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Christopher McQuarrie

Christopher McQuarrie

Writer, director, producer and actor · Born October 25, 1968 (58) · Princeton Junction, New Jersey, USA

Oscar winner · BAFTA Award winner · 4 other major award bodies

Christopher McQuarrie (born October 25, 1968) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer. He received the BAFTA Award, Independent Spirit Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the neo-noir mystery film The Usual Suspects (1995). He made his directorial debut with the crime thriller film The Way of the Gun (2000).  McQuarrie is a frequent collaborator with Tom Cruise, having written and directed the action films Jack Reacher (2012), as well as four instalments of the Mission: Impossible film series: Rogue Nation (2015), Fallout (2018), Dead Reckoning (2023), and The Final Reckoning (2025). He was also a part of the writing and/or producing team on the Cruise films Valkyrie (2008), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), The Mummy (2017), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), the last of which received Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. Description above from the Wikipedia article about Christopher McQuarrie, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 25, 1968 (58)
From
Princeton Junction, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Writer, director, producer and actor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 6% in 30 days

What are Christopher McQuarrie's films like?

Across their 17 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 76th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
34%
Bonds
18%
Power
16%
Self
14%
Ideas
8%
Survival
7%
Society
3%
Sacrifice7 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 16 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 8 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 6

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 3 · Charged 2 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 3 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 7

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 7

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Thrilling
11
Contemplative
6
Warm
3
Dread
2
Other
10

How their films linger

Thought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 8 with a twist

  • Happy8
  • Bittersweet3
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Christopher McQuarrie's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Christopher McQuarrie's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning(2025)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Passer-by (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Passenger on train (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Top Gun: Maverick(2022)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Reacher(2022)

    Show 8 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows

  • Mission: Impossible - Fallout(2018)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Mission Brief (Voice) (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • The Mummy(2017)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Jack Reacher: Never Go Back(2016)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation(2015)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Edge of Tomorrow(2014)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Jack the Giant Slayer(2013)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Jack Reacher(2012)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Tourist(2010)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Persons Unknown(2010)

    Show 13 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • Valkyrie(2008)

    Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Paradise Now(2005)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Way of the Gun(2000)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • The Usual Suspects(1995)

    Writer · as Interrogation Cop (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • NYPD Blue(1993)

    Show 1 episode · Story

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • Public Access (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Writer · as Cop #1 / Our Town Caller

  • Battlefield (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Broadsword (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Deeper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Screenplay

  • King Conan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Writer

  • The Gauntlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 24 titles, 19 of them dated from 1993 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)

$824M worldwide

Highest rated

The Usual Suspects (1995)

Midcredits 99th

Most popular right now

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 24: 0 only acting, 5 with another roleDirecting10 of 24: 1 only directing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score90thWriting20 of 24: 6 only writing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdProducing10 of 24: 2 only producing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thOther crew2 of 24: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

24 titles, 14 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 9 of them.

By decade

1990s3 · 2 acting · 3 crew2000s3 · crew2010s9 · 1 acting · 9 crew2020s4 · 2 acting · 4 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

an Oscar, a BAFTA Award and 2 other major awards from 8 major nominations, 1993–2023.

WinNomination
  1. 2023
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Motion Picture of the Year
    • +2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
      • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Adapted Screenplay
      • Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
  2. 1996
    • Oscar, won · Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
    • BAFTA Award, won · Best Screenplay - Original
    • +1 other major body · 1 win
      • Independent Spirit Award, won · Best Screenplay
  3. 1993
    • Sundance award, won · Dramatic

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Christopher McQuarrie's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 85th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Approval · how many liked their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Reach · how many have seen their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 16

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 18 titles divides audiences: 7 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer, producer

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 54/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Christopher McQuarrie's work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore13 titles54–75 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles16–35 · median 22 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity13 titles33–82 · median 45 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs13 titles9–45 · median 32 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense13 titles49–69 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Christopher McQuarrie work with?

People who share at least 2 of Christopher McQuarrie's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tom Cruise shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles