up to the hype. This movie was so advanced in its execution and what it showcased that it had a "Jurassic Park"-style ripple effect, in the sense that it has influenced countless action and sci-fi movies since.

20. "Tropic Thunder" (2008)

Though Cruise doesn't have a lot of screen time, his presence in this movie cannot be ignored. Playing a despicable movie executive named Les Grossman, he brings that patented intensity to a role that for most actors would have been a mail-it-in cameo role. In Cruise's hands, it's one of the best comedic performances of the early 2000s.

19. "All the Right Moves" (1983)

Two months after Cruise hit theaters with his first lead movie, "Risky Business," he was back again with this very different movie about a Pennsylvania high-school football player who clashes with his coach.

"Risky Business" showed that Cruise had no problem being the face of a movie, but "All the Right Moves" proved he could be more than the charming lead with good looks. This one showed he could be a serious actor.

18. "Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol" (2011)

It's the movie that breathed life back into the "Mission: Impossible" franchise. It came five years after "Mission: Impossible III," and in that time Cruise struggled with an image problem and a string of underperforming movies. He had a lot to prove with this one. And with the casting of Jeremy Renner, Cruise probably sensed he could lose his beloved franchise if the movie didn't work.

However, Brad Bird's direction and Cruise's disregard for common sense — in this one he climbs the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, in Dubai — put him back on top, as the movie became a global hit.

17. "Top Gun" (1986)

Before "Days of Thunder," Cruise and Tony Scott teamed up for what would become one of the actor's most iconic roles: the fighter pilot Maverick. What Cruise doesn't pull off acting-wise he makes up for with brooding looks and shirtless volleyball skills.

16. "The Firm" (1993)

In "The Firm," based on the best-selling John Grisham novel, Cruise gives a fantastic performance as a hotshot lawyer who signs on with one of the most prestigious US law firms only to find it has quite a dark side. The era of "Tom Cruise runs" really launched with this movie.

15. "Legend" (1985)

Ridley Scott's beautiful fantasy movie is still a marvel of moviemaking. The practical effects and production design put into this movie, made back when CGI was scarce, are a treasure. And at the center is a fresh-faced Cruise who tries to get his girl back from the villain who gave me the most nightmares as a kid, Darkness (played perfectly by Tim Curry).

14. "Collateral" (2004)

We really don't talk enough about this one enough. Michael Mann's slow-burn crime movie stars Cruise as a hitman who forces a cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to drive him around Los Angeles as he goes on his "jobs." The acting by both Cruise and Foxx in this movie is some of their best work.

13. "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" (2023)

There are many things to love about the "Mission: Impossible" franchise: Its James Bond-like gadgets. Cruise's disregard for his life and safety when it comes to pulling off amazing stunts . But the biggest thing to love is that the films just seem to get better and better.

The first "M:I," directed by Brian De Palma, set the bar very high. However, since McQuarrie took the reins in 2015 with "Rogue Nation," the franchise has gotten a jolt in the arm. It seems to always outdo itself, and "Dead Reckoning" makes good on that promise.

The high stakes, the timely villain being AI, and, of course, Tom Cruise in the middle of some amazing thrills makes this film one of the best in the franchise.

13. "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999)

Cruise and Kidman teamed up again, this time under the watch of Stanley Kubrick in what would be his final movie. Both actors are pushed to the limits as the movie explores a marriage at a crossroads. Though "Eyes Wide Shut" is not close to Kubrick's best work, Cruise and Kidman are riveting.

12. "Top Gun: Maverick" (2022)

Thirty-six years after playing Pete "Maverick" Mitchell he returns to the role in the rare legacy sequel that's better than the original movie.

Though Tony Scott's landmark "Top Gun" made Cruise a superstar and became an instant 1980s classic, the director Joseph Kosinski has elevated the story with more death-defying dogfight jet stunts and a more compelling story.

This time Maverick returns to the Top Gun school to be a teacher of the new hot-shot pilots. But he must deal with his own demons as one of the students is the son of his best friend, Goose, who died in his arms in the first movie.

Cruise delivers one of his best performances in years.

11. "Days of Thunder" (1990)

It's pretty much everything you would think would be in a Tony Scott movie: lots of fast cars and big egos. Cruise is in his glory in every scene playing the hot-shot Nascar driver Cole Trickle (and Kidman appears as his love interest).

10. "Risky Business" (1983)

It's the movie that made Cruise a star. The coming-of-age story doesn't shy away from its mature storyline, and Cruise delivers a playful performance but also shows sparks of his dramatic chops that he'll showcase in the decade to come.

9. "Mission: Impossible" (1996)

Boy have things changed since the first "Mission: Impossible." With De Palma at the helm, the movie had its action, but it was encased in a tense whodunit thriller. Since then the action has only gotten bigger (and the story, well, less of a concern), but Cruise has always been fantastic as Hunt.

The first movie is his best acting work of the franchise. (Accent update: Cruise delivers another Southern accent while disguised at the beginning of the movie — one of those classic face-rip-off disguises. It's brief but effective in the scene.)

8. "Interview with the Vampire" (1994)

Cruise gives one of his best performances as Lestat, a vampire from the 1700s who finds a lot of drama in his undead life once he recruits Louis (Brad Pitt). (Accent update: His little hint of a French accent to stay true to the character's portrayal in the classic Anne Rice book is perfectly subtle.)

7. "Edge of Tomorrow" (2014)

Whether you want to call it "Edge of Tomorrow" or "Live. Die. Repeat.," it's just a really great action movie. With Liman directing and McQuarrie as a screenwriter, Cruise is surrounded by people he trusts to make a risky project: a soldier who relives the same day. But the MVP of the movie is Emily Blunt, who delivers a performance that makes Cruise kick it up a few notches.

6. "Rain Man" (1988)

Always at his best when he's playing a character with major conflict, Cruise plays a guy always looking to capitalize on the angles until he's finally in a situation in which he has to be on the level: building a relationship with his autistic savant brother (Dustin Hoffman).

5. "Jerry Maguire" (1996)

Receiving a best-actor nomination for his performance as a slick sports agent whose life turns upside down after having a moment of clarity, Cruise was, thanks to this movie, at his height of stardom and power in Hollywood.

4. "A Few Good Men" (1992)

Rob Reiner's courtroom drama has Cruise going up against Jack Nicholson, and it's pure magic. Yes, there's the "can't handle the truth" scene, but for us, it starts earlier in the movie when the two characters meet for the first time.

Thanks to the incredible dialogue by Aaron Sorkin, both actors subtly trade off with each other, but it's the fire being held back that makes the ending when they are face-to-face again so memorable.

3. "Magnolia" (1999)

No matter what you think of Paul Thomas Anderson's epic look at family, love, and forgiveness, it's hard to dispute that it has the most powerful performance of Cruise's career.

Playing a pickup artist who uses his talents to build a public-speaking career, Cruise appears as we've never seen him before. Anderson and Cruise connected over dealing with the loss of their fathers and use that darkness to create the character of Frank T. J. Mackey.

2. "The Color of Money" (1986)

Paul Newman won only one Oscar in his iconic career, and it was for this movie. But you have to give a big assist to Cruise.

Playing the protégé to the pool player "Fast Eddie" Felson — the role Newman first played in 1961's "The Hustler" — Cruise is a cocky player, and you can never tell whether he's on the level with Felson. Cruise proved once again that he's more than just a pretty face.

1. "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989)

Cruise got an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the veteran and activist Ron Kovic, who was paralyzed fighting in Vietnam. Oliver Stone traces Kovic's journey from being a wide-eyed soldier thinking he's doing what's right for America to coming home from the war to find everything has changed. Including the way he views his own country.

Cruise has never been better as he delivers a tour de force performance that still gives us chills.

• Main content

Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started.

Customers also watched

Other formats

135 global ratings

How are ratings calculated? Toggle Expand Toggle Expand

• Amazon Newsletter
• About Amazon
• Accessibility
• Sustainability
• Press Center
• Investor Relations
• Amazon Devices
• Amazon Science
• Sell on Amazon
• Sell apps on Amazon
• Supply to Amazon
• Protect & Build Your Brand
• Become an Affiliate
• Become a Delivery Driver
• Start a Package Delivery Business
• Advertise Your Products
• Self-Publish with Us
• Become an Amazon Hub Partner
• › See More Ways to Make Money
• Amazon Visa
• Amazon Store Card
• Amazon Secured Card
• Amazon Business Card
• Shop with Points
• Credit Card Marketplace
• Reload Your Balance
• Amazon Currency Converter
• Your Account
• Your Orders
• Shipping Rates & Policies
• Amazon Prime
• Returns & Replacements
• Manage Your Content and Devices
• Recalls and Product Safety Alerts
• Registry & Gift List
• Conditions of Use
• Privacy Notice
• Consumer Health Data Privacy Disclosure
• Your Ads Privacy Choices

• Liechtenstein
• Netherlands
• Switzerland
• Solo Location Guides
• Solo Travel Advice
• Solo Inspiration
• Luxury travel

CRUISING , FLASHPACKING

Cinematic voyages: 20 unforgettable cruise ship movies.

Are you looking for inspiration to plan your first cruise ? Take a cinematic voyage with my pick of movies set on a cruise ship.

Not all of these cruise ship movies are masterpieces (although some are). A few are utter stinkers. However, each of them showcases aspects of life on the high seas.

Although I have indicated the availability of these films on Netflix and Amazon Prime there may be regional variations. Information here relates to the UK market in March 2024.

Some articles on this website contain affiliate links. This means that I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through these links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases . Read the full disclosure here .

IN THIS ARTICLE

Classic Movies About Cruise Ships

Let’s start with the best movies about cruise ships, from films from Hollywood’s Golden Age to a science fiction classic.

Now, Voyager (1942)

Now, Voyager is not only one of the best movies set on a cruise ship but it is also one of my favourite films of all time. I blub like a baby each time I watch it.

Cowed by her domineering mother, middle-aged neurotic Boston heiress Charlotte Vale (a stupendous Bette Davis) takes a cruise after a restorative stay in a sanatorium. Whilst on board, she falls in love with the married Jerry (Paul Henreid).

The movie is famous for an iconic scene where Paul Henreid’s character lights two cigarettes and gives one to Bette Davis. 

A masterpiece of a movie.

• Running time: 1 hour 57 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 90%
• Available for streaming on Amazon Prime here .

An Affair to Remember (1957)

This melodrama directed by Leo McCarey and starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr is considered to be one of the most romantic films of all time.

Playboy Nickie (Grant) and Terry (Kerr) fall in love on a transatlantic cruise to New York. Despite being engaged to other people, they agree to meet in six months at the top of the Empire State Building. But will all go to plan?

An Affair to Remember was introduced to a new generation of cinema-goers when it was featured in the 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle .

• Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 87%
• Available for streaming on Amazon Prime here

Death on the Nile (1978)

Agatha Christie’s 1937 murder mystery has been adapted for the silver screen three times but the original film version is the best of the bunch (don’t go near Kenneth Branagh’s woeful 2022 remake).

Directed by John Guillermin, Death on the Nile was Peter Ustinov’s first appearance as Hercule Poirot and perhaps his best. Soon after Poirot boards a ship for a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is discovered murdered on board. Who is her murderer?

• Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score : 78%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 79%

The Fifth Element (1997)

Welcome to a cruise ship of the future.

For my money, Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element is up there with the best science fiction movies of all time. Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis giving one of his finest performances) is a 23rd-century cab driver who is unwittingly pulled into a search for a mysterious fifth element that will prevent an apocalyptic event.

Much of the action in the final third of the movie takes place on Fhloston Paradise, a space cruise ship patronised by the rich and powerful. This superliner features twelve swimming pools with two VIP pools, dozens of high-end restaurants and a concert hall.

A glimpse of the future of cruising? Minus the giant fireball of course.

• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score : 91%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90%

Disaster Movies Set on a Cruise Ship

The poseidon adventure (1972).

The 1970s was the decade for disaster movies featuring all-star ensemble casts and The Poseidon Adventure gets my vote as the best disaster film set on a cruise ship.

This multi-nominated movie – it went on to win two Oscars – centres on the ageing SS Poseidon on her final voyage from New York to Athens. After it is upended by a tsunami on New Year’s Day, it’s a race against time to bring the survivors to safety.

Spoiler alert; not many passengers make it.

• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 76%

Titanic (1997)

The Oscar-winning, multi-nominated Titanic is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Directed by James Cameron and starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, this epic movie about one of the most famous cruise ships in history is also one of the most expensive movies ever made.

The sinking of the Titanic is viewed through the lens of a fictional relationship across the social divide between Rose (Winslet), and Jack (DiCaprio).

• Running time: 3 hours 15 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69%

A Night to Remember (1958)

Despite Titanic ’s many gongs, I far prefer this treatment of the sinking of the ill-fated cruise ship.

Filmed in a semi-documentary style, A Night to Remember sticks closely to the facts of the ship’s sinking, unimpeded by fictional sub-plots. This riveting film portrays the events of the fateful night of 15 th April 1912 from the perspective of the luxury liner’s second officer, Charles Lightoller (Kenneth More). 

• Running time : 2 hours 3 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100%

Movies to Make You Laugh

Monkey business (1931).

Monkey Business was the Marx Brothers’ third feature comedy and takes place on a cruise ship crossing the Atlantic to the USA.

Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Zeppo play four stowaways who are forced to work for a pair of feuding gangsters to evade capture by the ship’s crew. After the ship docks, the zany quartet become unlikely heroes when one of the gangsters kidnaps the other’s daughter.

• Running time: 1 hour 18 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84%
• Available for on DVD from Amazon Prime here

Out to Se a (1997)

Out to Sea is not Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon’s finest cinematic outing by any stretch of the imagination but it is a harmless bit of escapist fun.

Hunting for lonely women with hefty bank balances, Charlie (Matthau) coaxes his widower brother-in-law Herb (Lemmon) into working with him as a dance host on an all-expenses-paid luxury cruise. Under the watchful eye of the cruise director (played by Brent Spiner from Star Trek ), Charlie pursues wealthy socialite Liz (Dyan Cannon) and Herb unexpectedly falls for Vivian (Gloria DeHaven).

• Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score : 36%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52%

The Parent Trap (1998)

This romantic comedy directed and co-written by Nancy Meyers stars Lindsay Lohan playing the role of identical twins who discover their relationship when they are sent to the same summer camp. The twins then set to work trying to reunite their parents.

While much of The Parent Trap takes place on land, there are some scenes set aboard Cunard’s now-retired Queen Elizabeth 2 (they were actually filmed on  Queen Mary , which is docked in Long Beach, California).

• Running time : 2 hours 7 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70%

Like Father (2018)

In this predictable rom-com, jilted bride Rachel (Kristen Bell) ends up on her honeymoon Caribbean cruise with her estranged father Harry (Kelsey Grammer).

Like Father is set aboard Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas , so lovingly filmed that it feels like an infomercial at times.

• Running time: 1 hour 43 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 46%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47%
• Available for streaming on Netflix

Carry on Cruising (1962)

Carry on films are a guilty pleasure for me. Cinematic masterpieces they are not but they are silly fun from a more innocent time.

Carry on Cruising is very much in this mould.

Sid James plays Wellington Crowther, the captain of SS Happy Wanderer, who is forced to replace five absent crew members at short notice. Not only are these the most incompetent shipmates to set foot on deck, but the passengers are no picnic.

• Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51%

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

Shot in glorious Technicolor and featuring a razor-sharp screenplay, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is one of the best musical comedies set on the seven seas.

Showgirl Lorelei Lee (Marilyn Monroe) sets sail for Paris with her friend Dorothy Shaw (Jane Russell), where she plans to marry her wealthy beau, Gus Esmond Jr. However, her plan is placed in jeopardy by the watchful eye of a private detective hired by Mr Esmund Sr. and by Lorelei’s love of diamonds.

• Running time: 1 hour 31 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83%

Royal Wedding (1951)

Do you fancy on-board entertainment Hollywood-style?

In the run-up to the wedding between the then Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten, an American brother-and-sister song-and-dance team Tom (Fred Astaire) and Ellen Bowen (Jane Powell) set sail for London. Then love intervenes for both siblings.

• Running time: 1 hour 32 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92%

Shall We Dance? (1937)

Was there ever a more perfect recipe than Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers performing to the sublime music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin?

Set on a transatlantic sailing from Paris to New York, Shall We Dance? features Astaire as Pete “Petrov” Peters, a Russian ballet dancer, and Rogers as Linda Keene, a musical-comedy star. As a publicity stunt to prolong Linda’s career, her agent leaks to the press that the two performers are married. 

Will a fake marriage turn into the real thing?

This exhilarating musical features some of the greatest songs ever composed, including They Can’t Take That Away From Me and Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off.

• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 84%

Romance on the High Seas (1948)

Starring Doris Day in her film debut and choreographed by Busby Berkeley, Romance on the High Seas is a farce with romantic misunderstandings at its heart. Georgia Garret (Day) is a nightclub singer who is hired to assume the identity of a socialite, Elvira Kent, on a cruise to Rio de Janeiro to allow Kent to remain at home to spy on her suspected unfaithful husband,

Filming locations for Romance on the High Seas included Rio de Janeiro and Cartegena in Colombia.

• Running time: 1 hour 39 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61%
• Available to buy on Blu-Ray here

Dramatic Movies

Ship of fools (1965).

This eclectic group of passengers on a cruise ship bound for pre-war Germany from Mexico represents a microcosm of 1930s society. Picking up eight Oscar nominations and directed by Stanley Kramer, Ship of Fools features a stellar ensemble cast including Vivien Leigh (in her final film role), Lee Marvin and George Segal.  

Although the action takes place almost entirely on an ocean liner, the movie was filmed on a soundstage at Paramount Studios.

• Running time : 2 hours 29 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 77%

Table for Five (1983)

In this poignant melodrama, divorced father J.P. Tannen (Jon Voight) takes his three children on a Mediterranean cruise in an attempt to reconnect with them. However, he quickly realises that this is not that easy and is faced with an impossible decision when he learns of a tragedy back home.

Partly filmed on MS Vistafjord (built for the now defunct Norwegian American Line ), shooting locations for Table for Five included Rome , Genoa, Haifa in Israel , Athens and Cairo and Alexandria in Egypt.

• Running time: 2 hours 2 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 67%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59%
• Not currently for streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime or to buy on DVD or Blu-Ray

Speed 2 Cruise Control  (1997)

Keanu Reeves was wise to decline the lead role in this lame sequel to Speed . In his place, Jason Patric teamed up with Sandra Bullock as they battled to get all of the passengers on a Caribbean cruise to safety when disaster strikes.

Seabourn Legend was rented for six weeks to film the movies and its multiple filming locations were used including those in the USA, the Caribbean and France.

• Running time: 2 hours 5 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 4%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score : 16%

And the Award for the Worst Cruise Movie Ever Made Goes to …

Jack and jill (2011).

If you thought that Speed 2 Cruise Control  was bad, this is the cinematic turkey to beat all cinematic turkeys.

Improbably, Adam Sandler plays twins Jack and Jill who join their family on a cruise vacation. Jack and Jill is so unfunny and its plot so preposterous, that I don’t have the will to say any more about it.

This became the first film to sweep the board of the Razzies, winning in each category including Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, and Worst Screenplay. The cruise ship scenes were filmed aboard Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas .

• Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 3%
• Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36%

And that’s a wrap.

Whether you are looking for inspiration to plan a cruise or simply looking for recommendations for a sofa and popcorn night at home, I hope that this cruise ship movies list hits the spot.

Watch, dream and book that cruise.

READ THESE NEXT FOR MORE CINEMATIC TRAVEL INSPIRATION!

• Unmissable Movies Set in France on Netflix & Amazon Prime
• Amazing Movies Set in Italy on Netflix & Amazon Prime 

About Bridget

Bridget Coleman is a complete cinephile and has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.

Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.

To get in touch, email her at [email protected] or follow her on social media.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Why Tom Cruise Won't Return as Jack Reacher

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

• Tom Cruise's portrayal of Jack Reacher in the movies deviated significantly from the original character described in Lee Child's books.
• The Reacher TV show with Alan Ritchson as the lead has provided a more accurate and compelling interpretation of the character.
• Alan Ritchson's performance proves that he is the ideal choice to play Jack Reacher in any future adaptations, and bringing back Tom Cruise would be a disservice to the character.

Tom Cruise has played some iconic characters over the course of his career. One of these was Jack Reacher . He played the character in two movies, Jack Reacher and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back , and gave him the cool action hero treatment you'd expect. But even though there may have been a third film on the horizon, that ship has sailed.

For many, Cruise was not the best fit for who they thought should play Jack Reacher. But who should play him? How should they act? How should they even look? Regardless of what happens, the main thing to remember is that the franchise can never look back. Here's why Tom Cruise won't return to the character of Jack Reacher.

Updated Jan. 11, 2024: This article has been updated with additional information to keep the discussion fresh and relevant.

Who Is Jack Reacher?

In 1997, author Lee Child created the character of Jack Reacher for his first book, Killing Floor . The character is described with a very distinct build. He is said to have "a six-pack like a cobbled city street, a chest like a suit of NFL armor , biceps like basketballs, and subcutaneous fat like a Kleenex tissue." Reacher is also a former military officer, which makes him a dangerous fighter, marksman, and strategist. However, when he left the military, it was not to fight more battles on his own, although that ended up happening to him.

Part of what makes him so interesting is his personality. His stoic nature does not mean that he is without humor. However, he is completely self-sufficient, ensuring he does not need to rely on anyone to survive. Often, Child describes him as someone who gives respect when it is earned and is only concerned with justice being served. This does not always mean he needs to be in the driver's seat, but it does mean he will see a plan through to the end .

One of the major aspects of Reacher's life is that he is a drifter. He has no identification, no bank accounts, and nothing that can be traced without an overwhelming amount of research. His military records do exist, and they are often referenced, but he goes to great lengths to keep himself anonymous. He is said to travel with cash, a single toothbrush, and nothing else. In fact, when his clothing becomes old or soiled, he trashes his old clothing and buys new replacements. There is nothing to hold him down and nothing to hold him back.

Tom Cruise vs Alan Ritchson

As previously stated, Reacher was played by Tom Cruise in two movies, Jack Reacher (2012) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), both directed by Christopher McQuarrie . But the first thing fans of the Lee Child books noticed was that Cruise's portrayal of Reacher was nothing like his book character.

Cruise is known to be a bit on the shorter side, saying he is 5' 7". He is also shown as wearing numerous varied outfits, driving cars, and interacting with quite a few of people, often calling in favors and meeting with former mentors. These movies are obviously an interpretation of the character, but one that seems quite a bit off from the original intentions of the author.

Reacher Season 2 Is Making a Major Change, But How Will It Affect the Series?

Reacher Season 2 has quite a few changes in store. Here's what the new season is set to bring and how it might affect the entire Prime Video series.

In 2022, Prime Video released the first season of their new show, Reacher . The first season followed the plot of the first Jack Reacher novel, Killing Floor , and saw Alan Ritchson playing the title role. Suffice to say, the differences between the two interpretations were night and day.

Ritchson is immediately recognizable as Jack Reacher. He has a quiet demeanor, but it is offset by his 6' 2" frame. Had Lee Child seen Alan Ritchson before writing his books, nobody would have thought twice about where he found his inspiration. The character is shown stepping off a bus with nothing but a clean t-shirt and pants. He is clean-cut and perfectly shaved, with a look of curious disinterest. When we see him, we are immediately drawn to him and very much intimidated .

How Does Alan Ritchson Feel?

That being said, the comparisons between the two Reachers haven't been lost on the actors playing them. In a recent interview with Jonatan Blomberg Interviews, Alan Ritchson himself chimed in on the nature of his role, and how he personally feels about superseding Tom Cruise as the televised Jack Reacher. Specifically, he commented on the constant comparisons with Tom Cruise , and whether he ever gets tired of them. He stated:

Never. Being compared to the most legendary actor of all time? The last film star? I would never tire of being compared to somebody of his stature.

Ritchson would continue by suggesting that the show's popularity is due in part to Tom Cruise's previous portrayal of the character, specifically because "[Cruise] brought a lot of eyes to this project that wouldn't be here otherwise." There's clearly no animosity from Ritchson. However, we believe that there's more than a clear answer as to who portrayed Reacher more authentically.

Alan Ritchson Is a Better Reacher

The Reacher TV show has proven that there is nothing wrong with a better interpretation of a character. We've seen it over and over again on TV, in movies, and everywhere in between. For instance, take the Joker from the Batman films. Most people loved Jack Nicholson's interpretation of the Joker, but were blown away by Heath Ledger's Joker . When Jared Leto made his attempt at the character years later in Suicide Squad (2016), he was kicked around by audiences because he could never live up to the Ledger hype. Someone just happened to do it better.

Best Shows Like Reacher You Should Watch Next

Reacher proved to be a successful series for Prime Video. If you're a fan, here are some similar TV shows to watch next.

The Reacher TV series has shown that not only is there an actor who looks the part, but one who can play it as well. Alan Ritchson embodies the Jack Reacher character in ways that Tom Cruise never could. Cruise is a bundle of energy. He's set to go off like a time bomb. It's why we love him, and why we love watching him go nuts and do ridiculous stunts. It makes Cruise perfect for projects like the Mission: Impossible franchise, where that excess energy can really be put to use.

Ritchson is a completely different beast. He doesn't need to run or flip out. He needs to be measured, honest, and believable as a guy who can not only hold his own in a fight, but also in a battle of wills. It's a character whose violent skillset is often preceded by subtlety. Reacher knows better than to just dive headfirst into danger.

If there were to be another Jack Reacher movie, Ritchson would be the first choice. Preferably, it would be a Prime Video original movie spun off from the show. Ritchson is Jack Reacher, full stop. To have Tom Cruise return would be an insult, not only to Ritchson, but also to Lee Child and the character himself.

Season 2 of Reacher officially premiered on Dec. 15, 2023, with its finale currently slated for release on Jan. 19, 2024. A third season is currently in development.

Stream Reacher on Prime Video

In the mood for more shows like Reacher ? Specifically, more "dad shows" like Reacher ? Check out our video below that chronicles a plethora of shows with a similar atmosphere to Prime Video's hit series.

• Jack Reacher TV Show

Screen Rant

10 best tom cruise movies, ranked.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

New DreamWorks Movie Debuts On RT With Studio's Highest Score Of All Time (Above How To Train Your Dragon)

Spielberg civil war movie’s “extreme” set recalled by star: “you couldn’t have a paper coffee cup”, uglies ending explained: what happened to peris addressed by director.

• Tom Cruise's extensive filmography includes some of Hollywood's most iconic movies, showcasing his versatility as an actor and his ability to tackle different genres and roles.
• Many of Cruise's movies are considered classics and rank among the best films ever made, thanks to their quality and Cruise's strong on-screen presence.
• Cruise's talent as both a dramatic and physically skilled actor is evident in movies like Rain Man , A Few Good Men , and the Mission: Impossible franchise, where he delivers powerful performances and defies the laws of physics in thrilling action sequences.

Known for his prolific filmography, Tom Cruise is one of the most recognizable actors worldwide, and his best movies include some of the most iconic that Hollywood has ever produced. Cruise has done it all, from teen sex comedies to neo-noir thrillers to high-octane action flicks, and many of his movies have been cemented as classics. Given the nature of the actor's screen presence and the commercial success of many of his projects, he has deservedly gone on to become one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors .

Although known primarily for his huge blockbusters in the Mission: Impossible and Top Gun franchises, Cruise initially got his start in the slow-burn dramas Endless Love and Taps before breaking out with the more comedic Risky Business . Whereas some actors enjoyed massive success early in their careers before fading into obscurity, Cruise's star power has endured throughout many decades . Whether because of his acting chops or the movies' overall quality, many of the projects in Cruise's extensive body of work rank among some of the best films ever made.

Related: 1 Failed Tom Cruise Movie Franchise Proves His Star Power Better Than Top Gun & Mission Impossible

10 Interview With The Vampire (1994)

Tom cruise plays lestat de lioncourt, interview with the vampire.

Tom Cruise is primarily known for heroic roles, but Interview with the Vampire sees him play a villainous character, and despite the controversy over his casting, he absolutely nails the part. Based on the novel by Anne Rice, the movie focuses on an 18th-century vampire who tells his story to a modern-day reporter in order to make peace with his past. Cruise portrays Lestat, another, once-charming vampire who finds himself regretting his near-immortality after turning an innocent girl into one of their kind. The adaptation takes a uniquely sobering approach to vampirism , and its cinematography and set design are among the most convincing and immersive ever seen in a film.

Related: Interview With The Vampire's Controversial Tom Cruise Casting Explained By Director

9 Risky Business (1983)

Tom cruise plays joel goodsen, risky business.

Starring Tom Cruise when he was a relative newcomer, Risky Business sees the actor play an over-achieving high school student who is left home alone while his parents go on vacation. Risky Business made Cruise a star with one iconic scene where he jams out to the song "Old Time Rock and Roll." The lasting appeal of this moment speaks to its quality and impact as well as Cruise's suddenly clear magnetism. Risky Business is notable for its screenplay by Paul Brickman, who also directed the movie, as it perfectly showcases the challenges of a popular teenager whose parents and teachers constantly push him to be the best.

8 The Color Of Money (1986)

Tom cruise plays vincent lauria.

Directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted from the Walter Tevis novel of the same name, The Color of Money is a late sequel to the 1961 film The Hustler . Paul Newman reprises his role as Fast Eddie, a pool hustler who recruits Cruise's character, Vincent, to help him swindle other players. The Color of Money is about greed and how it changes people, and the effects of Vincent and Fast Eddie's intense rivalry on their personal lives is a strong reinforcement of the theme. Released shortly after his blockbuster success with Top Gun , this is a cool, entertaining movie and an early showcase of Cruise's talent as a dramatic actor.

7 A Few Good Men (1992)

Tom cruise plays lt. daniel kaffee, a few good men.

A Few Good Men is a legal drama that stars Tom Cruise as a military lawyer defending two U.S. Marines charged with murder. One of the best movies based on a stage play , it marks the screenwriting debut of Aaron Sorkin, adapting his own work, and showcases some of the best dialogue ever written . At the movie's center is the theme of valor in the face of uncertainty, as Cruise's character bravely fights the case despite the seemingly infinite odds stacked against him. Cruise brings a certain intensity to his role, and his ability to rile up Jack Nicholson's Col. Jessep in the film's iconic courtroom scene also speaks volumes.

6 Rain Man (1983)

Tom cruise plays charlie babbitt.

Rain Man follows a heartwarming story about the power of family over financial worth and features a surprisingly nuanced take on the complex nature of brothers. Tom Cruise plays Charlie, a charming schemer obsessed with money who attempts to manipulate his way into his autistic older brother's good graces upon discovering their father cut him out of his will. A film about solidarity, compassion, and love, Rain Man successfully gets its messages across in a way that's heartfelt and believable .

Related: 10 Tom Cruise Movies That Still Need Sequels Made

5 Magnolia (1999)

Tom cruise plays frank t. j. mackey.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Magnolia tells a series of seemingly unrelated stories that follow the same themes of loss and regret. While the subject matter makes for challenging viewing, its reprieve comes in the form of its ability to make its drama compelling. Tom Cruise's usual charm and intensity are in full effect in the movie, but his heart-breaking scene with his father (played by Jason Robards) on his deathbed is one of the strongest performances the actor has ever delivered , and out of all the movie's different characters and storylines, his best reinforces the film's themes.

4 Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)

Tom cruise plays imf agent ethan hunt, mission: impossible - dead reckoning.

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One delivers tons of action , as is expected from the franchise. Mission: Impossible is famous for its stunts, and this installment is no different as it sees Tom Cruise's character — and the actor himself — again defying the laws of physics to accomplish his latest world-saving operation. This time, his character, IMF agent Ethan Hunt, works with his team of operatives to stop the influence of a powerful rogue AI. Despite the movie ending on a cliffhanger, it offers enough thrills to make it one of the best movie sequels ever made .

3 Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)

Tom cruise plays major william cage, edge of tomorrow.

Based on a manga, Edge of Tomorrow sees Tom Cruise as Major William Cage, a public relations officer with minimal combat experience who is forced by his superiors to aid in fighting an alien-occupied Europe in a dystopian future. Moreover, Cage dies and reboots repeatedly throughout the movie after discovering he's caught in a time loop. One of the best sci-fi movies of the 2010s , Edge of Tomorrow offers a unique take on its source material with its intense action and sharp humor .

2 Collateral (2004)

Tom cruise plays vincent.

Michael Mann's Collateral is a neo-noir thriller that sees a burned-out taxi driver pick up a mysterious man who turns out to be a hired killer. As one of Michael Mann's most memorable characters , Cruise delivers an exceptional performance in the role of the hitman, Vincent, with his usual charisma making the assassin all the more threatening. He also has excellent chemistry with Jamie Foxx, who plays the driver, Max; together, they almost make viewers forget that they're actors during some of their more intense scenes in the movie. Collateral also features Mann's signature moody, atmospheric depiction of Los Angeles, which effectively draws viewers into the film's unique neo-noir world .

1 Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Tom cruise plays cpt. pete "maverick" mitchell, top gun: maverick.

Another one of the best sequels of all time, Top Gun: Maverick sees Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell return to the titular school to train the next generation of graduates while also dealing with some of his longstanding demons. This is a movie that's just as much about family and trust as it is about exhilarating dogfights, which makes it a surprisingly deep and thoughtful blockbuster. Top Gun: Maverick cemented Cruise's status as one of Hollywood's biggest stars as its heartfelt story and creative action scenes helped the sequel gross over $1 billion.

How Different Is 'Edge of Tomorrow' From the Original Book, 'All You Need Is Kill'?

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Edge of Tomorrow celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and a decade later it's still a sci-fi standout . There are plenty of reasons for this: the high-octane action sequences composed by Doug Liman , the cast of Tom Cruise , Emily Blunt, and the late, great Bill Paxton , and a unique take on both the time travel and alien invasion subgenres. Fans still beg for a sequel , but a potential follow-up has constantly run into delays, mainly due to Cruise's commitment to the Mission: Impossible franchise. But what some fans might not know is that Edge of Tomorrow is based on a novel. The Japanese light novel All You Need Is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka has the same basic premise as Edge of Tomorrow: a soldier participating in a war against an invading alien race is trapped in a time loop, forced to relive the same day over and over. But there are some key differences in how the novel's story and the film's story play out, leading to a far more somber tale in All You Need Is Kill.

‘All You Need Is Kill’s Keiji Kiriya Is Different From Tom Cruise’s Cage in ‘Edge of Tomorrow’

While Edge of Tomorrow focuses on Cruise's Major William Cage, All You Need Is Kill is the story of soldier Keiji Kiriya . The two enter the war in different ways: Cage is conscripted after one of his commanding officers believes him to be a coward since his job is public relations. Kiriya, on the other hand, is a lowly soldier who enters the field of battle and seemingly dies on his first mission...only to get stuck in a time loop. While Cage has to seek out the help of Blunt's Rita Vrataski to train in fighting the alien "Mimics", Kiriya starts becoming a better soldier via the loops he's stuck in. Due to his skill in wiping out the Mimics, Kiriya earns the nickname of "Killer Cage" at the end of All You Need Is Kill , which Edge of Tomorrow nods to by giving Cruise's character the surname of Cage.

‘All You Need Is Kill’ Has a Darker Ending Than ‘Edge of Tomorrow’

All You Need Is Kill does have a similar setup to Edge of Tomorrow , as Kiriya encounters Vrataski and learns that she was stuck in a loop similar to him, and the two plan to defeat the Mimics once and for all. All You Need Is Kill takes a darker turn, though. After Kiriya and Vrataski kill the Mimics, she reveals that due to their exposure to the Mimics, one of them has to die to close the time loop. Kiriya fatally wounds Vrataski and confesses his love for her as she dies; he even paints his exoskeleton blue to honor her memory.

'Edge of Tomorrow' Ending Explained: How Many Times Can Tom Cruise Die?

Live. Die. Repeat.

Though the Edge of Tomorrow screenplay took a darker turn when it was first being developed , the creative team opted to take a lighter route , ending with Cage killing the Mimics and meeting with Vrataski. “I was always arguing it has to end on the helicopter,” Christopher McQuarrie , who contributed to the final script, said during an interview . “You have to be thrown back to wondering, ‘Did the movie even happen? Did any of this really happen?’ To that end, there were a million things you had to do with the writing and visually, to serve that ending. That presented a lot of challenges and debate for us. We really struggled to deliver what the movie needed to be emotionally."

‘All You Need Is Kill’ Has Been Adapted in Other Mediums

All You Need Is Kill didn't just inspired a hit movie in Edge of Tomorrow . 3 Arts Entertainment bought the film rights to All You Need Is Kill the same year it was published and hired Dante Harper to pen a spec script to shop to studios. Said script landed on the fabled Black List, drew the attention of Warner Bros. and the rest is history. However, it's also been adapted into two different comic books. In 2014, there was a manga adaptation courtesy of Takeshi Obata ( Death Note ), Ryōsuke Takeuchi , and Yoshitoshi Abe , to which VIZ Media bought the rights . Then, to coincide with the release of Edge of Tomorrow , an American comic book adaptation by Nick Mamatas and Lee Ferguson was published by VIZ.

Hiroshi Sakurazaka had his own unique influences for All You Need Is Kill: the video game phenomenon known as "respawning," when a player dies and reappears at a certain spot . "I thought about writing a story based not on the idea of a person playing a video game but on a hero being played over and over in a game. That seemed like a good model for a story to write," he told the Japan Times . Sakurazaka also also cited Groundhog Day as an influence, saying that he wanted to do something unique with the time loop. Given that his work inspired a feature film and two different comic adaptations, Sakurazaka more than succeeded.

Edge of Tomorrow

Edge of Tomorrow is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix

• Movie Features

Recommended

Here’s how much tom cruise got paid for his epic stunt at the 2024 paris olympics.

Tom Cruise pulled off his epic Hollywood stunt at the 2024 Paris Olympics for free.

The president and chairman of the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, Casey Wasserman, raved about the “Top Gun” star’s participation during the CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan panel at the Fairmont Miramar hotel in Santa Monica, Calif., on Tuesday.

“He finished filming ‘Mission: Impossible’ at 6 p.m. in London, got right on a plane. He landed in LA at 4 a.m. and filmed the scene where he pulls onto a military plane,” the entertainment executive said, per the Hollywood Reporter .

Wasserman raved that “every step of the way, [Cruise] got more involved and more engaged” and ultimately did the pretaped stunt for free.

“We’re like, ‘Well, there’s no way we’re getting this. We’re going to get four hours of filming time. We’ll do the thing … with the Hollywood sign, he’ll hand the thing off and he’s done. Maybe we’ll get the other stuff, and the rest will be just a stunt double.’ About five minutes into the presentation, [Cruise] goes, ‘I’m in. But I’m only doing it if I get to do everything,'” he recalled.

The actor, 62, stunned viewers on Aug. 11 when he closed out the Paris Olympics and handed the torch to LA, where the next Summer Games will be held.

Want more celebrity and pop culture news?

Start your day with Page Six Daily.

Thanks for signing up!

Please provide a valid email address.

By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .

Want celebrity news as it breaks? Hooked on Housewives?

Cruise launched himself from the top of Stade de France and landed on the field, where he grabbed the Olympic flag.

He then took the flag from LA Mayor Karen Bass and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and rode off into the streets of Paris before getting on a plane near the Eiffel Tower.

The video later showed the movie star flying the symbolic flag to California and skydiving to the iconic Hollywood sign before adding the famous five colored Olympic rings to it.

“Thank you, Paris! Now off to LA,” he posted on X at the time.

Cruise has yet to publicly discuss his preparations for the death-defying stunt.

However, TMZ reported that he was the one who had approached the committee and expressed interest in getting involved in the closing ceremony.

The Oscar nominee was previously seen attending one of the women’s gymnastics matches in July.

“It’s awesome,” he  told Reuters at the time. “Great stories, great athletes. It’s incredible what they have to do, the sense of accomplishment.”

Cruise was among several A-listers — including Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga — who flew to the City of Love to watch America take home the most medals.

Advertisement

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves. A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves. A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.

• Ridley Scott
• William Hjortsberg
• 366 User reviews
• 149 Critic reviews
• 30 Metascore
• 1 win & 12 nominations total

Top cast 33

• Meg Mucklebones

• (as Ian Longmuir)
• (as Mike Crane)
• Dancing Black Dress

• Mummified Guard
• Faerie Firelight Dancer (Director's Cut)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Tom Cruise reportedly wasn't happy with the American cut of this movie and wouldn't talk about it for years because of it. He very much encouraged fans to go with the Director's Cut.
• Goofs Throughout the movie, the Unicorns have mismatched genders. It can clearly be seen when the animals rear up in the air. One example of this is when Brown Tom is guarding the "mare", and Lily trudges through the snow, frightening the horse.

Darkness : The dreams of youth are the regrets of maturity.

• Alternate versions There are at least four different versions of this picture: the original European release (94 min.), the American theatrical release (89 min.), a network TV version (94 min.) and a director's cut (113 min.)
• Connections Edited into Nostalgia Critic: Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2017)
• Soundtracks Is Your Love Strong Enough Written and Performed by Bryan Ferry Produced by Rhett Davies and Bryan Ferry Mixed by Bob Clearmountain

User reviews 366

• ozthegreatat42330
• Apr 12, 2007
• What is Legend about?
• What are the differences between the Theatrical Version and the Director's Cut?
• April 18, 1986 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Silver Springs - 5656 E. Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala, Florida, USA (underwater sequences)
• Legend Production Company
• Embassy International Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $24,500,000 (estimated)
• $15,502,112
• Apr 20, 1986
• $16,837,628

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 34 minutes

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Casey wasserman reveals tom cruise’s payday for death-defying olympics stunt: nothing.

The mogul, who serves as LA28 president and chairperson, dished behind-the-scenes secrets at a CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan panel in Santa Monica about landing Cruise for the show-stopping turn.

By Chris Gardner

Chris Gardner

• Share on Facebook
• Share to Flipboard
• Send an Email
• Show additional share options
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on Reddit
• Share on Tumblr
• Share on Whats App
• Print the Article
• Post a Comment

It’s been a month since Tom Cruise stole the show during the Paris Olympics closing ceremony, and people are still talking about it. By people, at least one person (today), and it’s precisely the guy you still want to hear from right about now: Casey Wasserman .

Related Stories

Caa and casey wasserman's foundation team on school day drive to support teachers, students, l.a. mayor karen bass on hot-button olympics issues: "we have to eliminate street homelessness".

“It’s amazing how fast he got to L.A., isn’t it?” Wasserman joked during a CNBC x Boardroom: Game Plan panel at Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows in Santa Monica. The session, titled We Got Next: LA 2028, featured Wasserman seated alongside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, LA28 board of directors member Jessica Alba, Team USA managing director Grant Hill and moderator Andrew Ross Sorkin of CNBC’s Squawk Box . Sorkin then asked Wasserman to give the audience the backstory of how it all came together.

“The backstory is that we realized we were producing a 15-minute live TV show, and so I hired who I think is the best person in the world to do that,” explained Wasserman, heaping praise on super producer and live TV guru Ben Winston. Wasserman continued by saying that Winston had two ideas after he was hired, one of which was Cruise while the other was making the Olympic rings appear out of the ocean “like a David Blaine kind of thing.”

“The best part of the story is we pitched on a Zoom, and the original idea was a person in the stadium as a stunt double,” Wasserman explained. “We’re like, ‘Well, there’s no way we’re getting this. We’re going to get four hours of filming time. We’ll do the thing that the L.A. with the Hollywood sign, he’ll hand the thing off and he’s done. Maybe we’ll get the other stuff and the rest will be just a stunt double.’ About five minutes into the presentation [Tom Cruise] goes, ‘I’m in. But I’m only doing it if I get to do everything.'”

After the Zoom ended, Winston then called Wasserman. “He says, ‘Don’t get too excited. He loves doing this stuff, but when his team realizes how many shooting days it’s going to be and rehearsals, this is never happening. I’m telling you I got it, but it’s never happening.’ Sure enough, every step of the way, he got more involved and more engaged.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Winston said the original plan called for a balaclava-clad stuntperson to the heavy lifting, but Cruise again brushed that aside. “I don’t think there’s anybody like him in the world,” said Winston, who heads up Fulwell 73 Productions. “There is no better collaborator.”

Another fun moment from today’s panel came when Wasserman said that they were able to pull off the Hollywood sign filming in secret thanks to a “one of those weird, lucky L.A. things.” He was referencing how the cameras that are always streaming the scene around the Hollywood sign just so happened to not be on when Cruise was in the vicinity. “I don’t know what happened, Andrew,” Wasserman quipped. “The cameras didn’t work that day and we were able to pull it off.”

For the record, Hollywood Sign Trust chairman Jeff Zarrinnam confirmed that they were in on the security camera outage. “Even our own cameras, our security cameras were turned off and not recording during this stunt,” Zarrinnam previously told NBC Los Angeles .

During the lively panel discussion, Wasserman also saved some praise for Paris and the people of France. “The French team deserves a lot of credit,” he noted. “They reminded people why people fall in love with the Olympics. … It’s been a long time since you had a really beautiful, high-engaged global city that had the resources and the time and the opportunity to take advantage of what the Olympics can be, and they did it spectacularly. To me, the greatest thing they did was they energized the people of France and those stadiums were full and excited, and you saw the results for the French teams being remarkable.”

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Stars wear red pin in support of israel-hamas ceasefire at 2024 emmys, ‘reservation dogs’ star d’pharaoh woon-a-tai brings symbolic message to emmys with red hand painted on face, trump’s campaign says he is safe after apparent assassination attempt at his florida golf club, how an oscar winner made a top-secret benjamin netanyahu movie without anyone finding out, ‘barbie’ producer, ‘supacell,’ ‘wonka’ among production guild of great britain awards winners, nicole kidman expresses gratitude for “outpouring of love and kindness” after mother’s death.