Tom Cruise playing against type

Character : Frank TJ Mackey, low ceiling presenter of a show where he teaches men to be "real men"
How it contrasts with the picture? Frank is a kind of guru of machismo, with archi-controlled image and merchandising that is equally, there is nothing nice ... Except that it all lies a flaw related to his relationship with his father and reveals a clueless guy who built this facade to exist.
Is it paid? A little hard to tell because it is a choral film but his segment is one of the most moving.

Character: Vincent a hitman who uses a unique method, holding a taxi hostage to take him from a target to another
How it contrasts with the picture? Although his calm allows him to keep a cool side, he is the villain of the film, a manipulative killer to face Jamie Foxx who has asked for nothing. And of course there is the look of Vincent who did change quiet the actor.
Is it paid? Yes, the Michael Mann film allowed the actor to shine in a register that is not his, away enough from his film forming.

Character: Jasper Irving, a senator responding to interviewer Janine Roth (Meryl Streep) and trying to convince her of the merits of his intentions.
How it contrasts with the picture? Because it is a bastard, simply. Irving is the archetypal politician without a soul, with teeth that line the floor every smile. Symbolically he is the "villain" of the film. Beyond the antipathy it arouses, parallel with the doom that helps soldiers fielding is chilling.
Is it paid? At the critical reception, we can say yes, but it stops there. The film remains quite confidential when you think about it 5 stars cast together.

Character : Les Grossman , angry and hilarious producer rotting the life of the crew
How it contrasts with the picture? In all. Physically, Grossman is a little fat balding , coupled with an incredibly vulgar and disgusting megalomaniac with absolutely all stakeholders. THE caricature of Hollywood producer who gives nightmares to a whole cast , and the opportunity for Cruise to prove to the world that he is finally able to a good dose of self-mockery.
Is it paid ? And how! Tropic Thunder takes battery when the career of the actor gets stuck . If we add to this a tainted by his involvement with the show South Park( the origins of evil : an episode where the cartoon parodied Scientology , obviously) , all was not rosy. It is in these moments that having a friend called Ben Stiller can be useful : this secondary role became cult, even developping a spin -off centered on him was considered.

The character : Ethan Hunt, still secret agent, which obviously gets an impossible task while having no means, short staffed, etc..
How it contrasts with the picture? Ok, this is not Bruce Willis in Sin City, but Hunt can be seen here allows serious gaps and when the eye was in his previous adventures winks memory. Including the scene where half naked, he decided not to jump into garbage, simply reverse codes chase the Mission Impossible saga has yet helped popularize. He is also that taking conscious of getting older.
Is it paid? On all points. After the renewed popularity with tropic thunder, the question was whether the star could return to top, in the franchise dedicated to him. Banco, and it makes you forget the flop of Knight and day.

The character : Jack Reacher, a former military cop who investigates.
How it contrasts with the picture? Because He is a badass. Jack did not drag, fractured fingers punctuate his interrogation, he executes the bad guys instead of delivering justice and did not bother to pack the girl, of course. Tom Cruise making a Statham, that's thinking.
Is it paid? Enough for a sequel to be now considered.

Character: William Cage, at the base a communications officer of the army, came into the line against his will and acquires the power to restart the day whenever he dies.
How it contrasts with the picture? The selling point of the film is unstoppable: Tom Cruise dies 200 times. Ok then all the dead are not filmed but the facts are there. Throughout the first part of the film is a loose coupled with an incompetent on the ground, his training is quite comical.
Is it paid? To you we say, but that's not all ....