Image via Wikipedia To: @danperezfilms Here is my rebuttal to your Why I Like Tom Cruise…And Why You Should Too Dan , you do a great job highlighting Mr. Cruise's career, but sir, you are glossing over too much. Between his STAR-making role in Top Gun (1986) and his turns in Rain Man (1988) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989), Cruise took on the colossal Cocktail (1988). I dare say that you have four movies in a row that pretty well established the character that Cruise would become for the rest of his career with a few exceptions. I firmly believe that Cruise was always looking for award bait early on and Born on the Fourth was first legit attempt. In the Cruise filmography, you then noticeably skip some time. You skip his duds Days of Thunder (1990) or "Top Gun on a racetrack" and then Far and Away (1992), an excuse to star with his wife, work with Ron Howard, and presumably again, get some awards. You move onto A Few Good Men (1992), (Top Gun in ...