Fascinating as that interval was, it turned out that Mission: Unattainable III would grow to be the bellwether for the following decade. After his infamously bizarre habits throughout an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2005, the entire extra unsavory components of Cruise’s life got here to the fore: his relationship with the 16-year-younger Katie Holmes, the disagreeable finish of his marriage to Nicole Kidman, and his connection to Scientology. These private particulars made his display persona much less palatable, and whereas the Mission: Unattainable motion pictures continued to resonate with audiences, as did his outrageous and self-satisfied flip as studio government Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder, stinkers comparable to Knight and Day, Rock of Ages, and Oblivion entered his filmography.
Then, one thing unusual occurred. Perhaps it was the unimaginable trailer for Mission: Unattainable—Fallout, or possibly it was his insistence upon holding High Gun: Maverick till theaters reopened after the pandemic. No matter it was, folks forgave Tom Cruise, no less than on display. Nobody forgot about his weirdness or his Scientology; however his eccentricities have been leveled out by the his ardour for cinema. No person was speaking about him as a Hollywood heartthrob, however we did respect him as a billionaire who repeatedly dangers bodily hurt for our leisure.
In that regard, Cruise isn’t that completely different from Michael Keaton, circa 2014. Regardless of the variations of their profession trajectories and popularities, neither Keaton then nor Cruise immediately is seen as a revered actor. They’re each dwelling items of popular culture ephemera; Keaton as a result of he performed Batman a long time in the past, and Cruise as a result of he’s the strangest film star of our period.
Birdman used Keaton’s star persona and profession arc to inform the story of one other actor, haunted by the superhero he as soon as performed. Regardless of its flashy formal selections, its single-take conceit and intrusive jazz rating, Birdman resonated with audiences and made them respect Keaton anew, serving to to make him a on-screen favourite.
At this level, it’s unattainable to know if Digger will do the identical. The trailer solely comprises just a few seconds of recent materials, largely impressionistic pictures of Cruise’s character going through a crowd of desaturated rioters or shouting gibberish in a wood-paneled workplace. Additional, it’s vital to notice that not one of the Academy Awards gained by Birdman went to Keaton (although Iñárritu helped Leonardo DiCaprio web an Oscar the following yr with The Revenant).
But, if Iñárritu can flip our difficult emotions about our era’s greatest film star into darkish comedy, the Digger could change the way in which we take into consideration Tom Cruise, including yet one more layer to this deeply odd determine.
