Tom Cruise Snubbed: None of His Films Crack IMDb’s Top 10 Action List
Tom Cruise is famous for his daring stunts and blockbuster action films, but not one of his works has made it into IMDb’s top 10 highest-rated action films. Find out which titles did and what’s next for Cruise.
Tom Cruise has long been a household name in the action film world, known for pushing the envelope with his own stunts and working alongside some of the industry’s biggest directors. Despite his reputation and a string of box office hits, not a single one of his action flicks has managed to break into IMDb’s top 10 highest-rated action films of all time.
Blockbusters That Missed the Mark
Over the years, Cruise has teamed up with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Stanley Kubrick, especially during the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s. In more recent times, he’s focused heavily on action, particularly the Mission: Impossible series, always aiming to deliver top-notch entertainment. Yet, when it comes to IMDb’s rankings, his highest entry is Top Gun: Maverick from 2022, sitting at 27th place with a score of 8.2 out of 10.
The current top 10 action films on IMDb are a mix of classics and newer releases, including The Dark Knight, Inception, The Matrix, two Star Wars entries, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Seven Samurai, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, and Gladiator. Not a single Cruise film in sight, which has left many fans scratching their heads.
Stunt Work That Sets the Bar
One thing Cruise is never shy about is doing his own stunts. His athleticism and commitment to authenticity have become a trademark, with studios often happy to foot the bill for his high-risk antics. Whether it’s hanging off the world’s tallest building, learning speed-flying, or breaking his ankle leaping between rooftops, Cruise’s dedication is hard to match.
Matt Damon once shared that Cruise told him about firing his safety bloke after being told a stunt was too dangerous. The studios seem to have caught on that the more outrageous the stunt, the more punters turn up at the cinema. This approach has paid off, with each Mission: Impossible film drawing bigger crowds, and Top Gun: Maverick becoming his highest-grossing project to date.
There have been close calls, too. During the original Top Gun, Cruise took lessons in a fighter jet and nearly drowned filming a parachute scene. As Barry Tubb recalled,
“came as close to dying as anybody on a set I’ve ever seen.”
Luckily, he was pulled to safety just in time.
Shifting Gears: Cruise’s Next Move
After years of high-octane roles, Cruise is set to change direction. He’s reuniting with Warner Bros. for the first time in over a decade, starring in an untitled film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The script comes from Iñárritu and his Oscar-winning Birdman writing team, with Cruise also on board as co-producer. Filming wrapped in the UK in May 2025, and the director has confirmed it’ll be a comedy, marking a notable shift from Cruise’s usual fare.
The cast is stacked, featuring Jesse Plemons, Sandra Hüller, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Emma D’Arcy, Robert John Burke, Burn Gorman, Michael Stuhlbarg, and John Goodman. The film is set for release on 2 October 2026, with Warner Bros. handling distribution.
Despite being one of the industry’s top earners, Cruise’s awards cabinet doesn’t quite reflect his box office clout. It’s a situation reminiscent of Leonardo DiCaprio’s long Oscar drought, which only ended after working with Iñárritu on The Revenant. Fans are hopeful this new collaboration might finally see Cruise take home a top acting gong.