There are many amazing actors out there pushing their art to the limits day in day out, but few are willing to take life into their own hands for the sake of a good action sequence the way Tom Cruise does. After hearing him speak about an incredible stunt he performed for Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, that saw him dangling from the world’s tallest tower, we couldn’t help but be inspired and base our Blu-ray picks for this weekend around one of the most daring action actors alive.
Knight and Day
Looking for action, comedy, thrills, adventure and romance? Look no further than Knight and Day, because it’s got the whole package. A woman meets a man on a flight and starts chatting. Innocent enough, but then your average flight companion is rarely a fugitive super-spy that ends up thrusting you into a globe-trotting cat and mouse game because he’s fleeing from the people he claims to be the bad guys. But can she trust him? It’s hard to believe anyone can resist the sizzling chemistry between Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz in this thrilling action comedy. Get the Blu-ray out this weekend and enjoy a host of exciting special features including featurettes on the many action scenes and stunts in the movie, the five amazing countries that the film was shot in, how the Black Eyed Peas came to write the movie’s theme song, and many more!
Valkyrie
Tom is not just a modern-day action hero. Oh, no, versatility is his middle name and he can easily morph into a historical character just like he did in Valkyrie. This is a well-crafted action movie is based on the true story of Count Claus von Stauffenberg who famously tried and failed to assassinate Adolf Hitler in 1943. While Cruise excels as the heroic Stauffenberg, he is supported by an ensemble of amazing acting talent including Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard, Bill Nighy and Clarice van Houten who together lead you through 120 minutes of mind-blowing tension and suspense. Accompanying the film are a host of fascinating features including a ‘making of’ guide, details on how the Berlin of the 1940s was recreated for the movie, information on the true story behind the film, as well as commentary by Tom Cruise, Bryan Singer, Christopher McQuarrie and much more. If you’re a connoisseur of the more sophisticated form of the genre, this is the one for you!
Collateral
Speaking of versatility, with Collateral, Tom Cruise casts off his big smile Mr. Nice Guy image by playing a ruthless contract killer in this intelligently crafted thriller by Michael Mann. Vincent (Tom Cruise) hires cab driver Max (Jamie Foxx) to drive him through night-time Los Angeles. During the journey he requests stops to execute five people. Not only does the movie offer incredible character studies, a tense story line and violent bursts of action, the performances of Cruise, Foxx and Jada Pinkett-Smith are mind-blowing. The Blu-ray includes special features such as commentary by director Michael Mann, a making of featurette, deleted scenes and a fascinating insight into rehearsals between Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
We know we’ve only featured a tiny fraction of Cruise’s immense portfolio of tense and thrilling action movies, but bearing in mind the weekend only spans 48 hours, between which you may have to eat, sleep and do some Christmas shopping, we had to keep our selection short and sweet! However, please hit the comments to tell us your favourite Tom Cruise movies or action sequences!
