When Tom Cruise (59) wants to see a film on the big screen, he goes on an undercover mission. Then he puts on a cap – and straight into the audience. “I preview the trailers, the commercials, the film, everything,” said the Hollywood star at the Cannes Film Festival. He didn’t have to sneak into the hall there in southern France, after all he was 100% in the limelight that day anyway: with a master class, i.e. a longer interview in front of an audience, and the screening of “Top Gun: Maverick”, which was presented at the festival in Cannes at least celebrated its European premiere.
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The world premiere of part 2 of Tony Scott’s 1986 hit fighter pilot action recently took place on an aircraft carrier with a helicopter approach in the USA and seemed hard to beat. But in Cannes they love the big, glamorous, extravagant spectacle of the cinema – and wanted to at least let it rip a bit for the occasion. At first, everything on the red carpet, which Cruise walked with Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and action producer veteran Jerry Bruckheimer, seemed to be the same as at other Cannes premieres: fans, autographs, the photographers’ attention, flashing the flashlight.
Fighter jets in the sky
But then a few dots appeared in the sky, which got bigger and bigger. Eight fighter jets! They came flying in formation, swept over the Palais de Festival and, to make matters worse, left behind vapor trails in the French national colors. A short time later, Cruise was on stage in the premiere hall and got – surprise! – presented by the artistic director Thierry Frémaux and the outgoing Cannes President Pierre Lescure the Palme d’honneur.
A long compilation of film snippets summarized his work. Many classics. Many great directors. From Rain Man to Jerry Maguire. From Eyes Wide Shut to Mission: Impossible. “This is my life in ten minutes,” Cruise had said a few hours at the master class. The review also showed what an exciting and rich cinema career Cruise had since the 80s. Talking about this for just a little more than an hour should actually be infinitely too short. But this conversation in Cannes quickly turned out to be a missed opportunity.
There was no exciting insight. No bold questions. Cruise hardly wanted to draw from the rich pool of anecdotes. The most exciting thing was that he jumped off the roof with a sheet as a parachute during his first stunt as a child. Questions about love and Scientology were obviously taboo. Instead, the 59-year-old reported in a prayer wheel-like loop about how thirsty for knowledge he was studying cinema. As always, he looked very smooth, and controlled.
Ego show for Tom Cruise
After all: The fact that he knows how entertainment-optimized blockbuster cinema works can be seen once again in “Top Gun: Maverick”. The love story can’t keep up with the one in the predecessor – Kelly McGillis wasn’t even invited back to this reunion. Otherwise, however, the sequel is a few numbers bigger than the first part in many respects: the film brings up entertaining jet thunder with an exciting showdown, technically at the highest level, well intertwined with the previous story and emotionally pumped up properly.
It’s an ego show for Cruise, who, even at his age, still wants to do it again and prefers to do his own stunts. Certainly the question arises as to whether one even wants to see such a big military blockbuster spectacle in the current situation. In any case, it received thunderous applause in Cannes and confirmed that in Cruise’s case the films are so much more exciting than the man behind them.