Tom Cruise’s most iconic characters SparkChronicles

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07/11/2022 – A rather common phenomenon in the world of cinema is that which sees certain characters come to life thanks to the interpretations of some actors. The reasons can be various: whether it is particularly memorable interpretations or scenes that stand out from the others, elaborate plots or films that come to be considered milestones of cinema, the consequence is always to bring in a character, and to consequently the actor who plays him, in popular culture.
Just think of Forrest Gump, protagonist of the film of the same name and inextricably linked to the face of Tom Hanks; or James Bond, who despite the recent interpretations of Daniel Craig is for all iconically associated with the features of Sean Connery. A similar argument can be made for Tom Cruise: in the course of his career, the American actor has lent his face to characters who have become famous, consequently associating himself with the latter to the point that today it would be impossible to imagine them with a different face from him.
The first example can only be that of Ethan Hunt, protagonist of the Mission Impossible series. Inaugurated in 1996 with the first film directed by Brian De Palma, today the series has six films to which a seventh and an eighth will be added, which will make up a unique story, expected for July next year and 2024 respectively. of these the protagonist is an agent of a special secret section of the CIA that operates in the most delicate missions. Despite plots that are not distinguished by originality, respecting quite faithfully the stereotypes of thrillers and action movies, the protagonist has quickly become iconic for various scenes that immortalize him without a stunt double: starting from the infiltration hanging from the cables in the first film, there have been several memorable scenes, gradually more oriented to action than to the genre of espionage.
Another definitely iconic character is doctor William Harford, protagonist of Eyes Wide Shut, the latest work by Stanley Kubrick and the last film of the couple composed by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. In this case, a large part of the character’s luck is certainly the film that sees him as the protagonist: inspired by the novel Double Dream by Arthur Schnitzler, the director signs a film focused on the married life of the wealthy protagonists and on the obstacles caused by mutual fantasies. Released posthumously in 1999, the film is a milestone in modern cinema.
Tom Cruise’s fame was consolidated especially in the second half of the 1980s, a period that saw him star in several prominent films. Among these certainly Rain Man, released in 1988 and in which he plays the role of Charlie Babbit. A luxury car seller with very few scruples, Charlie discovers that the conspicuous paternal inheritance has gone to his autistic brother whose existence he did not know, Raymond: he therefore decides to become the latter’s guardian, in order to get hold of the share of inheritance of him. Also in this case the character’s iconicity derives from the plot, and in particular from the path of redemption that sees him as the protagonist: the scene at the blackjack table of a Las Vegas casino is significant in this regard. Still beloved today as online blackjack, thanks to sites that make it the central point of the offer, the peculiarity of entertainment is its potential mnemonic approach: an aspect that Charlie wanted to exploit in the film, taking advantage of Raymond’s prodigious mathematical mind. This is the climax of the machinations of the protagonist, who from then on will decide to abandon all cynical intentions towards his brother.
On the other hand, another interpretation was made in 1986, certainly among the most famous of the cinema of those years: that of Pete Mitchell, better known as Maverick, in Top Gun. The protagonist is an F14 pilot, at the time the iconic embarked fighters of the US Navy, which stands out mainly for his piloting skills and for his instinctive and boastful character. The events of the film see him mature and reach a balance that recently returned to the big screen with a highly acclaimed sequel and which was the highest-grossing film starred by Tom Cruise.
Among the many other roles played deserve mention David Aamesprotagonist of Vanilla Sky, e Ray Ferrier, protagonist of The War of the Worlds, an adaptation of the 1987 novel of the same name by HG Wells. Two roles of the actor’s maturity, respectively from 2001 and 2005, but still able to add to the list of characters that would be difficult to imagine without the features of Tom Cruise.