Tom Cruise has experienced unparalleled success with his heroic lead roles but one underrated villainous performance proves he can nail the dark side.

Tom Cruise is one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood and the actor is primarily known for his heroic roles, particularly in the globally popular Mission: Impossible franchise. However, one of Cruise’s best acting performances came as a villainous character in the 2004 action-thriller film Collateral.

Tom Cruise in a still from Top Gun: Maverick
A rehearsal video showcasing Cruise and co-star Jamie Foxx preparing for the film showcases Crusie’s acting rage. At the same time, the video also proves that Cruise has a villainous bone in his acting chops, which has been criminally underutilized in his filmography. Here is everything you need to know about the rare occurrence of Tom Cruise playing a negative role.

Tom Cruise’s Collateral Rehearsal Video With Jamie Foxx Proves He Can Be a Menacing Villain

For most of his career, Tom Cruise has played the stereotypical hero, the good guy who saves the day. Films such as Edge of Tomorrow and the Mission: Impossible franchise are great examples of the same. However, one of Cruise’s most refreshing roles came in director Michael Mann’s 2004 film Collateral.

Tom Cruise in a still from Collateral
A video posted on X (formerly Twitter), shows Cruise preparing for his role in the film and rehearsing scenes with co-star Jamie Foxx. The footage shows Cruise completely dominating and intimidating Foxx with his presence while they are both in character.

The film features Cruise as Vincent, a killer out to execute a complicated contract. Meanwhile, Foxx plays Max, a cab driver hired by Vincent who gets roped in his contract. The footage highlights how Cruise gets into the sociopathic tendencies of his character who treats murder as merely a job equivalent of cab driving.

Thus, the footage, and Cruise’s overall performance in the film, prove that he is capable of understanding the nuance behind a morally misguided character like Vincent. While Vincent is not an outright villain, Cruise’s role in the film is one of the few times the actor has played a negative character. Therefore, it would be interesting to see Cruise tackle an antagonist force in a future project.

Tom Cruise Discussed Playing a Contract Killer in Collateral

Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx in Collateral
Ahead of the release of Collateral, Cruise spoke about playing a contract killer in an interview. During the interview, Cruise explained it felt to tackle a character with negative shades and a complex moral compass. He said:

“It was different. I always look for a challenge and something that’s different. This definitely had every element and promise of being that.”

At the same time, Cruise admitted that he primarily accepted the part because he wanted to work with director Michael Mann. In a separate interview with IGN, Cruise also revealed how he collaborated with Mann to develop the backstory of his character in the film.

“That back story has to inform every scene. With Michael, he had pictures of where I came from. We discussed a lot of different aspects of where I live and how I became the way I became as Vincent, so it will emotionally inform the movie.”

Cruise made the above statement about how he transformed into Vincent for the film. Cruise’s hard work certainly paid off as the film grossed over $220 million at the global box office. It also managed to receive two nominations at the 77th Academy Awards.

Collateral is streaming on Paramount+.