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Tom Cruiseis one of the fix stars of modern Hollywood , but for all his protracted achiever , he ’s failed to dominate one prototypical genre of American movie house . Despite boast in some of the most successful action , sci - fi , and drama movies of all time , Cruise has had limited winner when it comes to Westerns . take out abrief cameo appearance in the 1988 hitYoung Guns , Cruisehas only really appear in one other Western film . However , while this limited track record suggest the genre is not his strong suit , there ’s more than enough in Cruise ’s career to paint a picture that he ’s more than adequate to .
His non - speaking role as a quickly - dispatchedYoung Gunshenchman away , Cruise ’s only Western roleto appointment came in the epic amorous dramaFar and off . Starring Cruise and his then - wife Nicole Kidman , the Ron Howard - directed flick follow Irish immigrants attempting to make their circumstances against the backcloth of the Old West . Released in 1992,the pic was a humble critical and fiscal succeeder , earning $ 137 million at the box office and 50 % positive review . On the surface , these number are unremarkable . However , close inspection of both Cruise and the movie unwrap thatFar and Awaylays some exciting base for future Cruise Westerns .
Far And Away Proved Tom Cruise’s Potential In Westerns
Many Things About The Film Prove He Could Succeed
There ’s no doubt thatFar and Awaywasn’t an incompetent success . Made for $ 60 million , the movie barely recouped its budget , and critic – many of whom praised its visual grandeur while criticize its simple report . However , bury within the averageness , the moving picture subtly demonstrate why someone like Cruise is so suitable to Western roles .
Like many horse opera , Far and Awayis as much about the environment and striking American landscape painting as it is about the character . As is typical of the genre , the film features a serial publication of telling shots that make full use of the evocative nature of the Old West – despite give way to back up the visuals with an every bit wholesale report . AsRotten Tomatoes ' vital consensus put it , " Handsome and simplistic , Far and Away has the beauty of an American epic without the breadth . "
Across his illustrious calling , Tom Cruise has prove his skill as a striking player and talents as far more than just an legal action motion-picture show star .
However , whatever the movie ’s merit or problems , creating strong characters that stand up against the nobleness and area of the backdrop is a skill in and of itself . Legendary westerly actors like Clint Eastwoodand Kevin Costner have succeeded because they imbue the screen with a impregnable , magnetic central front who is enhance , rather than fall by the surrounding scenery . InFar and out , Cruise proves that he ’s more than open of extradite on this front . While other constituent of the film let him down , there ’s enough raw potential in his performance to paint a picture that he could come after in similar scene .
Tom Cruise’s Strengths As An Actor Make Him Perfect For Westerns
He’s Proven It In Other Contexts
The way Cruise seems immediately at dwelling in the sweeping view ofFar and Awayindicates that he has potential drop as a westerly star . However , perhaps the most compelling example for him quest after other projects in the music genre comes from the rest of his career . As manifest by the the likes of ofMission : Impossible , one ofCruise ’s bully strengths as an actoris his physicality . His consignment to hardheaded stuntwork has continue bright for decades , to the point where it ’s now the highlighting of any Cruise project . These science could easily be brought to hold in a Western , where practical genuineness can enhance a story ’s historical feel .
Cruise has proven time and sentence again that his greatest strength is the rigourousness with which he set about every performance …
Another stereotypical strength of westerly stars is the intensity of their performances . Clint Eastwood ’s " Man with no Name " is the prime exercise of a part who does n’t so much exist as smolder on screen . Classic characters like this do n’t go far by fortuity and require an actor to have a very particular skill set . Cruise has proven clock time and time again that his dandy strength is the rigour with which he draw close every execution – whether it ’s the perma - jumping Ethan Hunt or something more emotionally demanding like Ron Kovic inBorn on the Fourth of July . This is exactly what ’s required of a potential Western star .
A final divisor is Cruise ’s persona as one of the final few traditional " motion picture star " . Many of his defining attributes , from his views on movie - making to personal saturation , find like a throwback to a departed eld of cinema – one where Western were considered a preeminent musical style . Because of Western movies ' association with " definitive Hollywood " , Cruise is in many ways a natural convulsion , given that many audiences already associate him with a more traditional view of the industry , where individual actors were open top - charge over extended cinematic universes and long - running franchises .
Tom Cruise Can Definitely Improve On Far And Away
The Movie Had Multiple Flaws
Part of what makesFar and Awayan interesting mark inTom Cruise ’s careeris that it establish so much hitherto wasted voltage . All of Cruise ’s strengths that could potentially make him as celebrated a Western actor as Costner , Eastwood , and John Wayne have only become more manifest in the 32 years since the movie was released . Yet , looking back , it ’s progressively clear that the movie itself did not allow Cruise to shine .
Multiple contemporary critics identified that , despite the endowment of Tom Cruise , Nicole Kidman , and Ron Howard behind the television camera , the movie was less than the sum of its part . In what was far from an isolated opinion , the legendaryChicago Sun Timescritic Roger Ebert declared :
Far and Awayis a movie that join staggering visual splendor with a report so simple - minded it seems intended for teen … It ’s depressing that such a lucullan and expensive production , asterisk an important actor like Tom Cruise , could be devoted to such a shallow storey .
This judgment , and others like it , prove that Cruise has bare business with Westerns . HadFar and Awaybeen an unqualified winner , it could lawfully be argued that Cruise had achieved what he could in the genre and is best suited to go on to quest after his more typical action part . The fact that he seems to have , on theme , such a natural aptitude as a Western thespian and so far has n’t delivered makes the musical theme of a unexampled Tom Cruise Western even more exciting .
Other Actors Prove That Cruise Would Benefit From Expanding Into Westerns
There Are Dozens Of Examples Of The Genre Enhancing Careers
give how western have been reinvented and reevaluated over the years , it is perhaps even more surprising that Cruise has n’t made a genre comeback post - Far and off . In fact , many of the biggest stars working in Hollywood today have proven that , with the right story , western sandwich can dispute an actor and extend to unprecedented vital recognition . Performances like Chris Pine ’s inHell or High Waterand Jamie Foxx ’s in the irreverentDjango Unchaineddemonstrate that Westerns can showcase a whole new side to an actor .
While individual accolades are not the be - all and end - all of an actor ’s calling , it ’s also lawful that western sandwich can present an opportunity for an actor to attract awards attention . Leonardo DiCaprio , for instance , won his first Academy Award for his role in the bleak natural selection WesternThe Revenant . It ’s absolutely possible to imagine someone as committed asTom Cruiseplaying a similar role which , contribute Cruise himself has not yet advance an Oscar , may facilitate cap off an extraordinary acting career .
Sources : Rotten Tomatoes , Chicago Sun Times
Custom image by Milica Djordjevic
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Far and Away , directed by Ron Howard , follows a young Irishman and his landlord ’s girl as they migrate to America in following of state during the Oklahoma Land Run of 1893 . face hardships , they strive to fulfill their pipe dream while contending with personal and societal challenges in their new globe .
Debanjana Chowdhury
Debanjana Chowdhury
Far and Away, directed by Ron Howard, follows a young Irishman and his landlord’s daughter as they migrate to America in pursuit of land during the Oklahoma Land Run of 1893. Facing hardships, they strive to fulfill their dream while contending with personal and societal challenges in their new world.
