Ranking: Every Tom Cruise Action Movie From Worst To Best

Tom Cruise is basically the prototypical movie star, capable of awards-worthy performances but being far more recognised for his riveting, populist work in mainstream action films, spanning some three decades.

Even though Scientology impacted his public perception for a time, Cruise has nevertheless delivered consistently thrilling blockbuster movies over the years, such that even his worst action movies really aren't that bad at all.

His best ones, though? Oh boy, they're something else entirely. Thankfully, with the 54-year-old actor keeping in tip-top shape and fending off aging like the madman he is, it's safe to say fans probably still have at least another decade of Ethan Hunts, Jack Reachers and other new action heroes to enjoy from the inimitable actor.

With Cruise's The Mummy reboot coming to cinemas this month, what better time to look back at the celebrated Hollywood icon's back catalogue of action movies to see how they stack up (and how his latest compares)?

While it represents the least of Tom Cruise's action fare to date, Days of Thunder is still an entertaining cheeseball of a racing movie, driven by Cruise's charismatic performance and Tony Scott's typically electrifying direction.

The plot is pure, generic underdog sports movie formula and there's plenty of melodrama for good measure (including a romance with Nicole Kidman's neurosurgeon character), but for as much as critics loved calling it "Top Gun on Wheels" at the time, it has an entrancing, intense quality, and Robert DuVall is great as the leader of Cruise's race crew.

In short: corny as hell, but a lot of fun.

Best Moment: The absolutely thrilling climactic race (where Cruise wins, of course), even if it shows little regard for the actual rules of NASCAR.