Taps is a big success for Tom. After this, he is in five movies in three years.
In 1986, he has the star role in Top Gun. It is an action movie about a pilot in a US military school. Tom plays the role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, their number one student. Top Gun is the movie of the year in the US. It makes $177,000,000 and it makes Tom Cruise a big star.