Tom Cruise has made his mark on the action movie genre, acting in some of the finest action movies. However, when it came to the list of the highest-rated action movies as per IMDb, there wasn’t a single movie from Cruise in the top 10 of that list.

Cruise has worked with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Stanley Kubrick in the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. However, in the last two decades, he shifted his focus more to action films, particularly the Mission: Impossible franchise. However, he made sure that he delivered the highest quality product in this genre.

Sadly, his top-rated movie in the IMDb list is 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, which has an IMDb score of 8.2 out of 10. It was placed 27th on the list of top action movies. Here are the top 10 from the list:

When it came to dangerous stunts in his movies, Tom Cruise took it upon himself to deliver them with authenticity. He performs the stunts in his films himself, thanks to his athletic background. Despite these efforts, Cruise’s films missing the top spot is a shock for fans.

Tom Cruise’s Stunts Play a Role in the Success of His Action Movies

Tom Cruise’s stunts have become a symbolic part of his action films. The Jerry Maguire actor’s fans always want to see him in action. Even at his old age, the actor doesn’t stop himself from giving his full effort into a film. Cruise’s stunts cost millions of dollars for the studio, but they don’t seem to mind the cost.

Cruise goes to extreme lengths to get himself into dangerous stunts. Matt Damon revealed that Cruise once told him how he got rid of his safety guy, who suggested that his stunt was too dangerous to perform (via Conan). The production houses allow him to be like that since the actor’s stunts have become part of the marketing strategy of the film.

In his most recent MI movie, Cruise did a daring stunt on a flying plane. He learned Speed-flying for his earlier movie, broke his ankle while jumping between buildings, and even dangled off from the highest skyscraper in the world for Ghost Protocol.

Cruise actually took lessons inside a fighter jet with real pilots for his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the original Top Gun. The filming of the stunts did have risks as well. During one of the scenes where Goose and Maverick are ejected from the jet and parachuted into the water, Cruise narrowly escaped a deadly fate.

Actor Barry Tubb recalled to the New York Post in 2011 that Cruise “came as close to dying as anybody on a set I’ve ever seen.” He shared that the actor nearly drowned when water began building up in his parachute. It was caught early enough to get Cruise to safety.

It appears that the producers have found out that the riskier a Tom Cruise stunt is, the more people will watch it in theaters. It brought about an increasing headcount for each subsequent Mission: Impossible film until the last film. The stunt factor was also partially responsible for Top Gun 2 becoming the actor’s highest-grossing film.

Tom Cruise’s Next Film Suggests Pivot from Action Movies

After Tom Cruise blew us away with his daring stunts, it’s time for the actor to take a different route to impress us. He will reunite with Warner Bros. after 12 years in the untitled film, directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The filmmaker teamed up with his Oscar-winning Birdman writers, Alexander Dinelaris Jr. and Nicolás Giacobone, for the script of the film. Cruise is co-producing the film with Iñárritu.

Iñárritu made his mark with Birdman in 2014. The film earned him Oscars for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He received his consecutive Best Director Oscar the next year for The Revenant. According to Deadline, Cruise sought out the director once he became aware that Iñárritu was ready to take on his next big studio film.

The filming began in the UK in November 2024 and wrapped up in May 2025. During an interview with Deadline, Iñárritu confirmed that the film would be a comedy.

While Cruise remains one of the top-earning stars in the industry, his Awards haven’t justified his box office performance. It almost reminds fans of Leonardo DiCaprio‘s continued losing streak at the Oscars, starting from the 1994 Academy Awards.

DiCaprio’s losing streak was ended by his collaboration with Iñárritu in the film The Revenant. Cruise has yet to win the top acting award, and fans expect Iñárritu to make this possible.

What do you think of Cruise’s action movies? Let us know in the comments below!