One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, September 26, 2025) Movie • Page 6

I think an important aspect to Leo (similar to Cruise) is that he has the mind of a filmmaker that also has no interest in actually directing. He is a key collaborator on executing the vision of the movie. See: him and Marty having convos about Killers of the Flower Moon that lead to the decision to have him play Ernest Burkhart as opposed to Jesse Plemmons' FBI agent character like originally planned

 

Cruise clears in every possible way

 

I imagine that conversation was “I’d rather play the lead character and not the guy who’s on screen for like 15 minutes”

 

I think Leo and Cruise are pretty even

 

I actually and genuinely believe Cruise has more range and filmmaking knowledge/vision, and I'm saying that as someone who enjoys Leo

 

Cruise has a special form of juice unfortunately only available to the truly deranged.

 

So true

 

i believe cruise has more range but that makes him more frustrating since essentially every performance the last 10-15 years is a variation of the same thing

leo makes more interesting choices

 

notably unproblematic actor tom cruise

 

Well no he was always the lead character. The point was it went from the FBI agent being the lead to Burkhart.

 

yeah I haven’t watched any older cruise movies in a while so maybe it’s just recency bias but everything he’s done the last 20 years is basically the same.

 

He may have the best pedigree of any actor ever in terms of directors worked with, and he’s incredible in all of those movies. I can’t even call what he’s doing now autopilot bc hes jumping out of planes and climbing buildings and shit. He has the juice, probably more than any living actor. I’d love for him to make a serious movie again

 

Shit I forgot about collateral, that might be better than any Leo performance.

 

jamie foxx deserved his oscar that year, but not for what he won for

 

I mean Magnolia is absolutely better than any Leo performance

 

yeah that's the most recent ... over 20 years ago

edge of tomorrow is fun but it isn't like a great performance

 

I think I’d put once upon a time Leo above that and I’m a magnolia head.

 

Wild! The Magnolia dad scene might be a top 3 PTA acting scene. I also think Leo in Wolf is better than Leo in Hollywood

 

I can’t in any right mind put it above DDL in TWBB or either performance in The Master, but it is really something special. I also think that Leo, at his best, is “acting” acting, and Cruise can be a bit more natural on screen.


That sounds weird considering how much of a captivating star he is, but I can’t put it into better words.

 

Leo is perfect in and for Once Upon a Time but Cruise acts circles around him in that Magnolia role

 

I think that’s why I like Leo in once upon so much is because it feels the most natural to me and not “acting” acting which I feel cruise does a good bit of himself.

 

Definitely the most natural that I’ve seen of him. I like Wolf better because of how fucking out of control he is. Perfect for what the film is. I don’t find him all that compelling in something like the Departed

 

Love me some PTA but I would need to be under heavy sedation to voluntarily sit through all of Magnolia again in this life. I'd sooner revisit Hard Eight which at least respects your time.

 

hilarious that so many of these arguments are like "leo isnt good but hes entertaining" as if that isnt the fucking point of everything. its not that deep. dudes a good actor. find new slants.

 

It (Magnolia) gets better every time I watch it.