A Tom Cruise film at the start was a military film from the 80s with a Mandalorian villain
If I asked you to think of a Tom Cruise movie, you could suggest an entry of the franchise “Mission: Impossible”, or “Rissey Business” or “Tropic Thunder” if you try to be smart by finding the least obvious option. If I asked for a Tom Cruise film on the army, you would almost certainly say “Top Gun”. However, Cruise’s first role as a major actor was a military film that you probably have not heard of: “TAPS”.
While “Risky Business” was the first film led by Cruise, “Taps” was the first film in which he had a significant part. Released in 1981, the film taking place in a military school faced with the closure threat presented the star of the future “Mission: Impossible” as a Cadet Captain David Shawn. Appearing next to him was a young Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon in “The Mandalorian”) as Cadet Captain JC Pierce.
The film saw the cadets of Bunker Hill Military Academy take control of the school in an occupation aimed at keeping it open. The cadets say the difficulties of keeping the school livable because their power and their supplies are cut, which leads to being burned by an old petrol generator and that Shawn de Cruise is triggered more and more happy. While the authorities move to close the Academy and take up arms, the cadets meet them with armed resistance, leading to a dead end which degenerates until the tragic end of the film.
Taps gave Tom Cruise his big break
The role of Cruise in “Taps”, but not the head was important. Among all the cadets of the Bunker Hill Military Academy, Cruise’s Shawn is the most rebellious and the most head. When the other cadets are finally ready to withdraw and to concede to the academy at the end of the film, their minds broken by the death of one of the young cadets, it is Shawn who opens fire to the encroached national guard. This triggers a shooting that ends up costing both Brian Brian from Shawn and Timothy Hutton.
Initially, Cruise was offered a smaller part in “Taps”. However, his star power clearly shone, when he impressed director Harold Becker so much in rehearsals that he ended up being offered the most important role of Shawn. “TAPS” set up a cruise for a way to fame. Two years later, he appeared in “The Outsiders” by Francis Ford Coppola then in “Risky Business”.
More than 40 years later, Cruise is still going strong, having just played in the conclusion of the Mission franchise: impossible, “Mission: Impossible – The Final Cyloning”. The film brings the passage of almost 30 years of Cruise while Ethan Hunt to a dramatic conclusion. You can consult our “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” exam here.
