Top 10 Tom Hanks Films

Tom Hanks is one of the most beloved actors of the modern screen. He is well known to be a friendly hard-working actor, not only incredibly successful but incredibly talented. He is one of few actors who has won 2 Oscars in consecutive years, for his performances in Philadephia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994). 
Hanks has worked with some of cinemas greatest directors Jonathan Demme, Robert Zemeckis, Ron Howard and most famously his partnership with Steven Spielberg. Everybody in the industry wants to work with him and you can bet any film he is a part of will be a box office success.

This is my list of my all time favourite Tom Hanks films and performances. With a career filled with incredible movies this was not a task to undertake lightly, it took a lot of sifting to choose the right ones. Lets see what you think.

10 - Catch me if you Can (2002)

Running Time: 2 Hours 20 mins
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken

The true story of a young con artist Frank Abagnale Jr.(Dicaprio) who poses as a doctor, a Pan Am Pilot and a legal prosecutor and scams millions from the US Government. Hanks plays Carl Hanratty the FBI agent only steps behind him, patient and waiting for Abagnale to slip up so he can make his move.
What is great about Hanks' performance is that he gives the character a patience and calmness that allows him to keep his cool and soldier on, despite being constantly outwitted by the young fraud.

09 - The Da Vinci Code (2006)

Running Time: 2 Hours 25 mins
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen

Working again with Howard after the triumph that was Apollo 13 (1995) this time they take on the successful Dan Brown novel. Hanks is the main character a history professor at the top of his profession; Robert Langdon who is called to help the French police understand a murder at the famous Louvre museum. Unbeknownst to Langdon he is under suspicion for murdering the victim and with the help of a young cryptographer (Tautou) they travel the globe trying to reveal the truth from the clues left by the victim and in the process clear Langdon's name. Thrilling and a rush of excitement and Knowledge.

08 - Apollo 13 (1995)

Running Time: 2 Hours 20 mins
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Director: Ron Howard
Stars: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise

Filled with suspense and drama Hanks plays Jim Lovell one of 3 astronauts desperately trying to get home after their space craft undergoes massive damage. Much more than just a science fiction adventure, this film has a lot of depth and Hanks and his co-stars deliver moving performances.

07 - Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Running Time: 2 Hours
Genre: Biography
Director: John Lee Hancock
Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell

The most recent film on the list having only come out this year, Hanks plays Walt Disney himself in this film about the behind the scenes events during the process of adapting Mary Poppins for the screen. Who better to play Disney than Tom Hanks the friendliest guy in Hollywood. He is somewhat overshadowed by Emma Thompson's stern author P.L. Travers but Hanks as always lets his talent shine through and this is a moving and deep portrayal. He even gets the accent of the famous animator just right.

06 - The Terminal (2004)

Running Time: 2 Hours 5 mins
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci

A beautiful yet simple film from Spielberg and Hanks proving that whatever they attempt comes out gold. Hanks is Viktor Navorski an eastern immigrant who gets stuck in JFK airport when his country embarks on a civil war and can no longer be declared a country. Hanks character has to live in the airport, he learns to adapt to his circumstances and has help from various staff along the way. A charming film with a great performance from Hanks, his Viktor Navorski is realistic and you can't help but love him and root for him.

05 - Philadelphia (1993)

Running Time: 2 Hours 5 mins
Genre: Drama
Director: Jonathan Demme
Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washinghton, Antonio Banderas

Philadelphia will be remembered as the film about Aids. It is also responsible for showing the world that Tom Hanks was an actor to watch out for, he won his first Oscar for the role. His portrayal of Andrew Beckett a young lawyer fired from his job because of his condition is so moving that it would bring most people to tears (watch out for the opera scene). Beckett hires a homophobic lawyer (Washington) to fight his case against his former employers for wrongful dismissal. An important film laying the foundations for important message films showing that art can give a voice to important causes.

04 - Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Running Time: 2 Hours 45 mins
Genre: War, Drama
Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel

A film that I honestly find very difficult to watch but undeniably a major point in Hanks career. This is without a doubt the most realistic war film put to screen and it is this that makes it so hard to sit through. Hanks is Captain Miller a teacher who simply wants to get back to his wife. He leads a group of soldiers through the brutal Normandy landings to find a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action and is being sent home.

03 - The Green Mile (1999)

Running Time: 3 Hours
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Director: Frank Darabont
Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clark Duncan, Bonnie Hunt

Based on the dramatic/fantasy novel by Stephen King, this sees Hanks playing Paul Edgecomb a guard on death row (known as the green mile) in the 1930's. They receive a prisoner; a large black man (Clark Duncan) with the charge of child rape and murder. They find that he has a mysterious gift. Perfect casting for Hanks and a brilliant story, a long film but worth every second.

02 - Cast Away (2000)

Running Time: 2 Hours 20 mins
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt

How many stars can keep an audience entranced for over 2 hours when most of the running time has them on their own, completely vulnerable with no one else to take the attention. Tom Hanks is superb as Chuck Noland a FedEx executive who finds himself the only survivor of a plane crash on an uninhabited island. He must adapt physically and mentally to survive. A moving and astonishing story with a rather surprising co-star.

01 - Forrest Gump (1994)

Running Time: 2 Hours 20 mins
Genre: Drama/Romance
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise

I have been watching Forrest Gump since I was a child. I have always been fascinated by the story. Hanks is Forrest Gump a young man from Alabama with below average intelligence who manages to go through life without realises how extraordinary he is and that he is witnessing some of the greatest historical events. What drives the story is the love he has for his childhood friend Jenny, as different from him as possible, because of his intelligence he has always stood out but he knows he loves her and always fights to win her. Classic.


So there's my list, just a small portion of stunningly entertaining films from Tom Hanks a marvel of an actor. Hope you liked it.
Do you agree ? Let me know in the comments below.