Top 8 Tom Cruise Movies of the 90s You Need to Add to Your Watchlist

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The 1990s were the golden era for Tom Cruise movies. After making his debut in the early 1980s, Cruise became famous with Risky Business (1983) and then a household name with Top Gun (1986). But the 90s were when he truly showed the world how good he was. In this decade, he played spies, lawyers, sports agents, and even a vampire. He worked with some of the best directors in Hollywood and won the hearts of millions of fans around the world.

If you are looking for the best Tom Cruise movies to watch next, you are in the right place. Here are eight of his most memorable films from the 90s that are absolutely worth your time.

Where to Watch: Paramount+, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, JustWatch TV, Plex, Kanopy

Let's kick off this list with probably the most well-known Tom Cruise movie of the entire decade. Directed by Brian De Palma, this action spy film follows Ethan Hunt, a secret agent who is framed for the deaths of his whole team. To clear his name, he must find the real traitor and stop a major spy operation. It is fast, clever, and full of surprises — and it started one of the biggest action franchises in film history.

Where to Watch: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, this film is very different from Cruise's usual action roles. He plays Frank T.J. Mackey, a loud and arrogant self-help teacher who hides deep pain from his past. The story follows many different people in Los Angeles on one very strange day, and all their lives slowly connect. Cruise received an Academy Award nomination for this role, proving he could do much more than just action movies.

Where to Watch: YouTube TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

In this feel-good drama, Cruise plays a sports agent named Jerry Maguire who suddenly loses everything: his big job, his clients, and his reputation after writing an honest memo about the sports business. Left with only one client, a loud football player played by Cuba Gooding Jr., he tries to rebuild his career and his life. Co-starring Renée Zellweger, this movie gave the world the famous line: "Show me the money!"

Where to Watch: Netflix, Peacock

Starring alongside Jack Nicholson and Demi Moore, Cruise plays a young and somewhat lazy military lawyer who suddenly has to defend two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier. As he digs deeper into the case, he discovers a dark secret hiding within the military. The courtroom scenes are gripping and intense, especially the famous face-off between Cruise and Nicholson near the end. Directed by Rob Reiner, this is a must-watch legal drama.

Where to Watch: Spectrum On Demand, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Stanley Kubrick's final film before he died is one of the most mysterious and talked-about movies of the decade. Cruise plays a doctor in New York City whose marriage is shaken after his wife, played by Nicole Kidman, reveals a secret fantasy. He then spends one strange night going deeper and deeper into a hidden and dangerous world he never knew existed. It is slow and dreamlike, but deeply unforgettable.

Where to Watch: Paramount+, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Kanopy

Based on John Grisham's best-selling novel, this thriller follows Mitch McDeere, a young and talented law school graduate who gets a dream job offer from a small but very wealthy law firm in Memphis. The pay is great and the house is beautiful, but something is very wrong. The firm has a dark secret, and Mitch soon finds himself trapped between powerful criminals and the FBI. Directed by Sydney Pollack, it is tense from start to finish.

Where to Watch: Paramount+, fuboTV, YouTube TV, MGM Plus, Philo, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, JustWatch TV, Spectrum On Demand

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott, the same team behind Top Gun, this racing film stars Cruise as Cole Trickle, a young and hot-headed NASCAR driver with huge talent but little discipline. After a serious crash, he must find the strength and focus to get back on the track. Co-starring Nicole Kidman as his doctor, this film is full of fast cars, big emotions, and the kind of energy that made Tom Cruise a superstar.

Where to Watch: Plex, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

Based on Anne Rice's famous novel, this gothic horror film is one of the most surprising choices Cruise ever made. He plays Lestat de Lioncourt, a charming but cruel vampire who turns a grieving man, played by Brad Pitt, into one of his kind. Set across several centuries, the story is told through the eyes of the new vampire as he struggles to live with what he has become. Directed by Neil Jordan, it is dark, rich, and beautifully made.