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Things change for Anderton when the precogs reveal he is going to commit a murder. He flees, disturbed and frightened by the revelation. He must rely on his instincts as a cop and his understanding of the criminal mind to survive. The plot is complex, and a thread about the death of his six-year-old son and the origin of the pre-cogs are nicely woven together.

There is a list of memorable elements from this one. Perhaps most identifiable are the crime fighting computer spiders that pursue Anderton. There is also a gripping scene where Cruise has his eyes replaced. The pre-cogs are given to us with detail that makes us cringe.

Cruise gives a performance which equals the pain any parent feels when their children are hurt. His shock at the loss of his son was tense. The flaws in his character, from throwing himself into his work, to the use of drugs to cope with loss, are given in real and human ways.

Maybe the most notable legacy of this one is its place among pics of the same genre. In the last ten years it has been compared to such classics as Blade Runner and 2001 A Space Odyssey, films near to the heart of many science fiction fans. The American Film Institute nominated it for the top ten science fiction films list, another feather in its cap.

5) A Few Good Men (1992)

This one came out as a young Tom Cruise’s star was still rising. Top Gun, Born on the Fourth of July, and Days of Thunder were already on his resume, but fans and critics were wondering just how much he could achieve. Sometimes it takes great parings for an actor to gain individual respect, and often the status of heroes depends on the quality of villain they are matched up against. A Few Good Men has Cruise sharing the screen with one of the era’s sexiest stars, Demi Moore, and pitted against one of the most respected actors of all time, Jack Nicholson.

Cruise plays Danny Kaffee, a lawyer in the military who must defend two marines believed to have murdered another serviceman. Also working on the case is Joanne Galloway (Moore). The tension between these two is well played early in their relationship. As they build their case for the defense of their clients, they risk bringing in members of the military who are very high up. Enter Colonel Jessep, (Nicholson) the commanding officer of the Guantanamo base in Cuba where the death occurred.

The interaction between the three leads is awesome. Of particular note is the scene where Keffee and Galloway interview Jessep during lunch. Cruise and Moore are perfect as they can’t agree on the type of questions to ask the high ranking officer. Nicholson, portraying unbelievable arrogance and smugness, burns at being questioned so frankly by underlings.

The film builds nicely to one of the best courtroom scenes ever. Cruise’s Kaffee examines Nicholson’s Jessep with both men’s career on the line. When the case appears lost and Kaffee’s line of questioning is stymied by Jessep, Cruise delivers his nervousness in a way that has the audience shifting uncomfortably in their seats. His youthful smugness is shaken by Nicholson’s arrogance and disrespect. The Colonel’s demeanor is the perfect portrayal of a man comfortable with too much power, believing he is untouchable and unaccountable.

A Few Good Men was appropriately noticed by critics. It received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Cruise received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor, while Nicholson received numerous nominations for Best Supporting Actor. It was one of 1992’s best films and takes the final spot in the top five films of Tom Cruise’s career.

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