10 Action Movies That Would Be Better with Tom Cruise

I love Tom Cruise. This is not news to listeners of Mad About Movies, friends and family, or anyone who’s ever been near me on a mountaintop as I am prone to yelling about my affection from high places. Is Tom Cruise a humorless, crazy person in real life? Very likely. But does Tom Cruise, after more than 30 years in this business, still put on an amazing show that very rarely ends in abject disappointment and occasionally touches on greatness? You bet. He is the Roger Federer of action movies, a superstar whose powers should have diminished long ago but who has continued to dominate for so long that he has now outlasted the class of up-and-comers who came along to displace him. And, as I have noted numerous times, I love that Tom Cruise desperately wants to please the movie going public because at his core, he just wants you to love him. He will do anything for you, the average movie goer.

With the sixth installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise (Fallout) headed our way this weekend, I thought about Tom Cruise’s incredible longevity and asked myself this question: Which action movies from the last 35 years would be better with Tom Cruise? Could we insert him into bad action movies and make them good (yes, definitely, because Tom Cruise essentially doesn’t make bad movies, The Mummy aside) and could we insert him into good action movies and make them better (I think we could)? A number of movies jumped to mind as potential Cruiseian vessels but I think some obvious choices would be changed too much in tone or style by involving Cruise so as to become completely different movies rather than just “better” movies. For example, I tried hard to replace Nic Cage with Tom Cruise in a dozen different movies but Cage, for all of his less than stellar acting chops, is such a singular, shall we say, presence, that removing him would fundamentally change the movie. Would Tom Cruise make Con-Air better? Probably, but it would be completely different movie and possibly not as fun. Likewise, I considered only movies and roles that Cruise, the biggest movie star of all-time (at least in his own mind), would actually take, so no character work or ensembles (see: The Expendables). And finally, I didn’t consider outright atrocious movies because in most cases, the prospective improvement wouldn’t be directly tied to Cruise. Would Tom Cruise in place of Mark Wahlberg make Transformers: The Last Knight a better movie? Of course, but so would a spider monkey throwing feces; that’s not much of a test. With those rules in mind, here’s what I came up with.

HONORABLE MENTION: The Matrix – Keanu Reeves, Thomas Anderson/Neo
The Matrix is a very good movie that is also, in my opinion, very overrated. Some of this is due to its outdated look and some to the fact that the sequels are miserable affairs all around. Perhaps Cruise doesn’t help with either of these issues but I think his intensity, the direct opposite of Reeves’s emotionless zombie routine, works better once Neo ascends and maybe that keeps the sequels afloat? Reeves is DEFINITELY the better Thomas Anderson, though, and the movie has to take on a different tone and possibly aesthetic to match Cruise so this is far from a no-brainer. But I think that I, personally, would be much more willing to re-watch The Matrix and its sequels if it were a Cruise joint. 

10. Robin Hood (2010 version) – Russell Crowe, Robin Hood
Raise your hand if you completely forgot there was a Ridley Scott-Russell Crowe Robin Hood movie. As we approach the release of yet another Hood iteration (but this one has Jamie Dornan! Hooray!), I’d like us to harken back a few years to one of the most boring adventure films in recent memory. Maybe Cruise doesn’t turn Robin Hood into a smashing success (this was, after all, a horrendous period for Scott) but at the very least he’d try to make the material entertaining which is far more than we can say for Crowe.

9. The Running Man – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ben Richards
I’ll be honest, this has way more to do with just wanting Tom Cruise, the King of the Movie Run, to be in a movie titled The Running Man. It would probably be weird to have Rain Man-era Cruise in this heavy action movie extremely suited for Arnie’s talent, but wouldn’t it be awesome to look back on his career 30 years later and note the presence of The Running Man on Cruise’s IMDb? I think so.

8. 300 – Gerard Butler, King Leonidas
The impetus for this selection is two-fold. One, if you gave Cruise this role and six months to prepare, there is a 100 percent chance he’d come back with a real 12-pack to fully embody (forgive the pun) the character and I want to see that. Two, if we could go back 11 years and keep Butler out of this role, I think there’s a 50-50 shot his career never takes off and we’re not subjected to three unfathomably bad Butler movies ever year.

7. Speed – Keanu Reeves, Jack Traven OR Dennis Hopper, Howard Payne
A friend of mine suggested this selection and I like it because really, truly, you could sub Cruise into either lead role and the movie would get better. Cruise versus Hopper pops off the screen far more than Reeves-Hopper ever did, and Reeves versus Cruise would be a hilarious clash of style that I would definitely watch 900 times. 

6. Spider-Man – Willem Dafoe, Norman Osborne/The Green Goblin
I thought long and hard on how to incorporate Cruise into the MCU. My best idea was to have him step into the shoes of Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange. This would work, I think, but the integration wouldn’t be seamless. So, while the Raimi Spider-Man films are only MCU-adjacent, I’d still jump at the chance to get Cruise into the comic book movie business. I think Cruise plays this role a little less “creepy and insane” but with a harder edge and ultimately, it helps the movie age better than it has in its present form.

5. A Taken-like Franchise – Liam Neeson, Bryan Mills
I love Liam Neeson as both a person and an action hero and he did a great job elevating the pulpy material of the first Taken movie to a respectable level. Plus, this was the jumping off point for the second phase of his career and it was well-deserved, so I wouldn’t want to take it away from him (basically the opposite of Gerard Butler in 300). What I really want is for Cruise to helm his own series like this; his own Taken, Equalizer, John Wick, etc. Something simple and filled with over-the-top action and gun play. It seems like it would be fun to watch him in that role. Let’s make this happen.

4. Talladega Nights – Sacha Baron Coen, Jean Girard
I admit, I am super stretching the term, “action movie” here, please forgive me. This is nothing against SBC who is actually quite funny in this, one of the more underrated movies from the Will Ferrell heyday. But given Cruise’s comedic success in Tropic Thunder, I very badly want to see him try his hand as a ridiculous French race car driver. It might be a disaster, I DON’T KNOW, I just find myself NEEDING to see that.

3. Any 80’s or early 90’s karate/kung fu-related movie
You have your pick here as one out of every three movies from this era revolved around martial arts. Karate Kid, Bloodsport, American Ninja, Surf Ninjas, Three Ninjas, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… Obviously Cruise would be great in any of these illustrious films. My pick, however, would be the oft-forgotten Chuck Norris jam Sidekicks, wherein a bullied teenager imagines that Chuck Norris is his karate mentor. Of course, Chuck Norris actually knows karate and Tom Cruise does not but wouldn’t it be fun to see Tom Cruise learn karate just so he could star in a cheesy kid’s movie like this? Yes, yes it would.

2. Total Recall – Arnold Schwarzenegger, Douglas Quaid/Hauser
Arnie was like no other before or after him, a man built in a laboratory (almost literally) to star in 80’s action movies. He’s irreplaceable in virtually all of his movies from this time period (including the aforementioned Running Man, I admit). But I will take this belief to my grave: he was out of his depth in Total Recall. This movie needed more of a thinking man’s action star in the lead role and while we’ve never confused Tom Cruise with the great thinkers of our time, he does a much better job of piecing together a mystery than Schwarzenegger ever did. This miscasting was rectified in some ways 12 years later when Cruise did Minority Report but still, the 1990 version of Total Recall is infinitely better with Cruise in the lead, just beginning to stretch his action movie muscles.

1. The Fast Series
I don’t want Cruise to replace anyone within the Fast and Furious Cinematic Universe as it is perfect and above any potential second guessing I might offer. I just desperately want/need Tom Cruise in this universe. Add him to the mix as a villain in Fast10, have him join up with Hobbs and Shaw in their upcoming spin-off, let him slide in as Brian O’Connor’s older brother hell bent on revenge; I don’t care, just make it happen. Please, I beg of you, make it happen.

Most Anticipated Movies of 2018 - Part 2

Twice a year (in January and July), I prepare a list of the ten movies I’m looking forward to the most in the coming months. I insist on including only films for which we have a definitive release date and for which we have seen a trailer, otherwise the list becomes far more prospective than I would like. My record here is, uh, spotty as I have highlighted some big hits over the years as well as few total duds. The July through December batch is difficult because of the sheer number of indie and awards-y movies that haven’t been officially slated yet and/or received a real trailer. Nevertheless, I push on and present a set of films that I think measures up to the first half of 2018’s “solid if unspectacular” standard.

HONORABLE MENTION: Mary Poppins Returns (December 28)
We’ve only seen a brief glimpse of the world’s greatest nanny (I Still think “Marry Poppins Returns” sounds like a horror movie but whatever) but the idea is a good one and I’m here for any and all things Emily Blunt. Plus, my cohort, Richard, is a big proponent of this film and his excitement has proved contagious.

 10. Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse (December 14)
Like many of you, I am exhausted by all the various Spider-Man-ing going around these days and I’m inclined to be wary of any non-Marvel incarnation at this point (see: the absence of Venom on this list). But, for one thing, this seems like the right way to venture out from the Disney safety net and for another, the animation here looks incredible. There’s a fun story to be told here and it can branch out into an excellent franchise very easily.

9. White Boy Rick (September 14)
For me, this stands out as the poster child for why trailers are valuable. White Boy Rick has been in various stages of development for quite a while now and I’d completely lost all interest in it. Then the trailer dropped and, wow, that is a fantastic trailer that left me wanting more and pumped for what we might get out this movie.

8. Ralph Breaks the Internet (November 21)
For me, Ralph is almost the antithesis of White Boy Rick: it’s a property I’ve been incredibly excited about for a long time but the trailer left me a little concerned. I’m not overly concerned, mind you (hence the placement on this list), but it was not quite what I expected and a little jarring in its meta-ness. Even still, I love the first Wreck-It Ralph, I think these characters are some of the best in recent Disney memory, and the idea is solid. Just hoping for equally solid execution.

7. Predator (September 14)
I’ve already run the gamut with this one. I think it’s a great idea, Predator needed to be rebooted, and I love Shane Black coming back to direct. I’m also a bit hesitant on some of the cast and I thought the first trailer was bad, as if the movie didn’t have to sell itself because everyone knows what the Predator is and will be flocking to see its return. The second trailer was a lot better and hopefully bodes well for what we’re about to see.

6. Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6)
By the time this publishes, many of you will have already seen this one and of course, the…buzz (I sincerely apologize) around it has been great. I’m lower on the first Ant-Man than many seem to be but I love its possibilities and I expect this one to be a vast improvement on it’s already-good predecessor.  

5. Bad Times at the El Royale (October 5)
This could go extremely badly and turn into a jumbled, Smokin’ Aces-style mess, but with this cast and this trailer, I’m completely in. I’m not a big fan of director Drew Goddard’s last film (Cabin in the Woods) but I loved its premise and I love his writing and El Royale promises to be stylistically impressive, if nothing else.

 4. Mission: Impossible Fallout (July 27)
As co-president of the, “Yeah Tom Cruise is Probably a Weirdo but He Sure Makes Good Movies” fan club, there are very few things I enjoy more than Tom Cruise doing ridiculous stunts, on his own (for literally no reason other than to please his fans), in the character of Ethan Hunt. Does this look like the BEST Mission Impossible movie? No, not really, and we’re probably just going to keep chasing the success of Ghost Protocol but I’m here for it nonetheless.

3. A Star is Born (October 5)
This is another one Richard has been banging the drum for over the last few months and again, he was right. I was mildly intrigued in this remake-of-a-remake until I saw the trailer and now it’s all I can think about. I’m a sucker for a harmony and I’ve already fallen in love with this film’s music just from these brief glimpses. And Cooper and Lady Gaga look like a magnificent pairing.

2. First Man (October 12)
I am no friend of the biopic but if you’re going to do a biopic, I demand that you do that biopic with King Ryan Gosling The First of His Name and Damien Chazelle. I imagine that pairing could make a biopic about the creator of the wire hanger interesting so, of course, adding in Neil Armstrong and the Space Race doesn’t hurt First Man’s cause.

1. Creed II (November 21)
Oh my oh my oh my. I’ve been preparing for the Creed II trailer pretty much since the second I walked out of the theater for Creed (bawling my eyes out) and even still, I was unready. This trailer dropped, and I woke up in a hospital bed three days later. You guys, I mean…I’m at a loss for words. What more could I POSSIBLY want from this movie than what I’ve already seen in the trailer?! Creed is a perfect movie and this sequel looks to be following right in its footsteps. We got one, Rock!

Trailer Time: A Star is Born, 100 Animated Movies, and More!

All of the trailers came out this week. All of them. If there's a movie slated for 2018 and you've been thinking, "Hmm, I wonder when we'll get a trailer for that", it probably dropped this week. On our social media feeds, I try to comment on all the "big" trailers that come down the pipes throughout the year but this week, there was no chance, the onslaught was too much. So, here's a look at everything we've gotten a look at, so to speak, in the last few days because maybe you, too, have had trouble keeping up. 

Bumblebee (December 25)
Right off the top, I'd like to state that I do not want this movie nor any new Transformers movie to exist. The robots-in-disguise-pool has been spoiled by Michael Bay. However, I don't think Bumblebee is a bad idea and the trailer actually looks like what the Transformers movies should be: harmless fun that is NOT horribly stupid and at times racially insensitive. (I don't feel like this standard should be too difficult to achieve but here we are.) This has a chance to reset the franchise and that would be a good thing. 

The Girl in the Spider's Web (November 9)
This is a tough sell all around for me. The first book was a cultural phenomenon but has resulted in diminishing returns with each subsequent venture in either book or film form (though the Swedish-release films made an impression). We're now seven years out from David Fincher's Dragon Tattoo and 13 years from the publication of the first book and I'm not sure all that many people care anymore. Perhaps the film itself will flesh out the backstory and character development but the trailer points toward a, "Return of a legend" tact regarding Lisbeth Salander and I don't know that will resonate. 

Ralph Breaks the Internet (November 21)
I'm all-in on Wreck It Ralph and have been super pumped up for the sequel. This trailer, though, is...odd. I wasn't expecting such a meta approach to the Disney universe and I feel like that's either a massive home run or a massive failure with no in between. Here's hoping for the former. 

A Star is Born (October 5)
Richard's number one most anticipated movie of the year, A Star is Born has been in some form of pre-production for years, it seems, and all that work looks to have paid off. This trailer is incredible. If the film can capture the essence distilled into this 150 second cut, we're in for an absolute treat and these songs will be EVERYWHERE. 

Operation Finale (September 14)
I've been looking forward to this one for a while because of the cast and story. I'm hoping the clunkiness of this trailer is due to the need to distill a lot of historical information into two minutes in order to get people to the theater. I'm just not sure this subject matter is best suited for a PG-13 movie and the trailer makes me wonder if too many punches will be pulled. 

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (February 8)
I feel like people are starting to forget how much fun the first LEGO Movie was and I won't stand for it. This trailer is a reminder of the brilliance of the first movie and also the Beastie Boys are prominently featured so you know I'm super all-in. 

White Boy Rick (September 14)
The McConaissance has derailed a bit over the last year or two. The Dark Tower, Free State of Jones, Gold, and The Sea of Trees is a farcry from the tour-de-force that was Mud, True Detective, Dallas Buyer's Club, and Wolf of Wall Street. But I've been holding out hope for White Boy Rick and this trailer is excellent. Hoping it carries over to the finished project. 

Widows (November 16)
I'm not a huge fan of Steve McQueen's films or sensibilities but cannot deny the man's understanding of drama and emotion. Widows looks exactly like the gritty crime thriller I expected when it was announced and I love this cast, lead by Queen Viola Davis. 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (December 14)
Okay, I know all the competing Spider-Man and Spider-Man-adjacent movies and timelines and what not is confusing and tiring. I agree, I would like to go back to 2002 when Sam Raimi made the first Spider-Man and gather everyone together for a discussion about that future and what we needed to do to avoid this mess. All that said, Spider-Verse looks AWESOME. I'm so excited for this movie and I am in love with the animation style on display here. I sincerely hope this is a huge hit and we get a full cinematic universe out of this, franchise confusion and all. 

Bad Times at the El Royale (October 5)
I'm THE faux-movie critic on the, "Cabin in the Woods wasn't that great" corner; I'm the only one and it's lonely here. So perhaps this comes as a surprise but I've been very excited for Royale since it first dropped onto the schedule and anxiously awaiting a trailer. And wow, this is everything I wanted it to be and then some. This is going to be VERY high on my list of anticipated movies for the back-half of the year. 

How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World (March 1)

How to Train Your Dragon 2 and The LEGO Movie came out the same year (and in fact, Dragon debuted four months after LEGO) and yet for whatever reason, it feels like the Dragon franchise has been dormant for far longer. Maybe it's because of LEGO Batman and LEGO Ninjago but regardless, Dragon 3 feels WAY past due, so much so that when the trailer popped up, I was genuinely surprised. Like, "Oh. I guess I forgot they were still making those movies?" I love these movies, though; they are some of my kid's favorites and he gets no pushback from me when he wants to watch one (as we are doing right at this very moment). This trailer is strong though perhaps it gives too much away and if this is indeed the end of the Dragon movies, I expect they'll go out with a bang.