Tom Cruise Channels John Wayne in 'Minority Report'

Steven Spielberg's Minority Report (2002) is a great film, a sci-fi action tale with well-drawn characters, exciting plot, and multi-layered story. Tom Cruise plays John Anderton, a near future cop who runs the government's Precrime Department, an experimental program which apprehends criminals before they commit any offense. After being fingered as a soon-to-be killer, Anderton runs.

In this scene (one of several fine set pieces), Cruise nabs a stun-gun from a federal stooge stalking him in an auto manufacturing plant. Notice how Spielberg shows us how lame the no-name punching bag reloads versus Cruise when he grabs the thing (revealing how familiar his character is with current weaponry). It's very cool, and reminded me of the classic way the Duke used to re-cock his classic Winchester in a classic western or two.

Schwarzenegger used a similar technique in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), but Cruise uses finesse and speed to show how fast he can turn the situation to his advantage by pulling an ace out of his sleeve. I realize it's a small bit in a huge film, but nifty moments like these only add to the tapestry created by everyone in this excellent effort.