Best 2000s Action Movies Starring Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise was one of the defining action stars of the 2000s, headlining big-budget, high-adrenaline films that mixed stunt-driven spectacle with intense, often globe-trotting plots. The 2000s features several of his most recognizable action vehicles—most notably entries in the Mission: Impossible series and other blockbusters that leaned into both physical stunts and star-powered storytelling. Below I provide an extensive, accessible look at those films: their context, the filmmaking and stunt work that made them notable, how Cruise’s performances shaped them, critical and audience responses, and the legacy each left for action cinema of the period.
Which Tom Cruise action films from the 2000s are covered here
– Mission: Impossible II (2000) — director John Woo.
– Minority Report (2002) — director Steven Spielberg (legal/technological-thriller action).
– The Last Samurai (2003) — director Edward Zwick (period action-drama).
– Collateral (2004) — director Michael Mann (urban thriller with sustained tension).
– War of the Worlds (2005) — director Steven Spielberg (sci-fi action/disaster).
– Mission: Impossible III (2006) — director J.J. Abrams.
Short opening orientation
These are the main Tom Cruise-led action films released between 2000 and 2006 that were widely distributed and widely associated with Cruise’s evolution as a modern action star. They vary in tone—from stylized Hong Kong–influenced set pieces in Mission: Impossible II to introspective, character-centered action in Collateral and the epic historical physicality of The Last Samurai. Each contributed in different ways to Cruise’s on-screen identity in the decade: showmanship, willingness to perform dangerous stunts, and a preference for films that blend action with identifiable emotional or moral stakes.
1) Mission: Impossible II (2000) — what it is and why it mattered
– Premise and tone: Mission: Impossible II (M:I-2) is an action-spy film in which Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) must recover and destroy a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera, and stop a rogue agent determined to unleash it. The film is stylized and kinetic, reflecting director John Woo’s signature visual language—slow-motion, close-ups of faces and birds, highly choreographed hand-to-hand and motorcycle sequences. Its focus is spectacle, highly designed action sequences, and operatic melodrama. Wikipedia documents the film as the 2000 big-studio action entry directed by John Woo and produced by and starring Cruise, and notes its significant box office success that year[2].
– Stunts and production notes: The film deployed a number of highly visible set pieces—rock climbing sequences, a motorcycle chase, and John Woo’s ornate action choreography. It was a major early-2000s tentpole that emphasized style almost as much as plot[2].
– Reception and impact: M:I-2 was the highest-grossing film of 2000 worldwide and mixed critical response: critics often praised Woo’s action vision and spectacle while critiquing characterization and plot depth[2]. Its financial performance underscored Cruise’s bankability as an action lead entering the new millennium.
2) Minority Report (2002) — action plus high-concept technology and moral ambiguity
– Premise and tone: Minority Report pairs Cruise with director Steven Spielberg in a near-future thriller centered on a pre-crime policing system and the moral/ethical consequences of arresting people for crimes they have not yet committed. The film blends high-concept science-fiction ideas with kinetic chase sequences and hand-to-hand confrontations. Its action is driven by suspense and the protagonist’s moral urgency.
– Performance and craft: Cruise plays Chief John Anderton, a determined man driven to clear his name after being accused by the pre-crime system. Spielberg’s direction tempers action with human drama and cinematic design. The film’s production design and practical-meets-digital effects created a convincing near-future environment that supports believable action sequences.
– Reception and influence: Minority Report received praise for marrying a provocative concept to mainstream action filmmaking, and for Cruise’s ability to anchor both the intellectual and physical demands of the role.
3) The Last Samurai (2003) — period action drama with emotional stakes
– Premise and tone: The Last Samurai casts Cruise as a dislocated American soldier who becomes immersed in late-19th-century Japan during the modernization period and trains alongside samurai warriors. The film is a blend of historical epic, character study, and large-scale action—featuring staged battles, hand-to-hand combat choreography, and a strong emotional throughline about cultural dislocation and honor.
– Cruise’s turn and production: Tom Cruise’s role required physicality and a willingness to be embedded in intensive combat rehearsal and historical mise-en-scène. The Last Samurai emphasized authenticity in its fighting sequences and the emotional journey of its protagonist.
– Reception and takeaways: The film performed well at the box office and was frequently discussed for its sweeping visuals and Cruise’s commitment to a role that is less about gadgetry and more about human conflict and transformation.
4) Collateral (2004) — a compact, intense urban thriller
– Premise and tone: Collateral is an urban night-time thriller in which Cruise plays Vincent, a cool, relentless contract killer who commandeers a taxi and forces the cab driver (Jamie Foxx) to drive him across Los Angeles as he completes a series of hits. The film concentrates action into a sustained timeline of escalating tension rather than set-piece spectacle.
– Acting and mechanics: This film marked a tonal shift because Cruise plays an unambiguously dark, controlled antagonist—his physical action is more about precision and menace than flamboyant stunts. The film’s sustained tension and the urban nocturnal setting give its action a claustrophobic intensity.
– Critical response: Collateral was widely praised for its mood, cinematography, and for Cruise’s chilling performance as a villain, demonstrating his range within the action-thriller realm.
5) War of the Worlds (2005) — disaster-scale action and parental stakes
– Premise and tone: In this adaptation of H.G. Wells’s novel, directed by Spielberg, Cruise plays a divorced father trying to protect his children during an alien invasion. The action is a hybrid of disaster spectacle and family drama: large-scale destruction sequences are interlaced with intimate, often harrowing attempts to survive and protect loved ones.
– Stunt and effects balance: The film relies on a mixture of practical effects and visual effects to create convincing, catastrophic set pieces, but its emotional weight rests on the protagonist’s protective, sometimes panicked decisions—these human choices anchor the fast-moving action.
– Reception: War of the Worlds was a box-office success and showcased Cruise’s capacity to drive an effects-heavy action film using a performance grounded in fear and parental devotion.
6) Mission: Impossible III (2006) — a return to the franchise with raised stakes and stunt focus
– Premise and tone: Mission: Impossible III (M:I-3) was directed by J.J. Abrams and brought Ethan Hunt home to a
