Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One

For parents who want to watch action movies with older tweens and teens, Cruise and longtime collaborator Christopher McQuarrie make it possible with this riveting thriller. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part One is a perfect example of Cruise Control, and the hands-on star and producer outdoes himself, delivering an edge-of-your-seat actioner that pulls you in immediately and never lets go until the screen goes dark. It's one long, audible gasp. Cruise clearly takes the franchise's name to heart, creating action sequences that seem impossible to pull off -- and yet he does. And "he" really does -- making sure the camera captures his face as he rides his motorcycle off the side of a mountain or climbs up a falling train or drives down the Spanish steps in Rome backward.

That particular car chase scene clearly aims to best both Bullitt and The French Connection -- and it succeeds. In those classics, audiences were entranced by Steve McQueen flying down the enormous hills of San Francisco's main thoroughfares, or Gene Hackman speeding through busy New York City traffic. Taking note, Cruise spins through the cobblestones, narrow passages, and famous landmarks of Rome in a tiny, manual Fiat. It's as exciting as it is hilarious, with the filmmakers ensuring that viewers' eyes don't glaze over during the long scene by keeping the comedy coming. Add to this the gorgeousness of the many international locations -- Arab Emirates, Austrian Alps, Venice -- and a simple story that doesn't require overthinking, and Cruise's spy thriller reminds us: This is why we go to the movies.