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Christopher McQuarrie has been in the film industry for three decades, but how do his movies rank from worst to best? McQuarrie is best known for his work as a writer, particularly in the crime and action genre. In 1995 with just his second movie, The Usual Suspects, McQuarrie won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and has gone on to write some of the biggest movies of the 21st century, including Top Gun: Maverick and Edge Of Tomorrow. While most of the movies he has written for have been incredibly successful, McQuarrie's work on the script for the box office flop The Mummy proved that even Hollywood's most experienced writers don't always get it right.
McQuarrie has frequently collaborated with director Bryan Singer and megastar Tom Cruise. Singer's Public Access, The Usual Suspects, Valkyrie, and Jack The Giant Slayer were all penned by McQuarrie, and the writer also supported work on X-Men, although he was uncredited. His work with Tom Cruise has brought McQuarrie his greatest success, particularly his writing for Mission: Impossible and Top Gun: Maverick, which recently became the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time. The pair continue to work together on the seventh and eighth Mission: Impossible installments and the two reportedly have ideas for other future collaborations.
Despite his success as a writer, Christopher McQuarrie has only turned his hand to directing on four occasions. The film industry veteran made his directorial debut with The Way Of The Gun in 2000 but didn't direct another movie until 2012 with his adaptation of Lee Child's Jack Reacher novel, but since then he has steadily directed a movie every 3 or 4 years. The movies that McQuarrie has directed to date have exclusively been in the crime genre, ranging from personal stories to high-stakes, international spy thrillers. With his directing resume set to expand with the upcoming Mission: Impossible sequels, here's a look at the movies that Christopher McQuarrie has directed so far ranked from worst to best.
4. Jack Reacher (2012)
Christopher McQuarrie's first time directing Tom Cruise came in Jack Reacher. Cruise stars as the titular Jack Reacher, a former military police investigator who is tasked with uncovering the person who framed former USA army sniper James Barr for shooting five innocent people. Jack Reacher is held together by the performance of the ever-reliable Tom Cruise, but his character is less fun to watch than the megastar's other famous movie characters like Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Ethan Hunt.
Jack Reacher's intriguing mystery and fight scenes make it an entertaining movie, but in the crowded market for action blockbusters, the film doesn't offer much that hasn't already been done. Still, Christopher McQuarrie's film is better than the sequel, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, directed by Edward Zwick, which ended any hopes of another Tom Cruise franchise because of its mixed reception. But given the potential of the story, Lee Child's Jack Reacher novels have since been adapted into the Amazon Prime show Reacher starring Alan Ritchson, for which McQuarrie serves as the executive producer.
3. The Way Of The Gun (2000)
Christopher McQuarrie made his directorial debut in 2000 with the crime thriller The Way Of The Gun. Starring Ryan Phillippe and Benicio del Toro, The Way Of The Gun follows two small-time criminals, Park and Longbaugh, who hope to make a big score by holding hostage a surrogate mother who is bearing the child of a wealthy businessman. The crime movie is one of McQuarrie's darkest and most intense pictures, with no true hero to root for and a methodical build that ends with a bang.
The Way Of The Gun isn't perfect, with pacing issues and overly-dramatic dialogue. Reflecting on the movie years later, Christopher McQuarrie admitted that he felt that his debut film was flawed, but he is still proud of his work. Despite that, The Way Of The Gun remains a fun and entertaining watch with McQuarrie's eye for exciting choreographed action sequences clear to see, which has served him well during his Mission: Impossible films.
2. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Rogue Nation is the fifth installment of the Mission: Impossible series, but the first time that Christopher McQuarrie had directed the franchise. Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt comes up against the Syndicate, a terrorist organization made up of former government agents. Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation immediately jumps into the action, as Tom Cruise pulls off a wild plane stunt that sets the tone for the rest of the movie.
But Rogue Nation doesn't solely rely on big set pieces, McQuarrie delivers a fresh feeling Mission: Impossible film with higher stakes than ever thanks to Sean Harris' excellent spy villain Solomon Lane. Rogue Nation is the third highest-grossing Mission: Impossible movie, and at the time of its release was arguably the franchise's best thanks to McQuarrie's direction and Tom Cruise's committed performance. That being said, Rogue Nation is not quite the best Christopher McQuarrie or Mission: Impossible movie to date.
1. Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Rogue Nation’s sequel, Mission: Impossible - Fallout is the best movie directed by McQuarrie. Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt returns again and this time attempts to take down the Apostles, a team made up of the remnants of the Syndicate who have access to nuclear weapons. Henry Cavill's arms-dealing villain, August Walker, is at the center of Fallout's brilliant twist that helps to elevate Fallout above McQuarrie's other movies. McQuarrie once again directs phenomenal action sequences, including Mission: Impossible - Fallout's memorable helicopter chase scene. But the filming of Mission: Impossible - Fallout didn't always run smoothly, as an injury to Tom Cruise during a stunt paused production for seven weeks.
Fallout is widely considered the best installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise thanks to McQuarrie's excellent espionage screenplay and cinematography. Tom Cruise is in top form as the heroic Ethan Hunt as he once again proves why he is still one of Hollywood’s top stars. Fallout is the highest-grossing Mission: Impossible movie, and was also Tom Cruise's most profitable movie until Top Gun: Maverick was released in 2022, which, although it wasn't directed by his long-time friend and collaborator, was written by Christopher McQuarrie.