Tom Hanks has played half of American history by now. The movie.guru score picked his best, and Forrest Gump fans may need a minute.
Number one is the toughest watch on the list and the highest score.
- 8
Hanks gets out-acted by a mouse, and he knows it.
As death row guard Paul Edgecomb, Hanks plays the calm center while Mr. Jingles the mouse steals scenes. Audiences rank it above 95% of notable movies, with an A CinemaScore.
- 7
Hanks makes staying calm look like a superpower.
As Captain Sully, he lands a jet on the Hudson, then spends the rest of 96 minutes getting second-guessed. Critics rank it above 74% of notable movies. $243.9 million worldwide.
- 6
His funniest role is the guy ruining all the fun.
As FBI agent Carl Hanratty, he's the one guy in the movie who never looks amused, and that's the joke. Critics rank it above 88% of notable movies, 8.1 on IMDb.
- 5
Hanks out-negotiates two superpowers while fighting a head cold.
As lawyer James Donovan, he brokers a Cold War prisoner swap after losing his good coat in Berlin. Critics rank it above 86% of notable movies, on a reported $40 million.
- 4
Nerds with slide rules are the real action heroes here.
Hanks plays commander Jim Lovell, but the MVPs are engineers fitting a square filter into a round hole. 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, $355.8 million worldwide, and you'll still sweat through all 140 minutes.
- 3
His most intense movie. Barkhad Abdi matches him scene for scene.
Paul Greengrass's handheld camera keeps you on that cargo ship for 134 minutes, and Hanks plays a by-the-book captain hiding pure terror. Critics rank it above 89% of notable movies.
- 2
Most-voted, most-loved, and still not his best.
$678.2 million worldwide on a $55 million budget, the biggest gross here. Ping-pong, shrimp boats and a cross-country jog later, number one still beats it.
- 1
His best role is a tired man doing his job.
As Captain John Miller, Hanks keeps a squad moving on one impossible order, and you feel every mile in his voice. $482.4 million worldwide, and it honors the real soldiers of Normandy.
Change my mind. Is Forrest Gump too high or too low? Make your case.
$378 says you've seen Forrest Gump more times than every other movie on this list combined.
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Current mood: ready to fight about it