Here is the plot of everyTom Cruisemovie: Tom Cruise is awesome.
Some people think that Tom Cruise isnt awesome.
Tom Cruise does something awesome.
Everyone now knows that Tom Cruise is awesome.
Maverick is awesome, but Iceman doesnt believe him until Maverick does something awesome and now Iceman knows.
Jerry Maguire is awesome, but Dorothy doesnt believe him until Jerry does something awesome and now she knows.
Ethan Hunt is awesome, but… well everyone knows.
And so it goes.
Sure, there are outliers, but thats the standard Tom Cruise plot.
Which is one of the key reasons his turn inEdge of Tomorrowis spectacular.
Its the standard plot.
Rather it isEmily Bluntwho portrays Sgt.
Rita Vrataski, aka the Angel of Verdun, the hard-bitten leader in the UDF.
Cage fights the battle of public opinion instead of the battle of Verdun.
Nonetheless, he gets sent to that very front, a consequence of his attempt to blackmail a superior.
He turns out to bea coward, and is asked to die for it.
Of course thats only the beginning of the story, not the end.
Thus begins a Sisyphean existence of his life resetting after every death.
Battle is the great redeemer, Farrell declares.
It is the fiery crucible in which true heroes are forged.Edge of Tomorrowis the story about that redemption.
He follows the example set by Vrataski and eventually becomes her equal.
In Tom Cruise terms, he becomes awesome.
Edge of Tomorrowis not the only work to toy with Cruises screen persona.
But in each case, the inverse of Cruises persona just serves part of the story.
InEdge of the Tomorrow, its the entire plot.
And by drawing from that persona, the film gains greater depth.
Edge of Tomorrow is now streaming on Netflix.
