It's a wonderful case of collaboration, and my case for why Cruise is a movie star that understands his craft as well as his brand. There are actors who understand their brand but not their craft (The Rock, Will Smith, come to mind) and actors who understand their craft but not their brand (Idris Elba, Bryan Cranston) and then there is the rarest actors who know both (Meryl Streep, Denzel, Btad Pitt, Emily Blunt, Angela Bassett) and of course Cruise. And when you have a brand most times you have a signature, and for Tom Cruise that's running. A cinematic hallmark or signature of a Cruise film as much as a Spike Lee dolly shot, or a Godard jump cut, it's also again indicative of Cruise's singular focus and drive. There's no half assing it in a Cruise scene and whatever he may not have in a natural ability to morph into characterizations, or convey a seemingly endless myriad of emotional nuances he makes up for with the jolting intention he applies to any action be it great or small. It's the reason why Cruise like Denzel (albeit for different reasons) doesn't really have what people might call a terrible movie. He's always a joy to watch and has lasted this long because we always appreciate that kind of effort, that love for what you do. In every Tom Cruise film you will find an actor who is dedicated to entertaining us and pushing himself, and after almost 30 years of doing just that I think it's high time we stop hating and start congratulating.