Tom Cruise has long been one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces of American courage, whether he is racing through danger as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun or pushing through chaos in some of his biggest action franchises. That image of confidence and stubborn determination has become part of his screen identity.

But buried among the crowd-pleasers is a far more serious performance that showed a different side of him and now that overlooked war drama is finally heading to Netflix.

The film is Born on the Fourth of July, Oliver Stone’s 1989 drama in which Cruise plays Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran whose life is shattered by combat and whose disillusionment drives him toward anti-war activism. It is a very different kind of Cruise role, with less swagger and far more vulnerability shaped by a harsh emotional arc. The film was co-written by Stone and Kovic himself, adapting Kovic’s autobiography, which gives the story a raw and personal quality that still stands out decades later.

At the time of release, the movie was praised heavily by critics and became a box office success, grossing $162 million worldwide on a relatively modest budget. It also earned eight Oscar nominations, including Cruise’s first nomination for Best Actor, marking a major turning point in his career.

Even now, the film remains one of his most respected performances, proving his range extended well beyond action and charm. Despite that legacy, Born on the Fourth of July has often been overshadowed in popular culture by Cruise’s blockbuster work. Its arrival on Netflix on July 1 changes that, giving a new generation the chance to revisit or discover a powerful story nearly four decades after its original release.

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As one chapter resurfaces, another ambitious project is beginning to take shape.

The Digger rollout is starting to look like a major Tom Cruise event rather than just another film launch. Along with the trailer date announcement, Warner Bros. has released a retrospective reel that pulls from some of Cruise’s most recognizable movies, turning the campaign into a celebration of his career while hinting at where this new film fits.

The clip highlights titles such as Top Gun, Rain Man, Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, Minority Report, Edge of Tomorrow, and the Mission: Impossible series. This approach does more than lean on nostalgia. It underscores how wide his filmography has been, moving between early breakout roles, award winning drama, large scale action, and star driven projects.

In that context, Digger is being framed as a significant next step, even though it takes the form of a black comedy with a very different tone. Cruise shared that working with artists and crews over the past 46 years has been a privilege, adding that he is eager to see audiences in theaters when Digger arrives in October. Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film is described as a “comedy of catastrophic proportions,” pointing to a style that may challenge expectations of what a Cruise project typically delivers.

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What do you think about Born on the Fourth of July arriving on Netflix and Tom Cruise stepping into something different with Digger? Let us know in the comments.