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Wednesday 4 July 2012

Tom Cruise is 50

So, Tom Cruise is fifty. Everyone from the Huffington Post, to the New York Daily News is focussing on his marital difficulties. His fiftieth just made me think of how many of his films I have thoroughly enjoyed. My favourite with an 86% rating on the film site Rotten Tomatoes is Collateral. Cruise plays the mean, driven, psychopathic but at the same time incredibly attractive contract killer Vincent perfectly. The best thing about this film is the juxtaposition of Jamie Foxx's sweet, shy, thoroughly decent taxi driver, Max - a decent guy pitted against a ruthless one who has nothing to lose. Max, who is kidnapped by Vincent to act as his driver during a spree of killings has everything to gain. Right from the start, you are desperate for Max a warm but weak man to become stronger and conquer Vincent. It's a classic fairy tale like George and the dragon or David and Goliath. True, Cruise's character is the attractive, smooth-talking, brisk alpha-male and Max the mild-mannered taxi driver is totally beta in comparison. But as the story unfolds, Cruise's character forces Max into standing up for himself. Max NEEDS those lessons in life so badly and you know that without Cruise exploding into his life he would never have found the impetus to stand up for himself, grab the girl and attain alpha male characteristics himself. The film was an object lesson in good story telling. Above all, as we're saying Happy Birthday to Mr Cruise, it was a great acting tour de force from both men. A thoroughly satisfying use of two hours of my life which is all you can really ask from a film. As a writer, (my latest is The Sanctuary published by Astraea Press) this film was an object lesson in characterisation with two leads at totally the opposite end of the spectrum. I could watch it again and again. Thank you Tom, and Happy Birthday!!

6 comments:

Carol Hedges said...

See - this is what happens when you become a STAR : everybody focuses on your appearance and life,and the strange stuff you get up to in your spare time and forgets all about your actual work. It is an object lesson to us all. Cruise is an actor. The rest is scenery.

Sally Quilford said...

Hear hear. I've actually started to become quite fond of Tom, and mainly because he does turn in a good performance in his films. I'm still not sure I want him to be Reacher, but that doesn't take away from the solid body of work he has. They'll probably give him an Oscar when it's too late...

Cara Cooper said...

Well said Carol. I hadn't realised until I thought about it how many films of his I have really enjoyed, The Firm, Rain Man. You're right Sally, a bit like Steve McQueen, he has a pretty face which makes people under rate him. Still, don't suppose he's too upset sitting there counting his millions!

margaret blake said...

I really want to see this film. I have to confess though I can't abide Tm Cruise, he does nothing for me at all.

Giselle said...

Cara - I want to see Collateral Now! Sounds really good. Thanks for recommending this.

Cara Cooper said...

Margaret, I'm sure you'd make an exception for this film. Tom's not my favourite actor (that award goes to Dustin Hoffman) I just thought this film was a textbook lesson in story arc and characterisation. Giselle, it's bound to be on TV again soon.