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[projector whirring]
[dramatic music]

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Downloaded from
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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[dramatic music]

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[upbeat music]

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[Narrator] In the 1980s,
Tom Cruise emerged

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fresh-faced as
the brightest star in Hollywood.

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Everything was there,
the smile, the charm,

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the physicality.

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There is an intensity,
a drive,

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and that drive
and that determination

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manifested itself on screen.

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More often than not,

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you went to see
a Tom Cruise movie,

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it would be a good movie.

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[Narrator] Yet,
after a staggering run

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of box office hits,
at the height of his success,

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he suffered
an unexpected fall from grace.

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In 2005, 2006,

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he basically has kind of
a public image meltdown.

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In terms of whether
anyone could have foreseen

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that Tom Cruise would manage
to rebuild his career,

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I think maybe the only
person who potentially saw it

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was Tom Cruise himself.

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[Narrator]
With his career in jeopardy,

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he refined
his onscreen persona

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and risked life and limb
to get back to the top.

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I think there is an element
of him wanting to

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excel at everything he does,
being the consummate,

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complete entertainer,
wanting to do it all.

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That's what makes him so
interesting as an action star.

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The fact
that he's doing something

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that's just outrageously
dangerous becomes

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part of the appeal
of the films.

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There's another layer
of excitement to it,

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and there's a certain
morbid fascination

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with the fact
that he keeps doing this

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and how far
is he going to take it?

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[Narrator] This film looks
at Tom Cruise's

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unlikely and remarkable
career revival,

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one that has seen him regain
his crown

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at the pinnacle
of the film industry.

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People look at Cruise
and see him as

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a movie star
in the classic mold.

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There's not a lot of people
out there who

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Hollywood
is still building movies

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around their persona.

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He's Tom Cruise.

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He's not just
a big star still.

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He's the biggest star,

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and I don't know if
anybody's had

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that long of a stretch
where they were

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the biggest star in
the world when they were 25

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and they were the biggest
star in the world

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when they were 60.

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[dramatic music]

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[dramatic music]

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[Narrator] May, 2022.

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Having been delayed
for nearly two years,

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"Top Gun: Maverick"
is finally released

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into cinemas worldwide.

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And all eyes are on its star
and producer, Tom Cruise,

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who was launched
into Hollywood's top tier

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by the original film,
back in the 1980s.

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This sequel brings his
remarkable journey full circle,

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and it quickly becomes
a phenomenon.

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Audiences starved of entertainment

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and spectacle
by the COVID pandemic

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now flood back
into theaters,

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and within a month,
the film becomes

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the highest grossing release
of Cruise's entire career.

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Yet, his return to the role
of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell,

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after a 35-year break,
was no surefire success.

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If I told you
three years ago

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that "Top Gun Two"
would not only be

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one of
the biggest money makers

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of all time, but that
it would be nominated

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for Best Picture at
the Oscars,

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you'd think I was crazy.

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I don't think Maverick's
success was guaranteed

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and I don't think that
everyone thought it was going

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to be this giant hit.

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You have to go back to
"Titanic" to see a movie

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that was this big
of a hit

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and also endured
as long as it did,

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that stayed in theaters,

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that was in the top five
consistently for months on end.

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People really,
really liked this thing.

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I think it hit the right
buttons for a lot of people.

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There's sort of
a perfect storm

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surrounding
"Top Gun: Maverick".

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By now, Top Gun had been seen

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by generations
of movie lovers

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and had become
just more and more popular,

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and there had been talk
of a sequel for years.

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And again, I think
Tom Cruise is very smart.

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This was the perfect time
for that.

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People were celebrating
going back to theaters.

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They were celebrating big,
giant, well-made action movies,

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and there's Tom Cruise
right at the center of it.

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[Narrator] And
perhaps more surprising

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than "Top Gun: Maverick"'s
triumph

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at the global box office

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was the fact that,
only 15 years beforehand,

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Tom Cruise's future
as a headline star

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had looked in doubt.

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Los Angeles, 2005.

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Hitting the red carpet
with new romantic partner,

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Katie Holmes, by his side,

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Cruise is in town
to promote his latest film,

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Steven Spielberg's adaptation
of "War of the Worlds."

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He is riding high at
the top of Hollywood's A-list,

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but this is simply the calm
before the storm.

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He's been one
of the biggest stars

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in the planet
between 1992 and 2005, 2006.

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He has an incredible run,

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where almost every movie
he does

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makes around a hundred
million or more, at least,

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back when that was
actually a lot of money.

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So he's incredibly consistent,
box office-wise.

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[Narrator]
Having established his career

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with a string of dramatic roles,

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in the new millennium, he's
reinventing his star persona

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and transforming from
a heartthrob

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to an action hero.

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But while the promotional tour
is in full swing,

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a series of PR blunders
risk permanently damaging

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his previously impeccable
public image.

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He becomes action
over anything else.

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He's going full tilt at
this point, really, isn't he?

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But then, he also kind
of does that off-screen too,

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unfortunately,
which culminates

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in the terrible year of 2005.

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He had the incident

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where he's on
"The Oprah Winfrey Show"

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and he's jumping
on the couch.

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You know Katie once
told "Seventeen" magazine-

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Yes!

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Which became one of
the first viral moments,

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you know,
early kind of YouTube,

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and people just having
so much fun making fun of that.

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But then,
it was all the stuff where

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where he started talking
really for the first time

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about his beliefs.

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Also kind of doing it
in quite an aggressive way

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and attacking Brooke Shields
for using antidepressants

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to deal with her postnatal
depression and all of that.

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For the first time, kind of
the public view of him soured.

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He was a figure of ridicule
to a certain extent.

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He had a huge female fan base.

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What happens
after 2005, 2006 is

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female audiences start
to turn on him.

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And right around this time,

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he basically
loses his production deal

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with his studio, Paramount.

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This was
a serious career crisis.

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All of a sudden,
Tom Cruise, who had had nothing

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but really positive PR

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for the first, what,
20 years of his career,

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was becoming a punchline.
That's a problem.

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[dramatic music]

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[Narrator] The actor's
fall from grace

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was as unexpected
as it was rapid.

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Hollywood's most bankable star
had tarnished his reputation,

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and many doubted that he would
ever find his way back

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to the top again.

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And his remarkable
career revival

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would be an uphill battle,

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compared to his initial
journey to the peak

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of the movie industry
in the 1980s,

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which had seemed
so swift and steady.

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[dramatic music]

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Tom Cruise was 18 years old
when he headed

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for the bright lights
of New York City,

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determined to become an actor.

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The teenager from Syracuse,

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born Thomas Cruise Mapother,

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quickly signed with an agent
and, within two years,

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landed his first
feature film roles.

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And although
he received high billing

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on romantic drama
"Endless Love"

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and comedy "Losin' It",

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it was his work on
two ensemble pictures,

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"Taps" and "The Outsiders",

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that brought him
to wider attention.

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I think it was
pretty clear early on

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that he had something,
maybe this intangible quality

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that's hard to define,

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but I think there's
a kind of angry energy

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to some of his work,
that's really key to his appeal.

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"Taps", he was part
of a group,

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and his character
was quite a dark character.

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He was an aggressive character,

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and it is interesting,
from those early days,

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early Cruise,
a lot of people thought

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he was kind of like--
he'd be a bad guy,

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he'd be the psycho in things.

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[gun firing]

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Shawn!

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It's beautiful, man. Beautiful.

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But then, that kind of
intense psycho energy

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got channeled towards the light,
towards the good side.

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Well, I think he was pretty
relentless in his ambition,

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his desire,
to sort of get ahead.

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It's interesting to see Cruise
in Coppola's "The Outsiders",

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because he's not
the Cruise that we know.

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But there is a scene,
prior to a fight scene,

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where he suddenly does this
sort of back flip off a car.

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Apparently, he improvised it,
reminding the director,

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the audience, everybody else,

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"I may be just one of the
characters in the background.

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I'm not the lead,
I'm not Matt Dillon,

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but you're going to
look at me."

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[Narrator] And with
this desire to be center stage,

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in 1983,
he headed to Hollywood.

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With producers
recognizing his star potential,

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he bagged the lead role
in college football drama,

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"All the Right Moves,"

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which brought him his first
million dollar paycheck.

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Yet, it was the commercial
and critical hit satire,

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"Risky Business",
that propelled him to stardom.

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It was Cruise's
presence in "Risky Business".

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It was his big lead
breakthrough role,

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and everything was there,
the smile,

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the charm, the physicality.

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[upbeat rock music]

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♪ Just take those old
records off the shelf ♪

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It plays on
his image of a hunk,

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but there's also something
kind of ridiculous

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and adorable about him.

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That iconic scene where he's
dancing in his tighty-whities,

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it's funny.

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He looks ridiculous
and that's kind of

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always been Tom Cruise's
appeal.

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He's a little too
good-looking,

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but he's also able
to kind of

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slightly
poke fun at his image.

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So how we doing?

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Looks like
University of Illinois.

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In his early films
in particular,

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Cruise had this brashness,
this cockiness,

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and I think he just had
that mix of

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charm and physicality.

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Even though he did make actually
a real variety of films,

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he always seemed
quite similar in all of them,

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but he was so likable
and so good at doing that

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that it didn't really matter.

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With all the great Hollywood
stars of the studio period,

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the roles are
variations of themselves.

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They're not character actors.

251
00:11:10,060 --> 00:11:13,629
They're stars, and Cruise,
from the earliest days,

252
00:11:13,673 --> 00:11:15,196
was a star.

253
00:11:16,197 --> 00:11:18,286
[Narrator] And he was
just waiting for the right time

254
00:11:18,329 --> 00:11:20,941
for that star power
to be unleashed.

255
00:11:21,028 --> 00:11:23,639
Although hopes were high
that his next feature,

256
00:11:23,726 --> 00:11:26,294
Ridley Scott's dark
fantasy epic "Legend"

257
00:11:26,337 --> 00:11:28,513
would propel him
into the A-List,

258
00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:31,516
it was a surprising
box office disappointment.

259
00:11:31,603 --> 00:11:34,128
Yet, the director suggested
him for the lead role

260
00:11:34,215 --> 00:11:37,174
in his brother
Tony Scott's new film.

261
00:11:37,261 --> 00:11:40,177
Produced by the duo behind
breakout hits "Flashdance"

262
00:11:40,221 --> 00:11:43,746
and "Beverly Hills Cop", Don
Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer,

263
00:11:43,790 --> 00:11:46,662
"Top Gun" was looking
for a charismatic actor

264
00:11:46,749 --> 00:11:48,751
to play
Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

265
00:11:48,838 --> 00:11:51,232
And with
John Travolta, Matthew Modine,

266
00:11:51,319 --> 00:11:54,104
and Rob Lowe having already
passed on the opportunity,

267
00:11:54,191 --> 00:11:55,758
Cruise stepped in.

268
00:11:55,802 --> 00:11:58,587
His presence would prove vital,
both for the film

269
00:11:58,674 --> 00:12:01,242
and his own career,
and "Top Gun"

270
00:12:01,329 --> 00:12:03,461
would become the
highest-grossing blockbuster

271
00:12:03,548 --> 00:12:05,768
of 1986.

272
00:12:05,812 --> 00:12:07,901
I think that
you can really play down

273
00:12:07,944 --> 00:12:11,165
too much
the importance of Cruise

274
00:12:11,252 --> 00:12:13,167
to the success of "Top Gun".

275
00:12:13,254 --> 00:12:15,343
Simpson and Bruckheimer,
when they were prepping,

276
00:12:15,430 --> 00:12:20,914
they wanted someone for Maverick
who would be aggressive,

277
00:12:20,957 --> 00:12:22,785
but in a positive way.

278
00:12:22,829 --> 00:12:24,265
What's your problem,
Kazansky?

279
00:12:26,833 --> 00:12:29,009
You're everyone's problem.

280
00:12:29,096 --> 00:12:30,271
That's because every time
you go up in the air,

281
00:12:30,358 --> 00:12:32,099
you're unsafe.

282
00:12:32,229 --> 00:12:33,491
I don't like you,
because you're dangerous.

283
00:12:33,578 --> 00:12:38,148
That's right, Iceman.

284
00:12:38,279 --> 00:12:40,150
I am dangerous.

285
00:12:40,237 --> 00:12:41,282
If there's one thing
Cruise knows how to do,

286
00:12:41,369 --> 00:12:43,937
it's command a movie,

287
00:12:44,024 --> 00:12:45,939
and he certainly commanded
"Top Gun".

288
00:12:46,026 --> 00:12:47,723
I feel the need.

289
00:12:49,072 --> 00:12:51,379
[Both] The need for speed.

290
00:12:51,422 --> 00:12:53,642
Even at that young age,

291
00:12:53,729 --> 00:12:56,471
where he only had
a limited star persona,

292
00:12:56,601 --> 00:13:00,301
the notion of Tom Cruise
playing that character,

293
00:13:00,388 --> 00:13:04,435
that way,
in a uniquely Tom Cruise way,

294
00:13:04,522 --> 00:13:07,699
was a huge reason
of why "Top Gun"

295
00:13:07,830 --> 00:13:10,180
was as big of a hit
as it was.

296
00:13:10,267 --> 00:13:15,838
It very much captures the vibe
of the MTV 1980s generation,

297
00:13:15,925 --> 00:13:19,276
and in terms of
its aerial adventure,

298
00:13:19,363 --> 00:13:22,540
it was on a scale
that had never been seen before.

299
00:13:22,627 --> 00:13:24,804
It played as,
and was received as,

300
00:13:24,891 --> 00:13:26,675
an earthbound "Star Wars".

301
00:13:29,852 --> 00:13:31,288
[explosion booming]

302
00:13:31,419 --> 00:13:32,072
[Maverick] Whoo!

303
00:13:32,202 --> 00:13:33,334
Splash four!

304
00:13:33,421 --> 00:13:34,770
It wasn't made for critics.

305
00:13:34,857 --> 00:13:36,641
It was made for
the mass audience.

306
00:13:36,685 --> 00:13:38,426
It's entertaining as hell,

307
00:13:38,513 --> 00:13:41,821
but it's also really cheesy
and really corny.

308
00:13:41,908 --> 00:13:46,303
But Tom Cruise
fit the role perfectly.

309
00:13:46,347 --> 00:13:49,741
"Top Gun" was the beginning
of Tom Cruise as a movie star.

310
00:13:49,872 --> 00:13:51,221
[Narrator]
And as a movie star,

311
00:13:52,135 --> 00:13:54,224
Cruise chose to tread
a very different path

312
00:13:54,311 --> 00:13:57,097
than many
of his contemporaries.

313
00:13:57,184 --> 00:14:00,535
Rather than follow "Top Gun"
with another action blockbuster,

314
00:14:00,665 --> 00:14:03,581
he instead looked to develop
as a dramatic actor,

315
00:14:03,668 --> 00:14:05,322
and he set his sights
on working

316
00:14:05,366 --> 00:14:08,369
with the most talented
professionals in the business.

317
00:14:08,456 --> 00:14:10,501
Even very early in his career,

318
00:14:10,588 --> 00:14:12,155
he made a point to work
with the best directors

319
00:14:12,242 --> 00:14:13,504
he could possibly get.

320
00:14:13,591 --> 00:14:15,202
Even before "Top Gun",

321
00:14:15,332 --> 00:14:17,073
he was working with
Ridley Scott in "Legend",

322
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,249
and then, after "Top Gun",
he would work with

323
00:14:19,336 --> 00:14:22,383
people like Martin Scorsese
in "The Color of Money",

324
00:14:22,470 --> 00:14:24,037
Barry Levinson in "Rain Man",

325
00:14:24,124 --> 00:14:26,256
which was a Best Picture winner

326
00:14:26,343 --> 00:14:28,693
and the biggest grossing
movie of 1988,

327
00:14:28,780 --> 00:14:30,913
which is unthinkable
in this day and age.

328
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,263
Today, that'd be like
a 10-hour streaming miniseries,

329
00:14:33,350 --> 00:14:34,699
and nobody would watch it.

330
00:14:34,743 --> 00:14:36,701
It was Cruise
deliberately putting himself

331
00:14:36,788 --> 00:14:38,921
onto projects or
putting himself into things

332
00:14:38,965 --> 00:14:43,621
that paired him with,
either or both, great actors,

333
00:14:43,708 --> 00:14:45,885
like Paul Newman
and Jack Nicholson later

334
00:14:45,972 --> 00:14:46,886
in "A Few Good Men",

335
00:14:46,973 --> 00:14:48,757
and just great directors.

336
00:14:48,844 --> 00:14:51,934
This is a pattern where
he would absolutely just think,

337
00:14:51,978 --> 00:14:54,937
"Who will bring
the best out of me?

338
00:14:55,024 --> 00:14:57,853
And who can I really,
really learn from?"

339
00:14:57,940 --> 00:15:00,377
[Narrator]
Despite this ambition,

340
00:15:00,421 --> 00:15:03,728
he was being viewed with
skepticism by many observers.

341
00:15:04,729 --> 00:15:07,210
In America, under
President Ronald Reagan,

342
00:15:07,297 --> 00:15:11,214
the 1980s was a decade of
excess, materialism,

343
00:15:11,301 --> 00:15:13,390
and conservatism.

344
00:15:13,434 --> 00:15:16,959
And as Cruise continued to play
variations of the same role,

345
00:15:17,046 --> 00:15:20,310
he was seen to be embodying
the yuppie ideal.

346
00:15:21,398 --> 00:15:25,663
The Young Cruise is
the quintessential '80s actor,

347
00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:29,406
that very individualistic
'80s zeitgeist feeling,

348
00:15:29,537 --> 00:15:32,235
that came in Reagan era,

349
00:15:32,322 --> 00:15:35,238
he embodied on screen definitely.

350
00:15:35,325 --> 00:15:37,545
I think, while a number
of Tom Cruise characters

351
00:15:37,588 --> 00:15:39,982
could be described as
stereotypically cocky

352
00:15:40,069 --> 00:15:42,985
in an '80s way,
I do think one thing

353
00:15:43,072 --> 00:15:45,988
that set him apart
from some of his peers

354
00:15:46,032 --> 00:15:49,644
is that his characters
were intelligent enough

355
00:15:49,774 --> 00:15:51,559
to know that they were
mortal and fallible

356
00:15:51,689 --> 00:15:54,388
and they might not win.

357
00:15:54,475 --> 00:15:56,912
Most of those characters
end the film

358
00:15:56,999 --> 00:15:59,436
by being taken down a peg.

359
00:15:59,523 --> 00:16:03,701
If they do start the film as
a stereotypical '80s asshole,

360
00:16:03,788 --> 00:16:05,355
they don't end
the film that way.

361
00:16:06,878 --> 00:16:09,142
[Narrator] And Cruise's
final role of the decade

362
00:16:09,229 --> 00:16:11,057
was a departure from this trend.

363
00:16:12,275 --> 00:16:14,016
He was taken back
to a darker time

364
00:16:14,060 --> 00:16:16,149
in the country's recent past,

365
00:16:16,236 --> 00:16:19,587
one which still haunted
America in the Reagan era.

366
00:16:20,675 --> 00:16:23,112
Again, working with one of
Hollywood's leading directors,

367
00:16:23,243 --> 00:16:26,594
Oliver Stone,
in "Born on the Fourth of July",

368
00:16:26,681 --> 00:16:28,813
he played real-life
Vietnam veteran

369
00:16:28,857 --> 00:16:31,120
turned campaigner Ron Kovic,

370
00:16:31,251 --> 00:16:32,817
who had been confined
to a wheelchair

371
00:16:32,904 --> 00:16:35,168
during the conflict.

372
00:16:35,255 --> 00:16:37,257
With no heavyweight co-stars

373
00:16:37,300 --> 00:16:39,476
from Hollywood's past
alongside him,

374
00:16:39,607 --> 00:16:41,087
for the first time,

375
00:16:41,174 --> 00:16:43,567
Cruise carried
a dramatic picture by himself.

376
00:16:45,395 --> 00:16:48,050
"Born on the Fourth
of July" was very essential,

377
00:16:48,094 --> 00:16:52,098
in terms of, where
even some doubters, not all,

378
00:16:52,185 --> 00:16:55,188
began to see him as
more than just a matinee idol.

379
00:16:55,275 --> 00:16:59,279
"Born on the Fourth of July"
is a huge role for him,

380
00:16:59,366 --> 00:17:02,238
both for his career,
for his critical appreciation,

381
00:17:02,325 --> 00:17:04,675
and for the country in a way.

382
00:17:04,762 --> 00:17:07,069
The beautiful thing about
"Born on the Fourth of July"

383
00:17:07,113 --> 00:17:10,159
is he's still
playing Tom Cruise.

384
00:17:10,290 --> 00:17:13,075
The early scenes of that film,
he's running, he's wrestling,

385
00:17:13,206 --> 00:17:15,251
he's a high school star,

386
00:17:15,338 --> 00:17:17,079
he's confident, he's driven,

387
00:17:17,210 --> 00:17:19,081
he knows what he wants to do.

388
00:17:19,125 --> 00:17:21,692
This is like Tom Cruise,
the Tom Cruise persona

389
00:17:21,779 --> 00:17:23,303
in a nutshell.

390
00:17:23,346 --> 00:17:26,306
And then, he goes to war
and is broken.

391
00:17:26,349 --> 00:17:29,222
- [dramatic orchestral music]
- [guns firing]

392
00:17:29,265 --> 00:17:31,137
Goddamn it.

393
00:17:31,224 --> 00:17:34,314
It's taking that very
Tom Cruise image and then,

394
00:17:34,401 --> 00:17:37,273
just shattering it,
turning it on its head,

395
00:17:37,360 --> 00:17:39,928
and putting that character
through the journey

396
00:17:40,015 --> 00:17:43,105
that Ron Kovic went through,
to become protestor of war.

397
00:17:43,192 --> 00:17:44,889
Cruise goes to
some very dark places

398
00:17:44,933 --> 00:17:46,543
in that film emotionally,

399
00:17:46,674 --> 00:17:49,024
that we've really
never seen him do before.

400
00:17:49,111 --> 00:17:50,591
You tell them all,

401
00:17:50,678 --> 00:17:53,333
tell them all
what they did to me,

402
00:17:53,420 --> 00:17:55,683
what they did to this
whole block, this whole country.

403
00:17:55,770 --> 00:17:57,206
They're going to
call the police this time.

404
00:17:57,337 --> 00:17:59,687
We went to
Vietnam to stop communism.

405
00:17:59,774 --> 00:18:02,168
We shot women and children.

406
00:18:02,255 --> 00:18:03,560
You didn't
shoot women and children.

407
00:18:03,691 --> 00:18:04,953
What are you saying?

408
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:05,910
The church blessed the war, communism,

409
00:18:05,997 --> 00:18:07,390
the insidious evil.

410
00:18:07,477 --> 00:18:10,176
They told us to go.

411
00:18:10,263 --> 00:18:11,829
Yes, that's what
they told us.

412
00:18:11,916 --> 00:18:13,701
It was
surprising to a lot of people.

413
00:18:13,788 --> 00:18:15,137
A lot of people didn't think
he had it in him,

414
00:18:15,181 --> 00:18:18,140
including Ron Kovic,
who was like,

415
00:18:18,184 --> 00:18:19,359
"Why is this guy
going to play me?

416
00:18:19,489 --> 00:18:20,403
What are you talking about?"

417
00:18:20,490 --> 00:18:22,666
What turned Kovic around

418
00:18:22,797 --> 00:18:26,017
was he was waiting to have
his first meeting with Cruise,

419
00:18:26,148 --> 00:18:28,411
and he looked out the window,
car door opens,

420
00:18:28,498 --> 00:18:30,370
Cruise gets out,
gets straight into a wheelchair,

421
00:18:30,500 --> 00:18:31,936
and that impressed Kovic.

422
00:18:32,023 --> 00:18:33,547
And that's so Cruise.

423
00:18:33,634 --> 00:18:39,074
He's known for commitment,
his absolute 100% commitment.

424
00:18:39,161 --> 00:18:42,947
And the results were
absolutely spectacular.

425
00:18:42,991 --> 00:18:46,429
His wheelchair,
our wheelchairs, this steel,

426
00:18:46,516 --> 00:18:48,431
our steel is
your Memorial Day on wheels.

427
00:18:48,518 --> 00:18:50,738
We are your Yankee Doodle Dandy
come home.

428
00:18:50,781 --> 00:18:53,001
It's an incredible performance.

429
00:18:53,088 --> 00:18:54,611
He got a ton of acclaim for it.

430
00:18:54,655 --> 00:18:56,744
Obviously, he was nominated
for a ton of awards.

431
00:18:56,787 --> 00:19:00,095
I think, today,
it's aged incredibly well.

432
00:19:00,182 --> 00:19:02,228
It's one of
the great films of the 1980s.

433
00:19:02,315 --> 00:19:03,968
[dramatic music]

434
00:19:04,012 --> 00:19:05,753
[Narrator]
Despite an Oscar nomination,

435
00:19:05,796 --> 00:19:07,320
rather than
follow the obvious route,

436
00:19:07,363 --> 00:19:09,191
with more highbrow roles,

437
00:19:09,235 --> 00:19:11,541
Cruise re-teamed
with director Tony Scott

438
00:19:11,628 --> 00:19:13,804
for action drama
"Days of Thunder".

439
00:19:13,891 --> 00:19:16,024
And although
the film was dismissed by many

440
00:19:16,111 --> 00:19:18,287
as "Top Gun with cars,"

441
00:19:18,418 --> 00:19:20,376
on set, he began
a romantic relationship

442
00:19:20,463 --> 00:19:23,118
with co-star Nicole Kidman.

443
00:19:23,205 --> 00:19:26,252
And when the pair married
at the end of 1990,

444
00:19:26,339 --> 00:19:30,560
Cruise was transformed from
a movie star into a celebrity.

445
00:19:30,647 --> 00:19:32,214
There's always
been this fascination

446
00:19:32,345 --> 00:19:34,825
with Hollywood power couples.

447
00:19:34,912 --> 00:19:37,524
For better or worse,
there's this renewed interest,

448
00:19:37,654 --> 00:19:40,614
this combined star power,
so Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

449
00:19:40,701 --> 00:19:43,138
And of course, they kind of
looked a little mismatched.

450
00:19:43,225 --> 00:19:45,488
She's Australian,
she's taller than him.

451
00:19:45,575 --> 00:19:47,925
So yeah, it's just
going to increase both

452
00:19:48,012 --> 00:19:50,972
of their star wattage,
when you have two huge stars

453
00:19:51,059 --> 00:19:52,539
who are together.

454
00:19:52,669 --> 00:19:54,193
[Narrator] And although
their first film together

455
00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,282
as a couple, "Far and Away",

456
00:19:56,369 --> 00:19:58,458
failed to ignite the box office,

457
00:19:58,501 --> 00:20:02,244
Cruise followed this
with a string of hits.

458
00:20:02,288 --> 00:20:05,073
Legal thrillers
"A Few Good Men" and "The Firm"

459
00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,337
further cemented his reputation
as a dramatic leading man,

460
00:20:08,468 --> 00:20:10,861
while his performance
as Lestat

461
00:20:10,948 --> 00:20:12,602
in
"Interview with the Vampire"

462
00:20:12,689 --> 00:20:15,518
gave him the opportunity
to show greater range.

463
00:20:16,563 --> 00:20:20,044
A new challenge was on
the horizon for Cruise, however,

464
00:20:20,131 --> 00:20:22,873
and it was one that would
involve his longtime associate,

465
00:20:22,960 --> 00:20:24,614
Paula Wagner.

466
00:20:24,701 --> 00:20:26,703
Paula Wagner started off
as a stage actress and then,

467
00:20:26,790 --> 00:20:29,880
became an agent with CAA,
Creative Artists Agency,

468
00:20:29,967 --> 00:20:31,752
one of the biggest
agencies in the world,

469
00:20:31,839 --> 00:20:33,971
and became Tom Cruise's agent.

470
00:20:34,058 --> 00:20:35,799
She started working
with him

471
00:20:35,930 --> 00:20:39,803
when he was relatively unknown
and he just had a presence,

472
00:20:39,934 --> 00:20:43,111
a sort of a charisma, that sort
of struck her immediately.

473
00:20:43,198 --> 00:20:45,069
He was always a great actor,

474
00:20:45,156 --> 00:20:48,290
from the time he did
a picture called "Taps",

475
00:20:48,377 --> 00:20:51,511
and which was the first film
really that he did.

476
00:20:51,554 --> 00:20:54,340
And you could see that he had
amazing talent as an actor.

477
00:20:54,427 --> 00:20:55,689
Great potential.

478
00:20:55,776 --> 00:20:58,344
So Paula Wagner,
he trusted implicitly.

479
00:20:58,431 --> 00:20:59,997
She was his manager
for 12 years,

480
00:21:00,084 --> 00:21:01,477
obviously had guided him

481
00:21:01,564 --> 00:21:03,697
and helped him pick out
some great projects.

482
00:21:03,784 --> 00:21:05,655
Now, they form
a production company,

483
00:21:05,742 --> 00:21:07,309
and this is the first time

484
00:21:07,353 --> 00:21:09,746
where Tom Cruise
gets a lot more freedom.

485
00:21:09,833 --> 00:21:13,228
[Narrator] And in May, 1996,
Cruise/Wagner Production's

486
00:21:13,315 --> 00:21:14,490
first feature film

487
00:21:14,577 --> 00:21:17,754
made its star-studded premier
in Los Angeles.

488
00:21:17,798 --> 00:21:21,367
"Mission: Impossible"
was handpicked by Cruise

489
00:21:21,454 --> 00:21:23,369
as the company's
inaugural project,

490
00:21:23,456 --> 00:21:26,241
reviving a classic TV series,

491
00:21:26,328 --> 00:21:29,157
and reworking it
for the big screen.

492
00:21:29,244 --> 00:21:31,768
With veteran director
Brian De Palma on board

493
00:21:31,899 --> 00:21:34,118
to bring his own
unique style to the film,

494
00:21:34,162 --> 00:21:36,773
it was nevertheless
a Tom Cruise vehicle,

495
00:21:36,817 --> 00:21:39,733
both as its star and, for
the first time in his career,

496
00:21:39,820 --> 00:21:42,039
its very hands-on producer.

497
00:21:43,040 --> 00:21:46,609
And as his first
action film, it was a risk.

498
00:21:46,696 --> 00:21:48,350
This is
actually the biggest movie

499
00:21:48,394 --> 00:21:51,179
I've ever been involved
in, in terms of production.

500
00:21:51,266 --> 00:21:53,007
It's very satisfying.

501
00:21:53,137 --> 00:21:55,705
You come up with an idea,
you bring everyone together,

502
00:21:55,792 --> 00:21:58,969
and you start seeing it
come to life, and, uh...

503
00:21:59,056 --> 00:22:02,930
that level of creativity
was exciting.

504
00:22:02,973 --> 00:22:04,932
"Mission: Impossible"
is really

505
00:22:04,975 --> 00:22:06,629
very surprising to people.

506
00:22:06,716 --> 00:22:08,239
Tom Cruise is
the producer on the project,

507
00:22:08,370 --> 00:22:10,329
and we've heard a ton by
this point

508
00:22:10,416 --> 00:22:13,506
about how Tom Cruise
is the engine

509
00:22:13,593 --> 00:22:16,944
behind this production
and this whole idea

510
00:22:17,031 --> 00:22:19,294
of reviving the "Mission:
Impossible" series.

511
00:22:19,381 --> 00:22:22,079
But Tom Cruise hadn't really
done a ton of action movies.

512
00:22:22,166 --> 00:22:25,953
"Top Gun" is an action movie,
but it's a fighter jet movie.

513
00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:28,434
"Days of Thunder" is
kind of an action movie,

514
00:22:28,521 --> 00:22:30,871
but it's about car racing.

515
00:22:30,958 --> 00:22:34,396
Tom Cruise was not an action
star in a typical sense,

516
00:22:34,483 --> 00:22:35,876
and in fact,
a lot of people wondered

517
00:22:35,963 --> 00:22:37,921
whether this would work.

518
00:22:38,052 --> 00:22:42,056
I am going to venture
that pre-"Mission: Impossible",

519
00:22:42,186 --> 00:22:46,582
of all the major stars
in Hollywood,

520
00:22:46,669 --> 00:22:49,846
he was responsible
for the lowest body count.

521
00:22:49,890 --> 00:22:51,892
But I think the timing
was absolutely right,

522
00:22:51,979 --> 00:22:54,242
in terms of where
action cinema was going,

523
00:22:54,329 --> 00:22:56,766
because we were coming out
of this period

524
00:22:56,853 --> 00:23:00,553
of the one-man-army,
muscle men movies

525
00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,207
typified by Schwarzenegger
or Chuck Norris

526
00:23:03,251 --> 00:23:05,079
or Sylvester Stallone,
of course,

527
00:23:05,209 --> 00:23:09,692
and coming into an era
of sort of more...

528
00:23:09,779 --> 00:23:12,086
lithe and wily
action heroes,

529
00:23:12,216 --> 00:23:17,004
and it just felt like
a very natural evolution.

530
00:23:17,091 --> 00:23:19,528
[dramatic orchestral music]

531
00:23:28,276 --> 00:23:29,712
The first
"Mission: Impossible"

532
00:23:29,799 --> 00:23:32,019
is not the best
"Mission: Impossible".

533
00:23:32,106 --> 00:23:34,587
It's a good solid
big budget action film

534
00:23:34,674 --> 00:23:36,589
but it's interesting,
because Hollywood was trying

535
00:23:36,676 --> 00:23:38,460
to make a movie out
of "Mission: Impossible",

536
00:23:38,504 --> 00:23:40,462
the television series,
for decades.

537
00:23:40,593 --> 00:23:43,596
[dramatic orchestral music]

538
00:23:46,163 --> 00:23:47,600
"Mission: Impossible" was about

539
00:23:47,643 --> 00:23:49,732
the Impossible Mission Force,

540
00:23:49,819 --> 00:23:51,604
so it was really
an ensemble piece.

541
00:23:51,647 --> 00:23:53,519
And the first
"Mission: Impossible" movie,

542
00:23:53,606 --> 00:23:55,956
at least they kept
the same names of a lot

543
00:23:56,043 --> 00:23:57,740
of the characters
from the original,

544
00:23:57,827 --> 00:24:00,177
and it was about
the Impossible Mission Force.

545
00:24:00,264 --> 00:24:03,398
But it became clear about
halfway through the film

546
00:24:03,485 --> 00:24:06,401
that this was going to be
the Ethan Hunt storyline.

547
00:24:06,488 --> 00:24:08,708
This is Ethan Hunt.

548
00:24:08,751 --> 00:24:12,538
- They're dead.
- Wait, who's dead?

549
00:24:12,625 --> 00:24:14,975
My team.
My team is dead.

550
00:24:15,062 --> 00:24:18,108
- Jesus.
- The list is gone.

551
00:24:18,195 --> 00:24:19,849
They knew we were coming, man.

552
00:24:19,936 --> 00:24:22,591
They knew we were coming,
and the disk is gone.

553
00:24:22,722 --> 00:24:25,725
I do think it was
unusually savvy of Cruise

554
00:24:25,812 --> 00:24:27,770
to make that play
with "Mission: Impossible".

555
00:24:27,857 --> 00:24:29,206
If you watch "Mission:
Impossible" on TV,

556
00:24:29,293 --> 00:24:31,165
it was a sort
of an ensemble show.

557
00:24:31,295 --> 00:24:33,297
It wasn't about
the glorification of one person

558
00:24:33,384 --> 00:24:35,735
at its center, and
Cruise says, "I can take this,

559
00:24:35,778 --> 00:24:38,085
I can use this
intellectual property

560
00:24:38,172 --> 00:24:41,523
that people are aware of,
and we can sell that.

561
00:24:41,610 --> 00:24:45,005
But at the center of it, it's
really going to be about me."

562
00:24:45,092 --> 00:24:47,964
It gave Tom Cruise the
opportunity to play James Bond,

563
00:24:48,095 --> 00:24:49,618
which he was
never going to play,

564
00:24:49,749 --> 00:24:50,880
because he wasn't right
to play James Bond.

565
00:24:50,967 --> 00:24:53,143
But this was
his James Bond franchise.

566
00:24:53,230 --> 00:24:56,103
[Narrator] And the role
of Ethan Hunt allowed Cruise

567
00:24:56,190 --> 00:24:58,540
to bring his physicality
to the foreground.

568
00:24:58,627 --> 00:25:01,456
Always a part of
his acting arsenal,

569
00:25:01,543 --> 00:25:04,111
from his strutting performance
in "The Color of Money"

570
00:25:04,198 --> 00:25:06,940
to the kinetic chase sequences
of "The Firm",

571
00:25:07,027 --> 00:25:09,333
it was crucial in
"Mission: Impossible",

572
00:25:09,377 --> 00:25:11,466
that he convince
as an action star.

573
00:25:12,598 --> 00:25:14,774
And unlike the majority
of his contemporaries,

574
00:25:14,904 --> 00:25:16,558
he took this to another level

575
00:25:16,602 --> 00:25:19,909
by performing several of
the film's key stunts himself,

576
00:25:19,996 --> 00:25:22,825
including
its most iconic set piece,

577
00:25:22,912 --> 00:25:24,827
the break in at Langley.

578
00:25:26,046 --> 00:25:27,613
You don't really appreciate it

579
00:25:27,700 --> 00:25:28,918
when you're
watching it at the time.

580
00:25:29,005 --> 00:25:31,181
It's only in retrospect,
knowing what we know now,

581
00:25:31,268 --> 00:25:33,706
that you are looking at
what he's doing there,

582
00:25:33,793 --> 00:25:36,839
holding his entire body
inches off the ground

583
00:25:36,926 --> 00:25:39,233
for a long time, really,

584
00:25:39,363 --> 00:25:41,148
and it's really him doing it.

585
00:25:41,235 --> 00:25:43,367
You have to really kind of stop
and think about it and go,

586
00:25:43,498 --> 00:25:45,239
"No, wait a minute.

587
00:25:45,369 --> 00:25:47,894
That's really difficult.

588
00:25:48,024 --> 00:25:50,810
As a physical exertion,
that's really intense."

589
00:25:50,940 --> 00:25:54,727
That's not really something
that was baked into

590
00:25:54,814 --> 00:25:56,859
the first "Mission: Impossible"
film really.

591
00:25:56,946 --> 00:26:00,515
Even though actually
it was Cruise getting drenched

592
00:26:00,602 --> 00:26:03,692
by the aquarium
and he did insist

593
00:26:03,823 --> 00:26:05,607
on the scene where
he is blasted backwards,

594
00:26:05,694 --> 00:26:07,043
even though obviously
it's not a real explosion,

595
00:26:07,087 --> 00:26:08,958
everything, he did it.
"That's got to be me.

596
00:26:09,002 --> 00:26:10,656
You got to see that that's me."

597
00:26:10,743 --> 00:26:14,181
But I just think it was so new,
it was, at the time,

598
00:26:14,268 --> 00:26:16,226
it wasn't really dwelt upon.

599
00:26:16,313 --> 00:26:18,489
It wasn't really
highlighted that much.

600
00:26:18,620 --> 00:26:20,970
[Narrator] Soon,
this would become a major part

601
00:26:21,014 --> 00:26:22,711
of the Cruise brand.

602
00:26:22,842 --> 00:26:26,628
But in 1996, the main focus
was seeing whether audiences

603
00:26:26,672 --> 00:26:29,283
would accept him
in an action role,

604
00:26:29,413 --> 00:26:31,807
and "Mission: Impossible"
proved a towering success

605
00:26:31,894 --> 00:26:33,461
at the box office,

606
00:26:33,548 --> 00:26:36,246
Cruise's highest grossing
release to date.

607
00:26:36,333 --> 00:26:38,031
I think it's kind of
amazing that Tom Cruise

608
00:26:38,118 --> 00:26:39,641
was able to transition
from being

609
00:26:39,685 --> 00:26:40,947
sort of a Hollywood
pretty boy

610
00:26:41,077 --> 00:26:42,688
was how he was seen by
a lot of people and

611
00:26:42,775 --> 00:26:45,255
to kind of
seamlessly transition

612
00:26:45,342 --> 00:26:49,216
into being an action star
is kind of remarkable.

613
00:26:49,259 --> 00:26:50,347
Honestly,
I think it just helped

614
00:26:50,434 --> 00:26:52,001
that "Mission: Impossible"
was good

615
00:26:52,088 --> 00:26:53,481
and that people liked it.

616
00:26:53,568 --> 00:26:56,092
His continual pursuit of
action roles

617
00:26:56,223 --> 00:26:59,443
that allowed him to put his
physicality front and center,

618
00:26:59,530 --> 00:27:01,358
made that transition possible.

619
00:27:01,445 --> 00:27:03,143
[Narrator]
And while he continued

620
00:27:03,230 --> 00:27:06,189
carving his own unique path
in the movie industry,

621
00:27:06,320 --> 00:27:10,759
Hollywood began frantically
looking for the next Tom Cruise.

622
00:27:10,890 --> 00:27:13,240
Talented young actors
from Matthew McConaughey

623
00:27:13,283 --> 00:27:15,242
to Matt Damon were
being hailed

624
00:27:15,285 --> 00:27:17,548
as the future heirs
to his crown.

625
00:27:17,679 --> 00:27:19,681
Yet, audiences
were clearly happy

626
00:27:19,768 --> 00:27:21,814
with the Tom Cruise
they already had.

627
00:27:23,032 --> 00:27:24,686
His purple patch continued

628
00:27:24,730 --> 00:27:28,255
with romantic comedy
"Jerry Maguire" in 1997,

629
00:27:28,342 --> 00:27:30,692
but then Cruise suddenly disappeared

630
00:27:30,779 --> 00:27:32,738
from both Hollywood
and the limelight

631
00:27:32,825 --> 00:27:34,783
for over two years.

632
00:27:34,914 --> 00:27:37,481
The filming of
Stanley Kubrick's final project,

633
00:27:37,525 --> 00:27:39,483
"Eyes Wide Shut",
opposite his wife,

634
00:27:39,527 --> 00:27:41,616
would take the star
out of the game

635
00:27:41,703 --> 00:27:44,097
at the very height
of his success.

636
00:27:44,184 --> 00:27:46,142
And when it was
eventually released,

637
00:27:46,229 --> 00:27:49,015
it was quickly followed
by another offbeat performance,

638
00:27:49,145 --> 00:27:52,322
as part of an ensemble cast
in "Magnolia"

639
00:27:52,409 --> 00:27:55,499
by up and coming director
Paul Thomas Anderson.

640
00:27:55,543 --> 00:27:57,806
With these
fascinating roles,

641
00:27:57,937 --> 00:28:01,549
Cruise was expanding his range
further than ever before.

642
00:28:02,724 --> 00:28:04,770
Just in those four years
between "Mission: Impossible"

643
00:28:04,857 --> 00:28:06,293
and "Mission: Impossible 2",

644
00:28:06,336 --> 00:28:09,209
he almost completely redefines
himself again as an actor,

645
00:28:09,296 --> 00:28:11,602
just with those three pictures,

646
00:28:11,733 --> 00:28:14,867
"Jerry McGuire", "Eyes
Wide Shut", and "Magnolia".

647
00:28:14,954 --> 00:28:18,348
By 1999, he is known enough
as a guy

648
00:28:18,435 --> 00:28:19,959
that works
with great directors

649
00:28:20,089 --> 00:28:22,178
and makes interesting movies

650
00:28:22,309 --> 00:28:25,312
and only occasionally will make
a stereotypical blockbuster,

651
00:28:25,355 --> 00:28:28,358
like "Days of Thunder"
or "Mission: Impossible",

652
00:28:28,445 --> 00:28:30,665
that I think him working
with Stanley Kubrick

653
00:28:30,752 --> 00:28:32,841
almost feels like,
"Oh, that makes sense."

654
00:28:32,972 --> 00:28:34,147
"Magnolia" is
a little different,

655
00:28:34,234 --> 00:28:36,540
because this is Tom Cruise

656
00:28:36,627 --> 00:28:39,761
not working with
a veteran legendary director.

657
00:28:39,805 --> 00:28:42,155
This is Tom Cruise
calling up some kid

658
00:28:42,242 --> 00:28:44,548
who made one really
well-liked movie,

659
00:28:44,635 --> 00:28:46,246
that got a lot of raves,
and is like,

660
00:28:46,333 --> 00:28:50,293
"Hey, help me help you."

661
00:28:50,424 --> 00:28:55,037
And it's such a wonderful,
generous thing for him to do,

662
00:28:55,124 --> 00:28:56,473
knowing that it wasn't
going to be a big hit.

663
00:28:56,517 --> 00:28:57,910
[dramatic music]

664
00:28:57,953 --> 00:28:59,694
[Narrator] But in May, 2000,

665
00:28:59,781 --> 00:29:02,566
having disappeared from
the public eye for so long,

666
00:29:02,610 --> 00:29:04,612
Cruise was back
in front of an audience

667
00:29:04,699 --> 00:29:07,397
eager to see him return
to mainstream cinema.

668
00:29:08,659 --> 00:29:12,054
"Mission: Impossible 2"
was a landmark in his career,

669
00:29:12,141 --> 00:29:14,927
as he had previously
resisted making sequels.

670
00:29:15,014 --> 00:29:17,277
Yet, as both star and producer,

671
00:29:17,364 --> 00:29:19,018
he embraced the opportunity

672
00:29:19,061 --> 00:29:21,281
to develop the franchise
as a series.

673
00:29:21,368 --> 00:29:25,372
And for this film, from
the opening sequence onwards,

674
00:29:25,459 --> 00:29:28,418
his remarkable stunt work
took center stage.

675
00:29:29,419 --> 00:29:31,595
"Mission: Impossible 2"
is marketed

676
00:29:31,682 --> 00:29:34,729
with that opening scene
of him free climbing,

677
00:29:34,816 --> 00:29:36,165
and everybody talks about

678
00:29:36,252 --> 00:29:37,514
how he's
doing his own stunts.

679
00:29:37,601 --> 00:29:39,038
This is,
I think, the first time

680
00:29:39,168 --> 00:29:41,170
that this
becomes a thing for him.

681
00:29:41,214 --> 00:29:42,955
It's Cruise clinging to,

682
00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:46,045
I think,
Dead Horse Rock in Utah,

683
00:29:46,088 --> 00:29:48,612
and there's a moment
during that sequence

684
00:29:48,699 --> 00:29:51,833
where he literally
looks directly into the camera.

685
00:29:51,877 --> 00:29:55,184
He's looking directly at
the audience as if to just say,

686
00:29:55,271 --> 00:29:56,969
"Yeah, it's me,
it's Tom Cruise,

687
00:29:57,012 --> 00:29:58,187
I am on the side of a mountain.

688
00:29:58,274 --> 00:30:00,059
I am doing this."

689
00:30:00,102 --> 00:30:02,061
I do think that "Mission:
Impossible 2" is the moment

690
00:30:02,191 --> 00:30:05,194
where the idea that Cruise
was doing his own stunts

691
00:30:05,281 --> 00:30:08,284
in these movies became
part of the press cycle,

692
00:30:08,415 --> 00:30:10,330
became part of
the chatter around them,

693
00:30:10,417 --> 00:30:12,854
and the fact
that he's doing something

694
00:30:12,941 --> 00:30:15,335
that's just outrageously
dangerous becomes part

695
00:30:15,422 --> 00:30:16,945
of the appeal of the films.

696
00:30:17,076 --> 00:30:18,686
Some of the stunts
in that are insane.

697
00:30:18,773 --> 00:30:20,993
In the climax when he almost
gets stabbed in the eye,

698
00:30:21,036 --> 00:30:22,081
they did that.

699
00:30:22,211 --> 00:30:23,778
- [man screaming]
- [dramatic music]

700
00:30:27,695 --> 00:30:29,523
They tied a rope to
the end of the knife.

701
00:30:29,653 --> 00:30:31,699
They didn't do that digitally.

702
00:30:31,786 --> 00:30:34,006
He was, at
that point in his life, saying,

703
00:30:34,093 --> 00:30:36,530
"I have to do
this stuff myself."

704
00:30:36,573 --> 00:30:40,316
[Narrator] But with Hong Kong
director John Woo on board,

705
00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:42,536
this sequel was
a very different proposition

706
00:30:42,666 --> 00:30:44,233
than Brian De Palma's
first outing.

707
00:30:45,887 --> 00:30:48,324
And not only have
the tone of the film changed,

708
00:30:48,455 --> 00:30:51,719
so too had
Cruise's action persona.

709
00:30:51,806 --> 00:30:54,591
Tom Cruise, prior to
"Mission: Impossible 2",

710
00:30:54,678 --> 00:30:58,030
he not only was not primarily
known as an action hero,

711
00:30:58,117 --> 00:31:01,381
even when he did make films
with action in them,

712
00:31:01,468 --> 00:31:03,600
he wasn't running around
killing people.

713
00:31:03,687 --> 00:31:06,125
This was the first time
we saw Tom Cruise not just

714
00:31:06,168 --> 00:31:09,389
as an action hero,
but as a gun-toting action hero.

715
00:31:09,476 --> 00:31:11,695
He was making something
that you might have seen

716
00:31:11,782 --> 00:31:14,263
from Arnold Schwarzenegger
or Sylvester Stallone.

717
00:31:14,307 --> 00:31:15,917
When you're eight years old

718
00:31:16,048 --> 00:31:17,701
and you're
wearing your leather jacket

719
00:31:17,788 --> 00:31:19,834
and you have sunglasses
and you're pretending

720
00:31:19,921 --> 00:31:22,141
to be an action hero
in your backyard,

721
00:31:22,184 --> 00:31:24,970
"Mission: Impossible 2"
is that movie to a T.

722
00:31:25,057 --> 00:31:28,277
[Narrator] Although its
critical reception was mixed,

723
00:31:28,364 --> 00:31:32,064
the film was a smash hit
with audiences worldwide,

724
00:31:32,151 --> 00:31:35,067
quickly overtaking the original
"Mission: Impossible",

725
00:31:35,154 --> 00:31:38,244
to become Cruise's biggest
success at the box office.

726
00:31:39,506 --> 00:31:43,075
Having returned from three
years away from the limelight

727
00:31:43,162 --> 00:31:45,729
and buoyed by
the film's reception,

728
00:31:45,816 --> 00:31:49,168
now he began planning a string
of blockbuster releases,

729
00:31:49,298 --> 00:31:52,736
keen to cement his reputation
as an action star.

730
00:31:53,868 --> 00:31:56,088
After "Eyes Wide Shut",

731
00:31:56,175 --> 00:32:00,396
he's Hollywood's number one
sort of box office draw,

732
00:32:00,527 --> 00:32:04,444
and he doesn't want
to let his crown slip.

733
00:32:04,531 --> 00:32:06,533
How do you prove you're back?

734
00:32:06,620 --> 00:32:10,232
By making blockbuster after
blockbuster after blockbuster.

735
00:32:10,319 --> 00:32:12,104
You are compensating.

736
00:32:12,191 --> 00:32:14,976
So you've gone off on sabbatical,

737
00:32:15,063 --> 00:32:18,458
you've done your odd thing
in England with Stanley.

738
00:32:18,545 --> 00:32:21,983
Now, it's time to
sort of pay back Hollywood.

739
00:32:22,070 --> 00:32:24,986
Once the "Mission: Impossible"
franchise takes off,

740
00:32:25,073 --> 00:32:26,901
Tom Cruise, I think,
understands to some extent

741
00:32:26,988 --> 00:32:29,904
the limitations of
doing the smaller movies.

742
00:32:29,991 --> 00:32:32,602
Remember,
he's now a producer as well.

743
00:32:32,689 --> 00:32:36,955
He needs to make films that will
kind of continue to sort

744
00:32:37,042 --> 00:32:38,826
of sustain his star power.

745
00:32:38,913 --> 00:32:40,132
[dramatic music]

746
00:32:40,219 --> 00:32:41,568
[Narrator]
Following one final fling

747
00:32:41,655 --> 00:32:42,917
with more left-field material

748
00:32:43,004 --> 00:32:45,615
in Cameron Crowe's
"Vanilla Sky",

749
00:32:45,702 --> 00:32:48,792
Cruise now launched himself
into action roles,

750
00:32:48,879 --> 00:32:52,579
beginning with
2002's "Minority Report".

751
00:32:52,666 --> 00:32:54,015
The following year,
he would be back

752
00:32:54,102 --> 00:32:57,932
with "The Last Samurai",
while the summer of 2004

753
00:32:58,019 --> 00:33:00,674
saw him play his first villain
since "Taps",

754
00:33:00,804 --> 00:33:04,025
in Michael Mann's propulsive
thriller, "Collateral".

755
00:33:04,069 --> 00:33:07,420
All of these films pushed
his intensely physical presence

756
00:33:07,507 --> 00:33:11,641
to the fore, and his journey
as a serious dramatic actor,

757
00:33:11,728 --> 00:33:14,470
from "Born on the Fourth
of July" to "Magnolia",

758
00:33:14,601 --> 00:33:16,690
was now put on hold.

759
00:33:16,820 --> 00:33:19,171
Certain aspects of
his star persona

760
00:33:19,258 --> 00:33:21,216
kind of fell to the wayside.

761
00:33:21,303 --> 00:33:23,044
He realized that,
as a movie star,

762
00:33:23,088 --> 00:33:25,351
the thing that people
liked from him the most

763
00:33:25,481 --> 00:33:29,485
was this kind of determination,
this kind of steeliness,

764
00:33:29,616 --> 00:33:31,226
this kind of hyper-competence.

765
00:33:31,313 --> 00:33:33,098
"As a movie star,
what my thing is

766
00:33:33,185 --> 00:33:36,144
is I'm just
constantly pressing forward."

767
00:33:36,275 --> 00:33:38,842
It's determination made flesh, basically.

768
00:33:38,929 --> 00:33:41,976
I think Cruise's age
is starting to play into this.

769
00:33:42,063 --> 00:33:43,847
I'm not saying
it's a midlife crisis,

770
00:33:43,934 --> 00:33:45,893
but is a little bit
of "I'm getting older,

771
00:33:45,980 --> 00:33:47,155
but why should I get older?"

772
00:33:47,286 --> 00:33:48,852
And it's almost like
the roles he did

773
00:33:48,939 --> 00:33:50,854
when he was younger
were the kind of roles

774
00:33:50,898 --> 00:33:52,856
you'd expect someone
to do later in their life

775
00:33:52,900 --> 00:33:54,945
and the roles he's doing
later in his life

776
00:33:55,076 --> 00:33:55,990
are the kind of roles
you'd expect people

777
00:33:56,077 --> 00:33:57,687
to do earlier in their life.

778
00:33:57,774 --> 00:33:59,341
[Narrator] Perhaps
a significant factor

779
00:33:59,428 --> 00:34:01,430
in this change of gear
was his divorce

780
00:34:01,517 --> 00:34:04,651
from Nicole Kidman
back in 2001.

781
00:34:04,738 --> 00:34:07,088
Although it was
a very public split,

782
00:34:07,132 --> 00:34:09,308
Cruise took solace
in his fans,

783
00:34:09,351 --> 00:34:11,701
making headlines
when he spent over an hour

784
00:34:11,788 --> 00:34:14,182
signing autographs
and posing for photos

785
00:34:14,313 --> 00:34:16,315
at the premier
of "Minority Report",

786
00:34:16,402 --> 00:34:19,883
and again, when dedicating
over two hours to the crowd

787
00:34:19,970 --> 00:34:22,147
for the release
of "The Last Samurai".

788
00:34:22,234 --> 00:34:23,539
It's fun.

789
00:34:23,670 --> 00:34:25,672
You get out and
have a chat and sign.

790
00:34:25,715 --> 00:34:27,717
It's really nice.
It's nice that they show up,

791
00:34:27,804 --> 00:34:30,677
and I want to let them
know that I appreciate it.

792
00:34:30,764 --> 00:34:32,418
[Narrator] Yet,
although he was happy

793
00:34:32,548 --> 00:34:35,377
to get up close
and personal with his audience,

794
00:34:35,464 --> 00:34:38,685
they knew very little
about the man himself.

795
00:34:38,772 --> 00:34:41,253
Cruise wasn't somebody
who a lot of people

796
00:34:41,296 --> 00:34:43,342
knew a lot about
his private life.

797
00:34:43,385 --> 00:34:45,170
He was somebody
who they knew mostly

798
00:34:45,257 --> 00:34:47,520
through the flash bulbs
and they saw on magazine covers.

799
00:34:47,607 --> 00:34:49,913
He doesn't do
a ton of interviews.

800
00:34:49,957 --> 00:34:52,046
He'll do appearances,
he'll do premieres,

801
00:34:52,133 --> 00:34:54,831
he'll do red carpets
and things like that,

802
00:34:54,918 --> 00:34:58,618
but there's a very controlled
quality to his public image,

803
00:34:58,705 --> 00:35:01,055
up until this point.

804
00:35:01,142 --> 00:35:04,711
[Narrator] Yet, in 2003,
he began to speak more openly

805
00:35:04,798 --> 00:35:06,582
about his involvement
with the secretive

806
00:35:06,713 --> 00:35:10,020
and controversial
Church of Scientology.

807
00:35:10,151 --> 00:35:11,848
After his publicist,
Pat Kingsley,

808
00:35:11,935 --> 00:35:15,287
who had been by his side
since the early '90s,

809
00:35:15,374 --> 00:35:17,593
tried to dissuade him
from discussing his beliefs

810
00:35:17,724 --> 00:35:19,073
on promotional tours,

811
00:35:19,117 --> 00:35:21,380
he replaced her.

812
00:35:21,423 --> 00:35:23,860
His sister Lee Ann
took over the role,

813
00:35:23,947 --> 00:35:27,168
but without Kingsley's
guiding hand, very quickly,

814
00:35:27,255 --> 00:35:30,389
Cruise's public image
was in free fall.

815
00:35:30,519 --> 00:35:33,653
Pat Kingsley was
the publicist for Tom Cruise

816
00:35:33,740 --> 00:35:35,959
for I think about 14 years.

817
00:35:36,046 --> 00:35:41,487
You think of publicists
as people who get stars

818
00:35:41,617 --> 00:35:46,405
onto TV shows,
into newspapers, onto websites.

819
00:35:46,448 --> 00:35:51,323
Her significance was as much
for keeping him out of trouble.

820
00:35:51,410 --> 00:35:53,194
[Reporter] For two decades,
she was at the center

821
00:35:53,238 --> 00:35:56,806
of Cruise control, famed
for her red carpet tactics,

822
00:35:56,893 --> 00:35:59,679
guiding him round
with military precision.

823
00:35:59,766 --> 00:36:01,637
On her watch,
his interviews were paragons

824
00:36:01,768 --> 00:36:06,207
of marketing virtue, avoiding
the subject of Scientology.

825
00:36:06,251 --> 00:36:09,341
As his sister becomes
his publicist,

826
00:36:09,428 --> 00:36:12,692
I think the fact
that he is a Scientologist

827
00:36:12,779 --> 00:36:16,478
becomes a much bigger part
of who he is on the outside,

828
00:36:16,565 --> 00:36:18,654
as well as who he is
on the inside.

829
00:36:18,698 --> 00:36:23,355
And that does manifest itself
in some media-unfriendly ways.

830
00:36:23,442 --> 00:36:26,140
The reception to
the promotional campaign

831
00:36:26,227 --> 00:36:28,098
in and around
"War of the Worlds",

832
00:36:28,229 --> 00:36:31,667
it wasn't just that he was
associated with Scientology,

833
00:36:31,798 --> 00:36:33,582
it's that some of those interviews

834
00:36:33,626 --> 00:36:35,236
came off as judgmental,

835
00:36:35,280 --> 00:36:37,891
in a negative and
almost hurtful way.

836
00:36:38,021 --> 00:36:40,459
[Narrator] With
his unprovoked on-air criticism

837
00:36:40,589 --> 00:36:42,548
of his friend Brooke Shields,

838
00:36:42,678 --> 00:36:45,246
his argumentative interviews
with Matt Lauer in the US

839
00:36:45,333 --> 00:36:47,509
and Peter Overton in Australia

840
00:36:47,596 --> 00:36:51,078
and his widely mocked
appearance on Oprah Winfrey,

841
00:36:51,165 --> 00:36:54,473
the wheels had come off
the Cruise machine.

842
00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:58,477
In August, 2005, summing up
the wider public's reaction

843
00:36:58,607 --> 00:37:02,350
to these events, "Vanity Fair"
ran the cover story,

844
00:37:02,481 --> 00:37:05,179
"Has Tom Cruise
lost his marbles?"

845
00:37:05,266 --> 00:37:08,748
For the first time, the kind
of public view of him soured.

846
00:37:08,835 --> 00:37:11,098
I don't think he was able
to really process that.

847
00:37:11,185 --> 00:37:15,058
Like "Why have people got
a problem with what I'm saying?

848
00:37:15,102 --> 00:37:16,886
Usually, everything's fine."

849
00:37:16,973 --> 00:37:20,107
He was a figure of ridicule
to a certain extent,

850
00:37:20,194 --> 00:37:24,546
and suddenly, he's this weirdo
jumping on couches

851
00:37:24,633 --> 00:37:27,245
and attacking Brooke Shields,

852
00:37:27,332 --> 00:37:30,117
and yeah,
people start to turn on him,

853
00:37:30,204 --> 00:37:31,988
and this is
his audience turning on him.

854
00:37:32,075 --> 00:37:33,729
This isn't just like people
who never liked him

855
00:37:33,860 --> 00:37:34,774
turning on him.
This is the people

856
00:37:34,861 --> 00:37:36,515
who liked him turning on him,

857
00:37:36,645 --> 00:37:38,299
and it puts him in a tough spot.

858
00:37:38,343 --> 00:37:40,519
And this is a huge thing
for all huge stars.

859
00:37:40,649 --> 00:37:43,348
If you don't have somebody
around you to say "no"

860
00:37:43,435 --> 00:37:45,088
or to take you aside and say

861
00:37:45,132 --> 00:37:47,569
"You're going
down the wrong path,"

862
00:37:47,656 --> 00:37:50,442
left to their own devices,
like any of the rest of us,

863
00:37:50,529 --> 00:37:51,530
you're going to make
a lot of big mistakes

864
00:37:51,660 --> 00:37:53,445
and he made huge mistakes.

865
00:37:53,532 --> 00:37:55,969
[Narrator] And although
this crisis erupted

866
00:37:56,099 --> 00:37:58,885
just as he was promoting
his new Spielberg blockbuster,

867
00:37:58,928 --> 00:38:00,321
"War of the Worlds",

868
00:38:00,408 --> 00:38:01,714
it didn't affect that film's
commercial fortunes.

869
00:38:01,801 --> 00:38:03,411
The following year however,

870
00:38:03,542 --> 00:38:07,372
with the shockwaves having
spread across popular culture,

871
00:38:07,459 --> 00:38:08,982
Cruise returned to the big screen

872
00:38:09,112 --> 00:38:11,680
with "Mission: Impossible 3".

873
00:38:11,767 --> 00:38:13,552
And although
it turned a profit,

874
00:38:13,595 --> 00:38:16,903
it was the least successful
film in the franchise so far

875
00:38:16,946 --> 00:38:18,470
and was considered
a disappointment

876
00:38:18,513 --> 00:38:21,124
by its studio, Paramount.

877
00:38:21,211 --> 00:38:23,475
I don't think you
can discount this kind of

878
00:38:23,562 --> 00:38:25,477
souring of opinion on Cruise

879
00:38:25,564 --> 00:38:28,480
having an impact
on "Mission: Impossible 3".

880
00:38:28,567 --> 00:38:30,569
The reviews were strong,

881
00:38:30,612 --> 00:38:32,614
but for whatever reason,
the buzz was muted.

882
00:38:32,701 --> 00:38:35,269
There was certainly
a real world impact

883
00:38:35,356 --> 00:38:37,793
in terms
of Tom Cruise's reception.

884
00:38:37,880 --> 00:38:41,362
Was "Mission: Impossible 3"
an underperformer

885
00:38:41,406 --> 00:38:45,279
because of how it was
associated with the PR stuff?

886
00:38:45,366 --> 00:38:47,716
Maybe. Do I think it killed
the film? No.

887
00:38:48,804 --> 00:38:51,198
[Narrator] But even if
it didn't kill the film itself,

888
00:38:51,285 --> 00:38:55,985
the backlash did kill Cruise's
deal with Paramount Pictures.

889
00:38:56,072 --> 00:38:58,553
The studio had signed an
exclusive distribution agreement

890
00:38:58,640 --> 00:39:02,252
with Cruise/Wagner Productions
back in 1992,

891
00:39:02,383 --> 00:39:04,516
and as the scandal escalated,

892
00:39:04,603 --> 00:39:07,257
this crucial partnership
was terminated.

893
00:39:07,388 --> 00:39:09,999
Sumner Redstone,
who was the head of the company

894
00:39:10,086 --> 00:39:11,610
that owned
Paramount Pictures, saying

895
00:39:11,740 --> 00:39:14,090
"This guy
is hurting our brand."

896
00:39:14,177 --> 00:39:17,224
Amazingly,
the number one brand in movies,

897
00:39:17,311 --> 00:39:19,531
all of a sudden,
is considered to be a liability.

898
00:39:19,618 --> 00:39:21,663
So he was in a real
career crisis at the time.

899
00:39:23,535 --> 00:39:26,407
[Narrator] The fall from grace
was complete.

900
00:39:26,494 --> 00:39:29,192
Immediately firing
his sister Lee Ann,

901
00:39:29,279 --> 00:39:31,151
the star was in
crisis management mode.

902
00:39:32,848 --> 00:39:35,416
Looking for a new deal,
Cruise/Wagner Productions

903
00:39:35,503 --> 00:39:38,767
was thrown a lifeline by MGM,
who approached them

904
00:39:38,854 --> 00:39:42,641
to revive the floundering
studio, United Artists.

905
00:39:42,684 --> 00:39:45,208
Yet, their first film
of this new arrangement,

906
00:39:45,252 --> 00:39:47,559
Robert Redford's
"Lions for Lambs",

907
00:39:47,646 --> 00:39:50,692
with Cruise on board as
both producer and co-star,

908
00:39:50,779 --> 00:39:53,565
met with a tepid critical
and commercial response.

909
00:39:55,218 --> 00:39:58,265
And then, in late 2006,

910
00:39:58,352 --> 00:40:00,746
when he appeared
to be running on empty,

911
00:40:00,876 --> 00:40:03,444
he was contacted by
Christopher McQuarrie,

912
00:40:03,531 --> 00:40:07,666
an award-winning writer-director
at a similar low ebb.

913
00:40:07,709 --> 00:40:10,712
It's interesting, you see
these stories in Hollywood,

914
00:40:10,799 --> 00:40:12,235
where people
who have been through the mill

915
00:40:12,322 --> 00:40:14,586
and had a great success
and then,

916
00:40:14,673 --> 00:40:17,110
are kind of on tougher times,
will turn to each other.

917
00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:19,242
Because Christopher McQuarrie
wins the Academy Award

918
00:40:19,329 --> 00:40:21,027
for "The Usual Suspects",

919
00:40:21,070 --> 00:40:23,029
one of the greatest screenplays
of all time.

920
00:40:23,072 --> 00:40:24,378
And now, here's somebody,

921
00:40:24,465 --> 00:40:26,598
it's only 10 years
after he won the Oscar,

922
00:40:26,685 --> 00:40:28,687
and he can't get arrested
in Hollywood.

923
00:40:28,817 --> 00:40:31,472
He had a big success
with "The Usual Suspects",

924
00:40:31,516 --> 00:40:36,303
which he wrote, and
then tried directing himself.

925
00:40:36,390 --> 00:40:38,392
And he made a film,
which I think is brilliant,

926
00:40:38,479 --> 00:40:39,915
called "The Way of the Gun".

927
00:40:40,046 --> 00:40:42,091
It wasn't a hit
for any number of reasons.

928
00:40:42,178 --> 00:40:45,573
It was a very dark picture,
it was very grimy,

929
00:40:45,704 --> 00:40:47,967
but for whatever reason,
he ended up in director's jail.

930
00:40:48,054 --> 00:40:51,710
And it was a very long time
before he made another picture.

931
00:40:51,753 --> 00:40:54,495
[Narrator] The project
McQuarrie brought to Cruise

932
00:40:54,539 --> 00:40:57,585
was "Valkyrie",
an historical thriller

933
00:40:57,716 --> 00:41:00,632
focused on a real-life plot
to assassinate Adolf Hitler

934
00:41:00,719 --> 00:41:03,635
by a group of
rebel Nazi officers.

935
00:41:03,722 --> 00:41:06,768
Cruise agreed to finance
the film through United Artists

936
00:41:06,855 --> 00:41:08,727
and took the lead role

937
00:41:08,814 --> 00:41:11,730
with McQuarrie's "Usual
Suspects" partner, Bryan Singer,

938
00:41:11,860 --> 00:41:13,601
on board as director.

939
00:41:13,732 --> 00:41:16,299
And although early reports
were negative,

940
00:41:16,386 --> 00:41:18,911
upon its release,
"Valkyrie" proved

941
00:41:18,998 --> 00:41:22,218
a minor critical
and commercial success.

942
00:41:22,305 --> 00:41:25,526
I think "Valkyrie" is just
a rock solid studio programmer,

943
00:41:25,613 --> 00:41:29,225
and it kind of reminded people
that, "Oh wait, that's right.

944
00:41:29,312 --> 00:41:31,097
Most Tom Cruise
movies are good."

945
00:41:31,140 --> 00:41:33,534
I think, in a lot of ways,
"Valkyrie" may prove

946
00:41:33,578 --> 00:41:35,667
to be one
of the last gasps, for now,

947
00:41:35,710 --> 00:41:37,016
of Tom Cruise, actor,

948
00:41:37,103 --> 00:41:39,409
as opposed to
Tom Cruise, action star.

949
00:41:39,540 --> 00:41:41,716
- They will wipe you out.
- It doesn't matter.

950
00:41:44,327 --> 00:41:47,505
It only matters
that we act now

951
00:41:47,592 --> 00:41:49,768
before we lose the war.

952
00:41:49,855 --> 00:41:53,032
Otherwise, this will
always be Hitler's Germany.

953
00:41:56,209 --> 00:41:58,690
And we have to show the world

954
00:41:58,777 --> 00:42:00,605
that not all of us
were like him.

955
00:42:00,692 --> 00:42:02,476
That is not enough for me.

956
00:42:04,609 --> 00:42:06,915
There has to be
a chance of success.

957
00:42:08,395 --> 00:42:10,876
Then find a way.

958
00:42:11,006 --> 00:42:13,052
Even though
it didn't do huge business,

959
00:42:13,139 --> 00:42:15,533
it wasn't a complete bomb,
and I think that, in a way,

960
00:42:15,620 --> 00:42:17,796
that was almost good enough,

961
00:42:17,839 --> 00:42:21,582
that it wasn't a complete--
it got mostly good reviews.

962
00:42:21,626 --> 00:42:23,715
It did fairly well.
It did okay,

963
00:42:23,802 --> 00:42:26,456
so I think, because
expectations were so low,

964
00:42:26,587 --> 00:42:28,197
it might have
worked in his favor.

965
00:42:28,284 --> 00:42:31,505
I think the arrival
of Christopher McQuarrie

966
00:42:31,592 --> 00:42:34,421
in the Cruise story
is absolutely huge.

967
00:42:34,508 --> 00:42:37,598
I think Cruise and McQuarrie
is just an amazing partnership.

968
00:42:37,685 --> 00:42:43,038
It really made Cruise turn
a corner from that bad period.

969
00:42:43,169 --> 00:42:46,738
So while "Valkyrie", which
actually is a pretty good film,

970
00:42:46,825 --> 00:42:49,828
while that film wasn't
a particular success, and again,

971
00:42:49,871 --> 00:42:53,266
has been kind of forgotten about
in the Cruise story,

972
00:42:53,396 --> 00:42:56,182
however that film turned out,

973
00:42:56,269 --> 00:43:00,142
I think that that relationship
was established.

974
00:43:00,273 --> 00:43:03,842
[Narrator] And although Cruise
had a key new creative ally,

975
00:43:03,885 --> 00:43:07,193
the road to recovery
would not be simple.

976
00:43:07,280 --> 00:43:09,021
Following the release of
"Valkyrie",

977
00:43:09,108 --> 00:43:11,545
the United Artists deal
fell apart,

978
00:43:11,632 --> 00:43:13,765
and Cruise split
with his long-term partner,

979
00:43:13,808 --> 00:43:15,462
Paula Wagner.

980
00:43:15,549 --> 00:43:17,116
Without his own production company

981
00:43:17,203 --> 00:43:18,987
to launch films
that he could control,

982
00:43:19,074 --> 00:43:22,774
he was now thrown back into
the uncertain acting world,

983
00:43:22,817 --> 00:43:25,211
auditioning for roles
in studio projects,

984
00:43:25,254 --> 00:43:27,126
like "Salt" and "The Tourist".

985
00:43:29,128 --> 00:43:31,217
He eventually took the lead
in "Knight and Day",

986
00:43:31,260 --> 00:43:33,480
alongside Cameron Diaz,

987
00:43:33,567 --> 00:43:35,438
before entering discussions
with Paramount

988
00:43:35,525 --> 00:43:38,050
to return to the "Mission:
Impossible" franchise.

989
00:43:38,137 --> 00:43:40,226
But when the film was released,

990
00:43:40,269 --> 00:43:43,708
it was a commercial
and critical disaster,

991
00:43:43,795 --> 00:43:45,884
and many questioned
whether Cruise would ever

992
00:43:45,927 --> 00:43:48,582
be able to headline
a blockbuster again.

993
00:43:48,669 --> 00:43:50,105
It's interesting
with "Knight and Day",

994
00:43:50,149 --> 00:43:53,108
because on paper, you'd think
this is a surefire hit.

995
00:43:53,152 --> 00:43:56,372
He's reunited with
Cameron Diaz from "Vanilla Sky"

996
00:43:56,459 --> 00:43:57,896
in a very
different kind of movie.

997
00:43:57,983 --> 00:44:01,029
She's so likable and has
done all these great comedies

998
00:44:01,116 --> 00:44:03,597
that were huge hits,
but for some reason--

999
00:44:03,684 --> 00:44:04,903
and it's not a good film--

1000
00:44:05,033 --> 00:44:07,514
I think Tom Cruise found out
people either wanted

1001
00:44:07,601 --> 00:44:11,823
to see him playing in
a romantic comedy or a drama

1002
00:44:11,910 --> 00:44:15,130
or in an action film
with real consequences.

1003
00:44:15,261 --> 00:44:17,611
I think the failure
of "Knight and Day",

1004
00:44:17,698 --> 00:44:19,918
it certainly upped the ante
in terms

1005
00:44:20,005 --> 00:44:22,529
of what he needed to achieve
with "Ghost Protocol",

1006
00:44:22,616 --> 00:44:23,835
the fourth "Mission:
Impossible" film,

1007
00:44:23,878 --> 00:44:25,967
bearing also in mind

1008
00:44:26,054 --> 00:44:27,403
that it's the
"Mission: Impossible" film

1009
00:44:27,490 --> 00:44:29,101
that follows
the least successful

1010
00:44:29,188 --> 00:44:31,233
"Mission: Impossible"
film as well.

1011
00:44:32,539 --> 00:44:36,499
In that sense,
he had to go back

1012
00:44:36,543 --> 00:44:40,068
to the series
that he'd set up himself,

1013
00:44:40,112 --> 00:44:43,028
had now come to define him.

1014
00:44:43,158 --> 00:44:45,073
He has returned to that,
but he had to make it better

1015
00:44:45,117 --> 00:44:46,771
than it had ever been before.

1016
00:44:48,294 --> 00:44:50,078
[Narrator]
And in December, 2011,

1017
00:44:50,165 --> 00:44:53,821
"Mission: Impossible -
Ghost Protocol" was released.

1018
00:44:53,952 --> 00:44:56,128
At the premier and in
its promotion,

1019
00:44:56,215 --> 00:44:58,652
Cruise was front
and center once again.

1020
00:44:58,739 --> 00:45:01,307
Yet, ongoing doubts
at Paramount

1021
00:45:01,350 --> 00:45:03,657
over its star's popular appeal

1022
00:45:03,744 --> 00:45:05,833
had seen initial versions
of the script

1023
00:45:05,964 --> 00:45:08,967
sideline his character,
Ethan Hunt,

1024
00:45:09,010 --> 00:45:11,621
and the final cut
was a very different film

1025
00:45:11,752 --> 00:45:14,102
than the original concept.

1026
00:45:14,146 --> 00:45:15,625
It was supposed to
originally be

1027
00:45:15,756 --> 00:45:17,323
Ethan Hunt's last appearance

1028
00:45:17,410 --> 00:45:19,020
in a "Mission:
Impossible" movie.

1029
00:45:19,107 --> 00:45:22,458
So they brought in
Jeremy Renner as somebody

1030
00:45:22,545 --> 00:45:26,375
who would step up and
become a new team leader.

1031
00:45:26,462 --> 00:45:27,986
If you look back
on that idea now,

1032
00:45:28,116 --> 00:45:30,336
it seems completely absurd.

1033
00:45:30,423 --> 00:45:32,338
Renner is a terrific actor,

1034
00:45:32,425 --> 00:45:34,340
but he doesn't have
the kind of charisma

1035
00:45:34,427 --> 00:45:36,037
that Tom Cruise does.

1036
00:45:36,124 --> 00:45:37,952
That's what you need in
a "Mission: Impossible" movie.

1037
00:45:38,039 --> 00:45:39,214
You need charisma.

1038
00:45:39,345 --> 00:45:41,477
You need him to be Ethan Hunt.

1039
00:45:41,564 --> 00:45:44,176
[Narrator] Having
repaired his relationship

1040
00:45:44,263 --> 00:45:46,787
with Paramount kingpin,
Sumner Redstone,

1041
00:45:46,918 --> 00:45:49,094
during the production
Cruise drafted in

1042
00:45:49,224 --> 00:45:52,140
his new creative partner,
Christopher McQuarrie,

1043
00:45:52,227 --> 00:45:56,275
to rework the script and
shift the focus back onto Hunt.

1044
00:45:56,362 --> 00:45:57,580
Yet, after five years of

1045
00:45:57,624 --> 00:46:00,018
underwhelming
box office returns,

1046
00:46:00,061 --> 00:46:04,022
"Ghost Protocol" was still
a pressure project for its star.

1047
00:46:04,065 --> 00:46:06,285
But when it opened,
it became the biggest hit

1048
00:46:06,372 --> 00:46:08,330
of Cruise's entire career.

1049
00:46:09,679 --> 00:46:11,290
"Ghost Protocol" is
incredible,

1050
00:46:11,377 --> 00:46:13,727
because it's the fourth
installment of a franchise.

1051
00:46:13,814 --> 00:46:15,424
Usually it's by three

1052
00:46:15,511 --> 00:46:17,296
that things really
fall off the edge

1053
00:46:17,383 --> 00:46:19,646
with most great franchises.

1054
00:46:19,733 --> 00:46:22,301
And here's "Ghost Protocol",
the fourth entry

1055
00:46:22,388 --> 00:46:25,608
in the franchise,
and it's the best by far.

1056
00:46:25,652 --> 00:46:27,393
If none of the other movies
had been made

1057
00:46:27,436 --> 00:46:29,395
and it was just
a standalone film,

1058
00:46:29,482 --> 00:46:32,180
it would be considered one
of the great action thrillers

1059
00:46:32,224 --> 00:46:33,138
of all time.

1060
00:46:34,400 --> 00:46:38,012
[suspenseful orchestral music]

1061
00:46:46,325 --> 00:46:48,718
- [tires screeching]
- [Ethan grunting]

1062
00:46:48,849 --> 00:46:50,198
- [man shouting]
- If you argue

1063
00:46:50,242 --> 00:46:51,504
that "Mission: Impossible 3"

1064
00:46:51,634 --> 00:46:52,853
marked the end of Tom Cruise

1065
00:46:52,940 --> 00:46:56,117
as an unimpeachable,
matinee idol movie star,

1066
00:46:56,204 --> 00:46:57,423
"Mission: Impossible -
Ghost Protocol"

1067
00:46:57,510 --> 00:46:59,164
basically saved his career.

1068
00:46:59,294 --> 00:47:01,644
[Narrator] And with
"Incredibles" director Brad Bird

1069
00:47:01,731 --> 00:47:04,560
at the helm, the focus
of this fourth installment

1070
00:47:04,647 --> 00:47:06,432
was action.

1071
00:47:06,519 --> 00:47:09,304
And where "Mission: Impossible
3"' had been light on stunts,

1072
00:47:09,435 --> 00:47:11,567
with his return
to the franchise,

1073
00:47:11,654 --> 00:47:13,700
Cruise pulled out all the stops.

1074
00:47:13,787 --> 00:47:16,007
Brad Bird kind of
conceived "Ghost Protocol"

1075
00:47:16,094 --> 00:47:18,661
as this set piece machine.

1076
00:47:18,705 --> 00:47:20,663
In the series,
I think that is the one

1077
00:47:20,707 --> 00:47:23,231
that most acknowledges
that what people love

1078
00:47:23,318 --> 00:47:26,800
about these movies is seeing
Cruise and company squirm

1079
00:47:26,887 --> 00:47:29,542
out of really
difficult situations.

1080
00:47:29,629 --> 00:47:31,370
I think it has some of the
best stunts in the whole series.

1081
00:47:31,457 --> 00:47:33,894
I think him climbing
the Burj Khalifa is

1082
00:47:34,025 --> 00:47:35,461
really hard to top, actually.

1083
00:47:35,548 --> 00:47:36,984
I think he's been
trying to top it since,

1084
00:47:37,115 --> 00:47:38,246
and I don't think
there's been a sequence

1085
00:47:38,333 --> 00:47:41,467
in the franchise that's
as exciting as that sequence.

1086
00:47:41,510 --> 00:47:43,121
[dramatic orchestral music]

1087
00:47:43,164 --> 00:47:45,906
Okay, now remember,
it's a rolling off motion

1088
00:47:46,037 --> 00:47:47,516
that disengages the bond.

1089
00:47:47,603 --> 00:47:49,867
When the meter is blue,
that's full adhesion.

1090
00:47:49,954 --> 00:47:52,130
Easy way to remember--
Blue is glue.

1091
00:47:52,260 --> 00:47:53,827
- And when it's red?
- Dead.

1092
00:47:53,914 --> 00:47:55,568
Here's your cutter, okay?

1093
00:47:55,698 --> 00:47:57,831
And your server interface
both going back here.

1094
00:47:57,875 --> 00:47:59,398
One, two.

1095
00:47:59,485 --> 00:48:00,790
Okay, Ethan,

1096
00:48:00,921 --> 00:48:02,488
the hotel server's
11 stories up

1097
00:48:02,575 --> 00:48:05,795
and seven units over.
Okay?

1098
00:48:05,926 --> 00:48:08,537
- Com check?
- Yeah, copy.

1099
00:48:10,278 --> 00:48:12,846
So...

1100
00:48:14,065 --> 00:48:17,807
"Ghost Protocol"
gave Tom Cruise his mojo back

1101
00:48:17,938 --> 00:48:23,161
by letting audiences see his
fear and laugh with him again.

1102
00:48:24,162 --> 00:48:26,686
- [device beeping]
- [suspenseful orchestral music]

1103
00:48:26,773 --> 00:48:27,948
[Ethan grunting]

1104
00:48:32,692 --> 00:48:35,564
[device beeping]

1105
00:48:35,651 --> 00:48:39,220
None of the gadgets work,
none of their plans work.

1106
00:48:39,307 --> 00:48:41,962
They're constantly perplexed
and flustered

1107
00:48:42,093 --> 00:48:43,442
and on the brink of death,

1108
00:48:43,529 --> 00:48:45,748
because nothing around them
goes right.

1109
00:48:45,792 --> 00:48:47,315
He's relatable again.

1110
00:48:47,402 --> 00:48:51,624
And I think he transitions
from Tom Cruise

1111
00:48:51,754 --> 00:48:54,105
to being almost like
an American Jackie Chan.

1112
00:48:55,062 --> 00:48:57,325
[Narrator] Yet,
at almost 50 years old,

1113
00:48:57,412 --> 00:49:00,154
Cruise was still determined
to provide the audience

1114
00:49:00,241 --> 00:49:03,592
with a performance of
remarkable physicality.

1115
00:49:03,679 --> 00:49:06,334
What's amazing about
"Ghost Protocol" is,

1116
00:49:06,421 --> 00:49:08,597
at this point, it is probably

1117
00:49:08,684 --> 00:49:11,078
the most physical performance
he's ever given.

1118
00:49:11,209 --> 00:49:13,080
It's interesting,
because we don't say,

1119
00:49:13,211 --> 00:49:15,256
"You know, that Tom Cruise,
he's got a lot of star power

1120
00:49:15,343 --> 00:49:17,258
and energy for his age."

1121
00:49:17,345 --> 00:49:19,217
He just does,
and I guarantee

1122
00:49:19,304 --> 00:49:21,828
a lot of 30-year old actors
are sitting around going,

1123
00:49:21,915 --> 00:49:24,613
"What is it with this guy,
that Energizer Bunny thing?"

1124
00:49:24,700 --> 00:49:26,441
[explosion booming]

1125
00:49:26,572 --> 00:49:28,791
[car horn honking]

1126
00:49:28,922 --> 00:49:31,098
[tires screeching]

1127
00:49:31,229 --> 00:49:33,361
We actually believe
he could chase down

1128
00:49:33,448 --> 00:49:37,713
the 26-year old bad guy
from behind, because he can.

1129
00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:40,847
I think it's absolutely
astonishing that Cruise,

1130
00:49:40,934 --> 00:49:43,850
at the age that he was
when he made "Ghost Protocol",

1131
00:49:43,937 --> 00:49:46,679
was doing the kind
of things that you would

1132
00:49:46,809 --> 00:49:49,464
only expect an actor
in their 30s to do,

1133
00:49:49,508 --> 00:49:53,033
that even he wasn't
doing himself in his 30s.

1134
00:49:53,077 --> 00:49:57,081
So it just adds to this idea
of him being ageless.

1135
00:49:57,168 --> 00:49:59,300
The character of
James Bond is ageless

1136
00:49:59,387 --> 00:50:01,607
because they keep recasting
new people as it.

1137
00:50:01,650 --> 00:50:03,174
The character of
Ethan Hunt is ageless

1138
00:50:03,261 --> 00:50:04,523
because he's Tom Cruise.

1139
00:50:06,046 --> 00:50:07,265
[Narrator] With some
of the best reviews

1140
00:50:07,352 --> 00:50:09,832
he had ever received
and a worldwide gross

1141
00:50:09,919 --> 00:50:12,705
of nearly 700 million dollars,

1142
00:50:12,835 --> 00:50:15,142
"Ghost Protocol" provided
Cruise's career

1143
00:50:15,273 --> 00:50:18,319
with the shot in the arm
it so desperately needed.

1144
00:50:18,406 --> 00:50:21,540
The reaction to his
adrenaline-fueled performance

1145
00:50:21,627 --> 00:50:25,979
also provided him with
a roadmap for future success.

1146
00:50:26,066 --> 00:50:30,723
Yet, when 2012's "Jack Reacher"
and 2013's "Oblivion"

1147
00:50:30,766 --> 00:50:34,335
divided critics and failed
to attract large audiences,

1148
00:50:34,422 --> 00:50:37,164
it suggested
that Cruise's career revival

1149
00:50:37,295 --> 00:50:40,863
was a work in progress,
rather than a certainty.

1150
00:50:40,950 --> 00:50:43,997
In 2014, however,
he returned to the big screen

1151
00:50:44,084 --> 00:50:46,217
with the high-concept
science fiction thriller

1152
00:50:46,260 --> 00:50:48,001
"Edge of Tomorrow",

1153
00:50:48,088 --> 00:50:50,351
and critics instantly
hailed it

1154
00:50:50,438 --> 00:50:53,572
as one of the strongest films
he had ever made.

1155
00:50:53,659 --> 00:50:55,052
"Edge of Tomorrow"'s
a terrific film,

1156
00:50:55,139 --> 00:50:57,489
based on some
great source material.

1157
00:50:57,576 --> 00:50:59,534
It's kind of
a "Groundhog Day",

1158
00:50:59,665 --> 00:51:02,015
except with much higher stakes.

1159
00:51:02,102 --> 00:51:03,930
[Narrator] Adapted
from the Japanese novel,

1160
00:51:04,017 --> 00:51:06,802
"All You Need is Kill",
Christopher McQuarrie

1161
00:51:06,889 --> 00:51:10,545
was once again drafted
into the script writing team.

1162
00:51:10,632 --> 00:51:13,896
And the film's narrative,
of a cowardly military officer

1163
00:51:13,983 --> 00:51:15,550
caught in a time loop

1164
00:51:15,637 --> 00:51:19,119
after dying on the battlefield
during an alien invasion,

1165
00:51:19,163 --> 00:51:23,341
allowed Cruise to probe
his own onscreen persona.

1166
00:51:23,428 --> 00:51:24,951
"Edge of Tomorrow"
in some ways, I think,

1167
00:51:25,038 --> 00:51:27,562
is sort of a culmination
of Cruise's career.

1168
00:51:27,606 --> 00:51:29,956
That movie is Tom Cruise,
I think, acknowledging

1169
00:51:30,043 --> 00:51:31,697
and even playing with
the audience's

1170
00:51:31,740 --> 00:51:33,177
love-hate relationship
with him.

1171
00:51:33,264 --> 00:51:35,048
At the beginning of the movie,
he's playing this kind of

1172
00:51:35,092 --> 00:51:37,442
slimy military big wig

1173
00:51:37,572 --> 00:51:39,922
who has been sort of
thoughtlessly propagandizing

1174
00:51:40,009 --> 00:51:42,186
for this war that's
causing the death of

1175
00:51:42,273 --> 00:51:43,622
thousands of people
every day,

1176
00:51:43,709 --> 00:51:48,496
and he is drafted into the war
and dies on the battlefield.

1177
00:51:48,583 --> 00:51:51,456
And I think those
early scenes very much play

1178
00:51:51,586 --> 00:51:53,719
with the idea
that there probably is a portion

1179
00:51:53,806 --> 00:51:55,547
of the audience
that doesn't like Cruise,

1180
00:51:55,634 --> 00:51:57,505
that would really
relate to being allowed

1181
00:51:57,549 --> 00:51:59,420
to dislike a Cruise character.

1182
00:51:59,507 --> 00:52:04,077
The film plays to
multiple aspects of his career

1183
00:52:04,164 --> 00:52:07,385
and elements of
his versatility as an actor.

1184
00:52:08,429 --> 00:52:11,084
Come on!
The ship is going to explode!

1185
00:52:12,303 --> 00:52:14,131
What are you doing?

1186
00:52:14,218 --> 00:52:15,958
Find me when you wake up.

1187
00:52:16,045 --> 00:52:17,743
- [explosion booming]
- What?

1188
00:52:17,786 --> 00:52:19,092
Come find me
when you wake up.

1189
00:52:19,136 --> 00:52:20,876
[explosion booming]

1190
00:52:20,920 --> 00:52:22,095
[William gasping]

1191
00:52:22,182 --> 00:52:23,966
It is an interesting way
to do it,

1192
00:52:24,010 --> 00:52:25,403
because he's doing it
within the context

1193
00:52:25,446 --> 00:52:27,840
of this surreal,
fantastical situation,

1194
00:52:27,970 --> 00:52:29,842
where he's
just constantly dying

1195
00:52:29,885 --> 00:52:32,671
and having to repeat this day
over and over and over again.

1196
00:52:32,758 --> 00:52:37,023
And through that,
he builds up his expertise,

1197
00:52:37,110 --> 00:52:39,547
which is also such
a Tom Cruise thing to do.

1198
00:52:39,591 --> 00:52:42,898
[dramatic orchestral music]

1199
00:52:42,985 --> 00:52:45,249
[gun firing]

1200
00:52:49,688 --> 00:52:51,559
[gun firing]

1201
00:52:51,646 --> 00:52:55,215
It is totally like
the young cocky Tom Cruise,

1202
00:52:55,302 --> 00:52:59,001
him going from that to the sort
of man-of-action Tom Cruise.

1203
00:52:59,045 --> 00:53:00,873
It's all about him sort of

1204
00:53:01,003 --> 00:53:02,788
redeeming himself
in a way, that, I think,

1205
00:53:02,875 --> 00:53:05,573
as a movie star,
he kind of has over the years,

1206
00:53:05,660 --> 00:53:07,009
at least in some people's eyes.

1207
00:53:07,096 --> 00:53:09,403
[Narrator]
But despite rave reviews

1208
00:53:09,490 --> 00:53:11,231
and positive word of mouth,

1209
00:53:11,318 --> 00:53:13,364
"Edge of Tomorrow"
was yet another disappointment

1210
00:53:13,407 --> 00:53:15,583
at the box office.

1211
00:53:15,670 --> 00:53:17,803
"Edge of Tomorrow"
continues to confound me,

1212
00:53:17,890 --> 00:53:20,588
in terms of why
it was not more successful.

1213
00:53:20,675 --> 00:53:22,373
It's one of his strongest films.

1214
00:53:22,460 --> 00:53:24,375
It's a great performance.

1215
00:53:24,462 --> 00:53:26,028
It's one of
his funniest performances.

1216
00:53:26,115 --> 00:53:27,639
The film's really smart.

1217
00:53:27,726 --> 00:53:30,468
It's a great sort of sci-fi
setup, alien invasion film.

1218
00:53:30,511 --> 00:53:32,948
And again, Christopher McQuarrie
was involved

1219
00:53:33,035 --> 00:53:34,863
in working on the script.

1220
00:53:34,950 --> 00:53:36,604
So they've taken it
and spun it and twisted it

1221
00:53:36,691 --> 00:53:39,346
and done everything interesting
they can do with it.

1222
00:53:39,477 --> 00:53:41,653
He had a great co-star
in Emily Blunt.

1223
00:53:41,740 --> 00:53:43,481
So there's all these things,
and yet,

1224
00:53:43,611 --> 00:53:46,701
for some reason,
it doesn't add up

1225
00:53:46,832 --> 00:53:49,051
to a box office success.

1226
00:53:49,138 --> 00:53:51,750
But obviously,
it's become, over time,

1227
00:53:51,837 --> 00:53:53,534
appreciated and recognized.

1228
00:53:53,621 --> 00:53:57,756
And I guess it's one
of those weird things.

1229
00:53:57,843 --> 00:54:00,062
It's a Tom Cruise cult hit.

1230
00:54:00,149 --> 00:54:03,109
[Narrator] And although
the film did gain in stature,

1231
00:54:03,196 --> 00:54:05,764
its initial struggle
to attract an audience

1232
00:54:05,851 --> 00:54:09,158
demonstrated how
the landscape was changing.

1233
00:54:09,289 --> 00:54:11,857
When Cruise's career was
revived by "Ghost Protocol",

1234
00:54:11,900 --> 00:54:13,554
back in 2011,

1235
00:54:13,641 --> 00:54:16,905
the Marvel Cinematic Universe
was only five films

1236
00:54:16,992 --> 00:54:20,300
into its unprecedented run
of releases.

1237
00:54:20,387 --> 00:54:23,999
By 2015, it was king
of the box office

1238
00:54:24,086 --> 00:54:27,829
and soon to be joined by
a raft of remakes, revivals,

1239
00:54:27,960 --> 00:54:32,660
rival superhero universes,
and the return of "Star Wars".

1240
00:54:32,704 --> 00:54:35,097
Refreshing original
star vehicles

1241
00:54:35,141 --> 00:54:36,534
like "Edge of Tomorrow"

1242
00:54:36,577 --> 00:54:38,492
stood little chance
of getting noticed

1243
00:54:38,579 --> 00:54:40,712
amidst the appeal
of the familiar.

1244
00:54:43,889 --> 00:54:45,325
The studios are
trying to find things

1245
00:54:45,412 --> 00:54:47,022
that people are
familiar with and then,

1246
00:54:47,109 --> 00:54:49,329
just making more and
more and more of them.

1247
00:54:49,373 --> 00:54:52,550
This does also
change the star system.

1248
00:54:52,680 --> 00:54:55,727
Stardom is defined not
so much as

1249
00:54:55,814 --> 00:55:00,471
this actor making
whatever they want,

1250
00:55:00,558 --> 00:55:03,256
but it becomes this actor
playing this character.

1251
00:55:03,343 --> 00:55:06,694
[Announcer]
Mr. Robert Downey Jr.!

1252
00:55:06,781 --> 00:55:08,783
[crowd cheering]

1253
00:55:08,827 --> 00:55:11,873
The paradigm has shifted
in a really big way,

1254
00:55:12,004 --> 00:55:14,659
in terms of Hollywood's
relationship to movie stars.

1255
00:55:14,789 --> 00:55:17,575
I do think that audiences
don't necessarily require it

1256
00:55:17,705 --> 00:55:18,924
in the same way
they used to,

1257
00:55:19,011 --> 00:55:20,708
and it is about
the intellectual property,

1258
00:55:20,752 --> 00:55:23,145
it's about the characters.

1259
00:55:23,232 --> 00:55:24,408
Now, some of the films
are good,

1260
00:55:24,495 --> 00:55:25,278
some of the films are bad,

1261
00:55:25,365 --> 00:55:26,801
some of the films
are middling,

1262
00:55:26,932 --> 00:55:28,586
but it's almost like
it doesn't matter.

1263
00:55:28,629 --> 00:55:31,197
The best Avengers movie
and the worst Avengers movie

1264
00:55:31,284 --> 00:55:33,939
both make a ton of money,

1265
00:55:34,026 --> 00:55:36,594
and it doesn't seem to matter
if one is better than the other.

1266
00:55:36,637 --> 00:55:39,771
Marvel's success
also happened to coincide

1267
00:55:39,858 --> 00:55:41,294
with people no
longer going to the movies

1268
00:55:41,381 --> 00:55:42,556
to see regular movies.

1269
00:55:42,643 --> 00:55:45,167
So it wasn't just that Marvel
was taking over

1270
00:55:45,254 --> 00:55:48,736
the blockbuster ecosystem,
which fine, whatever,

1271
00:55:48,823 --> 00:55:50,825
but they were basically
taking over cinema in general,

1272
00:55:50,912 --> 00:55:53,741
because the people that
would've seen everything else

1273
00:55:53,828 --> 00:55:55,395
stopped going
to the movies.

1274
00:55:56,396 --> 00:56:00,269
Now, within this world,
Tom Cruise, I think,

1275
00:56:00,400 --> 00:56:04,622
understands that people like
to see him playing Ethan Hunt.

1276
00:56:04,752 --> 00:56:06,841
[Narrator]
And Cruise returned

1277
00:56:06,885 --> 00:56:09,191
in the "Mission: Impossible"
franchise once again,

1278
00:56:09,278 --> 00:56:12,369
in the summer of 2015,
with "Rogue Nation".

1279
00:56:13,631 --> 00:56:15,241
Upon its release,
it was surrounded

1280
00:56:15,328 --> 00:56:18,113
by high-profile
comic book blockbusters.

1281
00:56:18,200 --> 00:56:20,028
But unlike
"Edge of Tomorrow",

1282
00:56:20,115 --> 00:56:22,857
it didn't struggle
to find an audience.

1283
00:56:22,944 --> 00:56:25,904
"Mission: Impossible" had
become one of the most popular

1284
00:56:25,991 --> 00:56:28,559
and lucrative franchises
in the entire film industry.

1285
00:56:28,646 --> 00:56:31,779
And Cruise's nearly
20-year tenure as Ethan Hunt

1286
00:56:31,823 --> 00:56:34,434
was unprecedented.

1287
00:56:34,478 --> 00:56:36,349
It took some amount
of foresight

1288
00:56:36,436 --> 00:56:37,872
to put himself
in this position,

1289
00:56:37,916 --> 00:56:40,571
because he made his first
"Mission: Impossible" movie

1290
00:56:40,614 --> 00:56:43,008
in 1996,
and he sticks to it.

1291
00:56:43,051 --> 00:56:45,793
Through thick and thin,
he sticks to it, and now,

1292
00:56:45,880 --> 00:56:50,798
suddenly, he is essentially
kind of a superhero.

1293
00:56:50,885 --> 00:56:53,497
[Narrator] With Christopher
McQuarrie not only scripting,

1294
00:56:53,584 --> 00:56:56,804
but also taking the reins
as the film's director,

1295
00:56:56,891 --> 00:57:00,155
it proved another critical
and commercial smash hit.

1296
00:57:00,242 --> 00:57:02,941
And "Mission: Impossible"
was now more popular

1297
00:57:03,028 --> 00:57:05,291
than it had ever been before.

1298
00:57:05,378 --> 00:57:09,600
"Rogue Nation" absolutely
built on "Ghost Protocol", 100%.

1299
00:57:09,687 --> 00:57:11,384
To be honest,
it's been escalation ever since

1300
00:57:11,471 --> 00:57:12,907
with those films.

1301
00:57:13,038 --> 00:57:16,084
"Ghost Protocol" was the best
"Mission: Impossible" movie

1302
00:57:16,171 --> 00:57:17,912
up to that point, then
"Rogue Nation" comes along,

1303
00:57:17,999 --> 00:57:19,610
and it's the best
"Mission: Impossible" movie

1304
00:57:19,653 --> 00:57:20,959
up to that point.

1305
00:57:21,046 --> 00:57:23,265
That is the film
when you realize that

1306
00:57:23,352 --> 00:57:26,573
this franchise has
become an ensemble franchise.

1307
00:57:26,704 --> 00:57:29,184
They take this ensemble cast
and turn them

1308
00:57:29,271 --> 00:57:31,491
into a surrogate family,
and you want to spend time

1309
00:57:31,622 --> 00:57:32,666
with all of them.

1310
00:57:32,753 --> 00:57:34,146
It's interesting,
because the first film

1311
00:57:34,276 --> 00:57:35,626
is about sort of
killing off the idea

1312
00:57:35,713 --> 00:57:38,716
of "Mission: Impossible"
as a group franchise.

1313
00:57:38,846 --> 00:57:40,152
It's all about Tom Cruise.

1314
00:57:40,282 --> 00:57:42,981
It felt to me like
a process of figuring out

1315
00:57:43,068 --> 00:57:45,200
which characters people liked

1316
00:57:45,287 --> 00:57:48,116
and kind of getting that perfect
configuration over the years.

1317
00:57:48,203 --> 00:57:49,640
And then, at a certain point,
you get a core team

1318
00:57:49,683 --> 00:57:51,642
that people really like.

1319
00:57:51,729 --> 00:57:53,861
[Narrator] And "Rogue Nation"
wasted no time

1320
00:57:53,905 --> 00:57:56,864
in introducing this core team.

1321
00:57:56,951 --> 00:57:58,866
The opening scene,
when they're

1322
00:57:58,953 --> 00:58:00,651
waiting for the big plane
to take off,

1323
00:58:00,738 --> 00:58:02,783
first, you see Simon Pegg.

1324
00:58:02,870 --> 00:58:04,219
You're like, "Ah,
I remember that character.

1325
00:58:04,306 --> 00:58:05,351
I like him."

1326
00:58:05,438 --> 00:58:06,657
Then you see Jeremy Renner,

1327
00:58:06,744 --> 00:58:08,441
"Ah, I liked him
in 'Ghost Protocol'.

1328
00:58:08,528 --> 00:58:10,661
I'm glad he's back."

1329
00:58:10,748 --> 00:58:12,750
And then you see Ving Rhames.

1330
00:58:12,837 --> 00:58:14,882
"Ah, Ving,
always happy to see you."

1331
00:58:14,926 --> 00:58:16,710
And then, you see Ethan Hunt.

1332
00:58:16,797 --> 00:58:19,496
[dramatic orchestral music]

1333
00:58:19,583 --> 00:58:21,759
Can you open the door?

1334
00:58:21,802 --> 00:58:24,196
- Ethan, where are you?
- I'm by the plane.

1335
00:58:24,326 --> 00:58:25,719
Benji, can you open the door?"

1336
00:58:25,806 --> 00:58:28,679
And it's a perfect
introduction to the movie.

1337
00:58:28,766 --> 00:58:30,768
And then, you have
this crazy ass stunt.

1338
00:58:30,855 --> 00:58:31,986
Benji, you open
that door right now!

1339
00:58:32,117 --> 00:58:33,292
Yeah, I'm trying.

1340
00:58:33,379 --> 00:58:36,077
[engine rumbling]

1341
00:58:41,256 --> 00:58:43,911
There's a collaborative
quality to these films,

1342
00:58:43,955 --> 00:58:46,479
and really, Tom Cruise is there

1343
00:58:46,566 --> 00:58:49,351
to provide some emotional throughline

1344
00:58:49,395 --> 00:58:53,007
and also to do like two
or three big stunts.

1345
00:58:53,138 --> 00:58:55,619
[Narrator] And
into this ensemble,

1346
00:58:55,706 --> 00:58:59,492
"Rogue Nation" added both
charismatic veteran Alec Baldwin

1347
00:58:59,579 --> 00:59:02,756
and an electrifying newcomer,
Rebecca Ferguson,

1348
00:59:02,843 --> 00:59:06,020
as British agent Ilsa Faust.

1349
00:59:06,064 --> 00:59:08,806
That's probably the first
"Mission: Impossible" movie

1350
00:59:08,849 --> 00:59:11,591
where the most interesting
character isn't Ethan Hunt.

1351
00:59:11,678 --> 00:59:13,158
Pretty much everybody's
favorite character

1352
00:59:13,245 --> 00:59:14,768
in that film
was Rebecca Ferguson.

1353
00:59:16,814 --> 00:59:19,207
She's a brilliant character.

1354
00:59:19,294 --> 00:59:21,862
She leapt off the screen,
she looked great,

1355
00:59:21,949 --> 00:59:24,604
and she was very sexy, but she
wasn't there as a sex object.

1356
00:59:24,691 --> 00:59:28,042
She was there because
she was a really capable agent,

1357
00:59:28,173 --> 00:59:30,958
almost as impressive as Ethan
Hunt himself, one might say.

1358
00:59:32,177 --> 00:59:33,004
[guns firing]

1359
00:59:34,396 --> 00:59:35,833
Cruise is
smart enough to know,

1360
00:59:35,876 --> 00:59:37,661
he's always been
smart enough to know,

1361
00:59:37,748 --> 00:59:42,187
if the whole movie is good,
if everyone else in it is good,

1362
00:59:42,274 --> 00:59:45,973
it will raise your profile,
it will raise your ship as well.

1363
00:59:46,060 --> 00:59:49,673
These films have
helped regain some of his mojo,

1364
00:59:49,760 --> 00:59:52,066
by being, again,
willing to step back

1365
00:59:52,110 --> 00:59:54,286
and let somebody else
be your favorite character.

1366
00:59:54,416 --> 00:59:56,854
[Narrator] But although
"Mission: Impossible"

1367
00:59:56,897 --> 01:00:00,553
had now firmly reestablished
its blockbuster credentials,

1368
01:00:00,640 --> 01:00:03,643
Cruise's appeal away from the
franchise still looked shaky.

1369
01:00:04,905 --> 01:00:07,125
A 2016 sequel to "Jack Reacher"

1370
01:00:07,212 --> 01:00:09,431
performed even more poorly
at the box office

1371
01:00:09,562 --> 01:00:11,869
and killed off
the franchise,

1372
01:00:11,912 --> 01:00:14,349
while the following year's
"The Mummy" opened

1373
01:00:14,436 --> 01:00:17,222
to the worst reviews of
the actor's entire career.

1374
01:00:18,353 --> 01:00:21,792
So, following a well-received
starring role in the smaller,

1375
01:00:21,879 --> 01:00:24,795
more mature feature,
"American Made",

1376
01:00:24,882 --> 01:00:27,580
in 2018, it was announced
that Cruise was

1377
01:00:27,667 --> 01:00:31,105
due back at movie theaters
once again

1378
01:00:31,192 --> 01:00:33,717
as Ethan Hunt in
"Mission: Impossible: Fallout".

1379
01:00:33,804 --> 01:00:37,764
And this time, during
the film's promotional campaign,

1380
01:00:37,895 --> 01:00:40,462
an injury he sustained
during the production

1381
01:00:40,506 --> 01:00:42,682
became a key selling point,

1382
01:00:42,769 --> 01:00:45,816
highlighting more than ever
his unique daredevil appeal.

1383
01:00:47,121 --> 01:00:48,514
The world we live in now,
I think,

1384
01:00:48,601 --> 01:00:51,125
where all of this pre-release
information is out there,

1385
01:00:51,169 --> 01:00:53,127
it doesn't surprise me
that they would weaponize

1386
01:00:53,258 --> 01:00:54,694
the fact that he hurt himself.

1387
01:00:54,738 --> 01:00:56,478
There's a certain morbid
fascination with the fact

1388
01:00:56,565 --> 01:00:57,654
that he keeps doing this,

1389
01:00:57,741 --> 01:00:59,699
and how far is he going
to take it?

1390
01:00:59,786 --> 01:01:03,268
The stunt itself
wasn't that remarkable, really.

1391
01:01:03,355 --> 01:01:07,707
It was Cruise jumping from
one rooftop to another rooftop,

1392
01:01:07,751 --> 01:01:09,622
but compared with
hanging off the Burj Khalifa

1393
01:01:09,709 --> 01:01:12,146
or clinging to
the side of a plane,

1394
01:01:12,233 --> 01:01:15,759
it seemed pretty mundane,
relatively speaking.

1395
01:01:15,846 --> 01:01:18,196
He did the jump,

1396
01:01:18,283 --> 01:01:20,154
and it went a little bit wrong.

1397
01:01:20,285 --> 01:01:21,982
He broke his ankle,

1398
01:01:22,069 --> 01:01:25,290
and then,
and this is the amazing thing,

1399
01:01:25,333 --> 01:01:28,380
pulls himself up,
and ever the pro, he doesn't go,

1400
01:01:28,510 --> 01:01:30,425
"Oh, God, I've broken
my ankle, guys. Stop rolling."

1401
01:01:30,512 --> 01:01:32,645
He carries on.
He gets up and runs,

1402
01:01:32,732 --> 01:01:35,604
so that
they can complete the shot.

1403
01:01:35,735 --> 01:01:37,824
And that to me is sort of
the defining attribute

1404
01:01:37,955 --> 01:01:39,870
of Tom Cruise's
career in a nutshell,

1405
01:01:39,957 --> 01:01:42,220
is that he will break
his leg to entertain you.

1406
01:01:42,307 --> 01:01:45,571
[Narrator] Cruise was willing
to go further than that.

1407
01:01:45,658 --> 01:01:47,529
With the key ensemble returning

1408
01:01:47,616 --> 01:01:50,358
and Christopher McQuarrie
at the helm once again,

1409
01:01:50,445 --> 01:01:53,231
"Fallout" featured
a blistering array of stunts

1410
01:01:53,318 --> 01:01:56,408
and set pieces, including
a high speed motorbike chase,

1411
01:01:56,538 --> 01:01:58,540
a helicopter battle,

1412
01:01:58,584 --> 01:02:00,673
and a dangerous
halo parachute jump,

1413
01:02:00,760 --> 01:02:03,545
all performed
by Cruise himself.

1414
01:02:03,632 --> 01:02:06,331
"Fallout",
just for the record, I think,

1415
01:02:06,374 --> 01:02:08,202
is an absolutely
astonishing film.

1416
01:02:08,246 --> 01:02:10,552
It's almost up there with
"Mad Max: Fury Road" in my mind

1417
01:02:10,639 --> 01:02:12,990
as just being
a masterpiece of action cinema.

1418
01:02:13,120 --> 01:02:17,821
- [engines revving]
- [dramatic orchestral music]

1419
01:02:19,823 --> 01:02:22,390
[engine revving]

1420
01:02:22,477 --> 01:02:24,697
[car horn honking]

1421
01:02:27,569 --> 01:02:28,919
The film is terrific.

1422
01:02:29,006 --> 01:02:31,878
The action sequences
are incredibly creative,

1423
01:02:32,009 --> 01:02:35,969
and because they're doing
a lot of this stuff for real,

1424
01:02:36,056 --> 01:02:38,145
it has a kind of immediacy

1425
01:02:38,189 --> 01:02:40,800
that really translates
to the audience.

1426
01:02:40,887 --> 01:02:44,717
When you're watching the film,
you feel the danger.

1427
01:02:44,804 --> 01:02:47,459
You feel the danger
for these characters.

1428
01:02:47,502 --> 01:02:51,506
I watched "Fallout" convinced
Tom Cruise was going to die.

1429
01:02:51,593 --> 01:02:54,509
The idea that he's
this kamikaze daredevil

1430
01:02:54,596 --> 01:02:56,860
who's just like you,
but he's willing to do

1431
01:02:56,947 --> 01:02:59,166
these crazy things
that you won't do

1432
01:02:59,210 --> 01:03:01,386
to make the best movie possible,

1433
01:03:01,473 --> 01:03:03,388
that plays very well.

1434
01:03:03,431 --> 01:03:05,607
[Narrator] And "Fallout"
did play very well,

1435
01:03:05,651 --> 01:03:07,958
both the highest-grossing film
in the franchise,

1436
01:03:08,045 --> 01:03:10,699
and in 2018,
the highest-grossing film

1437
01:03:10,830 --> 01:03:12,527
of Cruise's entire career.

1438
01:03:13,485 --> 01:03:15,052
And when he hit the publicity circuit

1439
01:03:15,182 --> 01:03:16,967
with his co-stars
to promote it,

1440
01:03:17,054 --> 01:03:20,274
he was already in production
on another blockbuster,

1441
01:03:20,405 --> 01:03:23,190
the long awaited sequel
to "Top Gun".

1442
01:03:23,234 --> 01:03:25,192
Having resisted a follow up

1443
01:03:25,236 --> 01:03:27,978
to the iconic '80s hit
for 30 years,

1444
01:03:28,065 --> 01:03:30,502
Cruise had finally signed on
to return

1445
01:03:30,632 --> 01:03:32,330
as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell.

1446
01:03:35,768 --> 01:03:38,118
But in February, 2020,

1447
01:03:38,205 --> 01:03:40,207
the COVID pandemic hit

1448
01:03:40,294 --> 01:03:42,644
and everything
ground to a halt.

1449
01:03:44,342 --> 01:03:46,779
There are much
huger problems with COVID,

1450
01:03:46,866 --> 01:03:49,434
real-life tragedies,
but for the industry,

1451
01:03:49,521 --> 01:03:51,697
it was a crisis
that the movie industry

1452
01:03:51,784 --> 01:03:54,569
had probably never seen ever.

1453
01:03:54,656 --> 01:03:57,442
[Narrator] Productions
were paused and theaters closed,

1454
01:03:57,485 --> 01:04:01,228
leaving a huge backlog
of unreleased films.

1455
01:04:01,315 --> 01:04:03,883
A lot of major studios
and a lot of big films,

1456
01:04:03,927 --> 01:04:05,711
they were saying, "Well,
it's better to get it out.

1457
01:04:05,798 --> 01:04:07,365
Let's put it on Disney Plus.

1458
01:04:07,452 --> 01:04:08,845
Let's put it on Hulu.

1459
01:04:08,932 --> 01:04:11,456
Yeah, it was shot
for the big screen,

1460
01:04:11,543 --> 01:04:13,980
but we can't just sit
on these movies."

1461
01:04:14,111 --> 01:04:16,026
[Narrator] With streaming
services thriving

1462
01:04:16,113 --> 01:04:18,332
due to a captive audience,

1463
01:04:18,376 --> 01:04:21,335
the fate of the cinema industry
hung in the balance.

1464
01:04:21,466 --> 01:04:23,685
In the summer of 2020,

1465
01:04:23,772 --> 01:04:26,340
when restrictions were being
tentatively lifted,

1466
01:04:26,471 --> 01:04:28,255
the release
of Christopher Nolan's "Tenet"

1467
01:04:28,299 --> 01:04:30,344
was the first real test

1468
01:04:30,475 --> 01:04:33,695
of whether audiences
would return to theaters.

1469
01:04:33,782 --> 01:04:36,307
And Cruise,
keen to show his support

1470
01:04:36,394 --> 01:04:38,613
for the big screen experience,

1471
01:04:38,700 --> 01:04:40,964
issued a video
on his social media.

1472
01:04:47,971 --> 01:04:51,104
It's hugely heartening
to have seen Cruise

1473
01:04:51,191 --> 01:04:53,498
go out there
and bang the drum.

1474
01:04:53,628 --> 01:04:55,152
[Tom]

1475
01:04:55,282 --> 01:04:56,327
[Speaker]

1476
01:04:56,414 --> 01:04:58,024
[Tom]

1477
01:04:58,155 --> 01:05:00,287
There was an element
of that kind of caution,

1478
01:05:00,374 --> 01:05:01,549
but at the same time,
it's like,

1479
01:05:01,636 --> 01:05:05,162
"Well, we can't let
this entertainment form,

1480
01:05:05,292 --> 01:05:07,425
this art form, die, can we?"

1481
01:05:07,512 --> 01:05:11,168
He's a champion of cinema,
of movie making,

1482
01:05:11,255 --> 01:05:13,953
and of the thousands of jobs
behind the scenes

1483
01:05:14,084 --> 01:05:16,390
that go with making movies.

1484
01:05:16,434 --> 01:05:19,263
[Narrator] And as a producer,
Cruise was acutely aware

1485
01:05:19,393 --> 01:05:22,396
of his responsibility to
those working on his films.

1486
01:05:22,527 --> 01:05:24,877
He had been keen
to restart shooting

1487
01:05:24,964 --> 01:05:26,618
on the next
"Mission: Impossible" film,

1488
01:05:26,748 --> 01:05:29,012
in an effort
to keep the industry going,

1489
01:05:29,099 --> 01:05:30,187
with the production governed

1490
01:05:30,317 --> 01:05:31,797
by strict health guidelines.

1491
01:05:32,667 --> 01:05:34,582
But in December that year,

1492
01:05:34,669 --> 01:05:36,410
audio was leaked from the set

1493
01:05:36,541 --> 01:05:38,369
of Cruise berating crew members

1494
01:05:38,456 --> 01:05:41,459
for not
following COVID protocols.

1495
01:05:41,546 --> 01:05:43,461
The clip quickly went viral.

1496
01:05:57,823 --> 01:06:00,652
You would've
thought, certainly, whatever,

1497
01:06:00,782 --> 01:06:04,786
looking back on what
happened in 2005

1498
01:06:04,830 --> 01:06:06,353
or looking back
on other incidents, like,

1499
01:06:06,397 --> 01:06:07,789
for example, Christian Bale.

1500
01:06:07,876 --> 01:06:10,270
Again, he was someone
that got caught ranting

1501
01:06:10,357 --> 01:06:11,619
at a crew member.

1502
01:06:11,706 --> 01:06:14,057
Those things,
they don't really come out well.

1503
01:06:14,144 --> 01:06:16,407
People quite rightly say
"You shouldn't be like that.",

1504
01:06:16,494 --> 01:06:17,756
But what's really
interesting with Cruise

1505
01:06:17,843 --> 01:06:20,019
in this instance,

1506
01:06:20,106 --> 01:06:22,195
he came out of it pretty well.

1507
01:06:26,460 --> 01:06:29,115
I think the vast majority
of people out there were like,

1508
01:06:29,246 --> 01:06:31,117
"He's looking out
for the safety of people.

1509
01:06:31,248 --> 01:06:32,466
He's trying to keep this production

1510
01:06:32,597 --> 01:06:33,815
from being shut down,"

1511
01:06:33,902 --> 01:06:35,948
which happened with
a lot of major movies.

1512
01:06:36,035 --> 01:06:37,471
He's saying what other people
probably wanted to say

1513
01:06:37,602 --> 01:06:38,995
on that set and couldn't say,

1514
01:06:39,082 --> 01:06:41,171
because
he could get away with it.

1515
01:06:41,258 --> 01:06:43,347
So I think it actually
worked in his favor.

1516
01:06:43,477 --> 01:06:46,002
[Narrator] After his
reputation had been so damaged

1517
01:06:46,089 --> 01:06:47,090
in the early 2000s,

1518
01:06:47,177 --> 01:06:50,180
this response was evidence
that Cruise

1519
01:06:50,223 --> 01:06:52,660
had turned a corner and
that public opinion

1520
01:06:52,747 --> 01:06:54,749
was back on his side.

1521
01:06:54,836 --> 01:06:57,622
And his standing
was further enhanced

1522
01:06:57,709 --> 01:06:59,189
when he continued to
resist the opportunity

1523
01:06:59,232 --> 01:07:02,148
to sell "Top Gun: Maverick"
to streaming,

1524
01:07:02,279 --> 01:07:04,846
holding out for
a theatrical release.

1525
01:07:04,933 --> 01:07:07,501
As the producer
and the star that he is,

1526
01:07:07,632 --> 01:07:08,981
he had the heft

1527
01:07:09,068 --> 01:07:11,679
to prevent
that from coming out

1528
01:07:11,766 --> 01:07:13,725
and just going straight
to streaming.

1529
01:07:13,855 --> 01:07:16,075
Cruise knows that his
particular kind of entertainment

1530
01:07:16,119 --> 01:07:18,556
that he offers plays better
on the big screen.

1531
01:07:18,643 --> 01:07:21,298
The Burj Khalifa scene
in "Ghost Protocol",

1532
01:07:21,428 --> 01:07:24,692
that's not going to play
the same on your TV at home.

1533
01:07:24,779 --> 01:07:27,434
At a time that cinema
is endangered,

1534
01:07:27,478 --> 01:07:30,481
when the streamers have

1535
01:07:30,568 --> 01:07:32,657
eaten away so significantly

1536
01:07:32,700 --> 01:07:35,094
into global cinema box office,

1537
01:07:35,181 --> 01:07:39,185
Cruise's insistence
on keeping "Top Gun"

1538
01:07:39,316 --> 01:07:42,319
and not releasing it
until there was

1539
01:07:42,406 --> 01:07:44,582
an opportune moment,
it was sort of a case

1540
01:07:44,669 --> 01:07:46,584
of Cruise to the rescue.

1541
01:07:46,671 --> 01:07:50,544
[dramatic orchestral music]

1542
01:07:50,631 --> 01:07:53,808
[Narrator] And Cruise's
instincts were right.

1543
01:07:53,895 --> 01:07:56,246
Having held back for two years,

1544
01:07:56,333 --> 01:07:58,117
when "Top Gun: Maverick"
was released

1545
01:07:58,161 --> 01:08:01,294
exclusively to cinemas
in May, 2022,

1546
01:08:01,381 --> 01:08:03,253
it went ballistic.

1547
01:08:03,340 --> 01:08:06,038
I was absolutely
blown away by it

1548
01:08:06,125 --> 01:08:08,040
as a theatrical experience.

1549
01:08:08,127 --> 01:08:09,607
It's spectacular.

1550
01:08:09,694 --> 01:08:11,087
Visually, it's spectacular.

1551
01:08:11,174 --> 01:08:13,176
It's also a very good movie.

1552
01:08:13,263 --> 01:08:14,568
It made perfect financial sense.

1553
01:08:14,699 --> 01:08:16,483
It made perfect artistic sense.

1554
01:08:16,570 --> 01:08:18,529
It made perfect
showmanship sense

1555
01:08:18,616 --> 01:08:21,923
to hold off on the release
of that film

1556
01:08:22,010 --> 01:08:25,492
until you knew people
could go into theaters safely.

1557
01:08:26,580 --> 01:08:28,843
"Maverick" is a really slick
legacy sequel

1558
01:08:28,930 --> 01:08:31,933
that's trading on people's
affection for an old movie,

1559
01:08:32,020 --> 01:08:34,806
but it's doing it with
this kind of romantic sincerity

1560
01:08:34,936 --> 01:08:36,155
that a lot of them don't have.

1561
01:08:36,242 --> 01:08:38,114
It's a very canny
piece of nostalgia.

1562
01:08:38,201 --> 01:08:41,465
[dramatic orchestral music]

1563
01:08:41,595 --> 01:08:43,510
When you see him first
in the beginning of the movie,

1564
01:08:43,597 --> 01:08:45,947
this really rousing
main theme that comes up

1565
01:08:45,991 --> 01:08:49,777
and whips off that tarp
and the old motorcycle is there

1566
01:08:49,864 --> 01:08:52,040
and he's zipping around,
and it got to me.

1567
01:08:52,171 --> 01:08:56,697
- [dramatic orchestral music]
- [engine revving]

1568
01:09:01,224 --> 01:09:05,967
He took the IP and
the nostalgia as a challenge

1569
01:09:06,011 --> 01:09:08,883
to say, "Okay,
we already have this.

1570
01:09:08,970 --> 01:09:10,972
Can we still
make a good movie?"

1571
01:09:11,059 --> 01:09:13,584
[Narrator] And for
the first time in his career,

1572
01:09:13,671 --> 01:09:15,673
Cruise's return to
the role of Maverick

1573
01:09:15,760 --> 01:09:19,807
in his late 50s would
specifically focus on his age.

1574
01:09:19,894 --> 01:09:22,984
We're definitely
getting a more mature Cruise.

1575
01:09:23,115 --> 01:09:25,204
In "Maverick", he's gone

1576
01:09:25,291 --> 01:09:30,557
from being the cocky upstart
character to being the mentor.

1577
01:09:30,644 --> 01:09:32,342
What the enemy
doesn't know

1578
01:09:32,429 --> 01:09:34,648
is your limits.

1579
01:09:34,779 --> 01:09:36,563
I intend to find them,

1580
01:09:36,607 --> 01:09:39,740
test them, push beyond.

1581
01:09:41,481 --> 01:09:43,440
Today, we'll start

1582
01:09:43,570 --> 01:09:45,311
with what
you only think you know.

1583
01:09:47,357 --> 01:09:49,010
Show me what you're made of.

1584
01:09:49,097 --> 01:09:51,274
One of the things
that it does with Tom Cruise,

1585
01:09:51,361 --> 01:09:52,927
it acknowledges that he's
an older man

1586
01:09:53,014 --> 01:09:54,146
than he was in the '80s,

1587
01:09:54,233 --> 01:09:56,148
while at the same time
defying that.

1588
01:09:58,063 --> 01:09:59,847
- Break right!
- Breaking right!

1589
01:10:01,675 --> 01:10:03,590
[Maverick] Rooster
just saved your life, fellas,

1590
01:10:03,677 --> 01:10:05,157
but it's going to cost him.

1591
01:10:05,244 --> 01:10:07,812
[Rooster]
Not this time, old man.

1592
01:10:07,899 --> 01:10:10,249
"Top Gun: Maverick", everybody
knew was going to do well.

1593
01:10:10,336 --> 01:10:12,338
Everybody figured would probably
get fairly good reviews,

1594
01:10:12,469 --> 01:10:14,514
but it exceeded
all expectations.

1595
01:10:14,601 --> 01:10:15,820
Now, here's this guy.
First of all, he looks--

1596
01:10:15,907 --> 01:10:17,648
people see him and go,
"Jesus Christ.

1597
01:10:17,735 --> 01:10:19,302
How does he look like that?"

1598
01:10:19,389 --> 01:10:21,391
We believe him
on the motorcycle.

1599
01:10:21,478 --> 01:10:23,393
We believe him in the cockpit.

1600
01:10:23,480 --> 01:10:24,959
[engine revving]

1601
01:10:28,876 --> 01:10:30,269
Even though we had
already known

1602
01:10:30,313 --> 01:10:32,140
that this guy
is a huge movie star,

1603
01:10:32,271 --> 01:10:34,099
it's like, "Wait a minute,
he's not just a big star still.

1604
01:10:34,186 --> 01:10:35,970
He's the biggest star."

1605
01:10:36,928 --> 01:10:38,059
[Narrator]
And that was confirmed

1606
01:10:38,146 --> 01:10:39,191
when "Maverick" pulled in

1607
01:10:39,278 --> 01:10:43,108
a staggering $1.5 billion worldwide,

1608
01:10:43,195 --> 01:10:47,243
becoming one of the highest
grossing films of all time.

1609
01:10:47,330 --> 01:10:49,549
At 59 years old,

1610
01:10:49,636 --> 01:10:52,378
Cruise had achieved
his biggest hit to date,

1611
01:10:52,509 --> 01:10:54,946
but the shockwaves
of the film's success

1612
01:10:55,076 --> 01:10:58,210
sent ripples across
the entire industry itself.

1613
01:11:00,430 --> 01:11:02,214
The figure who had stood
through COVID

1614
01:11:02,301 --> 01:11:05,086
as an ambassador
for the cinematic experience

1615
01:11:05,173 --> 01:11:08,742
now stood at the forefront
of its revival.

1616
01:11:08,786 --> 01:11:12,311
While other franchises
appeared to be running on empty,

1617
01:11:12,398 --> 01:11:15,967
Cruise's relentless work
ethic was the driving force

1618
01:11:16,097 --> 01:11:19,449
behind his film's
remarkable popularity.

1619
01:11:19,536 --> 01:11:21,320
One of the reasons
I think the Marvel movies have,

1620
01:11:21,407 --> 01:11:23,366
the more recent ones, have been
a little bit less successful

1621
01:11:23,453 --> 01:11:25,455
is that they've
operated under the assumption

1622
01:11:25,542 --> 01:11:26,804
that they don't
need to be as good,

1623
01:11:26,891 --> 01:11:29,372
that people will show up
no matter what they are,

1624
01:11:29,459 --> 01:11:32,157
and that's kind of
the anti-Tom Cruise perspective.

1625
01:11:32,244 --> 01:11:33,941
Cruise is,
whatever you think of him,

1626
01:11:34,028 --> 01:11:36,117
Cruise is very much like

1627
01:11:36,161 --> 01:11:38,381
"We have to give
110% to everything."

1628
01:11:38,468 --> 01:11:40,121
The whole, "I have to
be up there in the jet,"

1629
01:11:40,208 --> 01:11:42,210
I think, is
an extension of that idea,

1630
01:11:42,341 --> 01:11:44,212
is that truly entertaining
people is about

1631
01:11:44,343 --> 01:11:46,780
giving all that you have
to give to them.

1632
01:11:47,781 --> 01:11:50,001
[Narrator] And as
the industry tried to process

1633
01:11:50,044 --> 01:11:53,265
just how "Maverick" had managed
to become such a phenomenon,

1634
01:11:53,352 --> 01:11:56,268
Cruise himself was reevaluated.

1635
01:11:57,443 --> 01:12:00,968
Having been written off by
many only a decade beforehand,

1636
01:12:01,055 --> 01:12:04,972
he had won back his audience
and risen to new heights.

1637
01:12:05,059 --> 01:12:07,366
Headlines and
articles were emphatic,

1638
01:12:07,410 --> 01:12:10,587
declaring that not only
had Tom Cruise saved cinema,

1639
01:12:10,630 --> 01:12:14,286
but that he was
also the last movie star.

1640
01:12:14,373 --> 01:12:16,201
And as he embarked
on completing

1641
01:12:16,288 --> 01:12:18,595
the next two
"Mission: Impossible" films,

1642
01:12:18,638 --> 01:12:20,510
it was announced that, afterwards,

1643
01:12:20,597 --> 01:12:23,077
he would be retiring
from the role of Ethan Hunt.

1644
01:12:24,340 --> 01:12:26,342
It'll bring his historic involvement

1645
01:12:26,429 --> 01:12:28,213
in the franchise to a close,

1646
01:12:28,300 --> 01:12:30,389
the longest consecutive run

1647
01:12:30,433 --> 01:12:33,610
that any actor has played
a single character on screen,

1648
01:12:33,740 --> 01:12:37,527
and complete another stage
of his remarkable career.

1649
01:12:37,614 --> 01:12:41,052
And whatever Cruise does next,
despite his age,

1650
01:12:41,182 --> 01:12:44,011
he is certain to bring
the same dedication and daring

1651
01:12:44,098 --> 01:12:46,536
that has made him
the most distinctive movie star

1652
01:12:46,579 --> 01:12:48,712
in the world.

1653
01:12:48,842 --> 01:12:50,540
Part of me thinks
that Cruise won't stop.

1654
01:12:50,627 --> 01:12:52,193
He does not seem like
a person who is capable

1655
01:12:52,324 --> 01:12:53,891
of turning this off.

1656
01:12:53,978 --> 01:12:57,677
A part of his appeal as
a star is a mania about him.

1657
01:12:57,764 --> 01:12:59,200
It's why I've always said
that the Tom Cruise

1658
01:12:59,287 --> 01:13:00,854
jumping on the couch,

1659
01:13:00,985 --> 01:13:02,378
that Tom Cruise
is not that different

1660
01:13:02,465 --> 01:13:03,640
than the Tom Cruise we see

1661
01:13:03,770 --> 01:13:04,989
in the "Mission:
Impossible" films.

1662
01:13:05,032 --> 01:13:07,818
That level of enthusiasm
and that mania

1663
01:13:07,905 --> 01:13:10,298
exists
in his performances too.

1664
01:13:10,429 --> 01:13:12,213
He's been going for five decades,

1665
01:13:12,300 --> 01:13:16,479
but what's remarkable
is the level of success

1666
01:13:16,566 --> 01:13:18,655
that he's had during that time.

1667
01:13:18,785 --> 01:13:20,831
There's been a lot
of talk through the years,

1668
01:13:20,918 --> 01:13:23,442
like,
who's the last movie star?

1669
01:13:23,529 --> 01:13:27,098
I think, with Tom Cruise,
it's a much more apt label,

1670
01:13:27,228 --> 01:13:30,449
because of the way
the business has changed.

1671
01:13:30,536 --> 01:13:34,235
Even though there are tons
of great young actors

1672
01:13:34,279 --> 01:13:35,933
and actresses in
their 20s and 30s,

1673
01:13:36,020 --> 01:13:38,239
there's almost no way
they're going to have the career

1674
01:13:38,326 --> 01:13:39,937
Tom Cruise has had.

1675
01:13:41,155 --> 01:13:43,810
There's so much emphasis
on these huge franchise movies

1676
01:13:43,897 --> 01:13:45,899
that there's not that much
room for the star system.

1677
01:13:46,030 --> 01:13:48,249
So in a lot of ways,
Tom Cruise probably

1678
01:13:48,293 --> 01:13:50,077
is the last movie star.

1679
01:13:51,949 --> 01:13:54,778
I don't think Tom Cruise
is the last movie star,

1680
01:13:54,908 --> 01:13:59,347
but I do think that Tom Cruise
is the last of his kind.

1681
01:13:59,478 --> 01:14:02,133
And I think a lot of the big
stars that came in his wake,

1682
01:14:02,263 --> 01:14:04,265
like Matt Damon and DiCaprio,

1683
01:14:04,352 --> 01:14:06,529
followed the Tom Cruise playbook

1684
01:14:06,616 --> 01:14:09,314
of being an actor first
and a movie star second.

1685
01:14:09,401 --> 01:14:12,099
And I think, once he retires,

1686
01:14:12,186 --> 01:14:14,841
I don't think we're ever going
to see another like him.

1687
01:14:15,842 --> 01:14:18,932
He's such a unique
and singular figure

1688
01:14:18,976 --> 01:14:23,284
in the industry that I don't
think he's replaceable.

1689
01:14:23,328 --> 01:14:25,809
[dramatic orchestral music]

1690
01:14:33,469 --> 01:14:36,515
[dramatic orchestral
music continues]

1691
01:14:49,310 --> 01:14:52,009
[dramatic orchestral
music continues]

1692
01:15:03,455 --> 01:15:06,240
[dramatic orchestral
music continues]

1693
01:15:17,991 --> 01:15:20,733
[dramatic orchestral
music continues]