LOS ANGELES — Who's the top gun now?

Actor and producer Tom Cruise was awarded the U.S. Navy's highest civilian honor Tuesday, a nod to his support of the military in films including "Top Gun," "A Few Good Men" and "Born on the Fourth of July."

Cruise, 62, accepted the Distinguished Public Service Award for "outstanding contributions to the Navy and the Marine Corps" and posed with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, who presented the award at Longcross Studios in London.

"I know in life, something that is very true to me is to lead, is to serve. And I know that to my core. And I see that in the servicemen and -women," the "Mission: Impossible" actor and producer said in a video of the ceremony from the Associated Press.

"Your work has inspired generations to pursue careers of service to our country!" Del Toro posted on X Tuesday regarding the award for the Oscar-winning actor.

Some have criticized the "Top Gun" movies and other military-positive films as propaganda, while others see them as patriotic and, via Cruise's contributions to Hollywood, a recruitment boost.

When the 1986 original "Top Gun" film starring Cruise came out, recruiters in some cities set up tables outside movie theaters to expedite sign-ups.

The U.S. military regularly vets Hollywood's scripts, offers on-site filming on bases and allows uniformed soldiers to appear as extras, an effort to have a measure of control over how the public sees the military on the big screen.

When Cruise reprised his role as Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the "Top Gun" sequel, the Navy said in a statement, it brought a wave of nostalgia but also "targeted a younger audience's interest into the skill sets and opportunities" in the Navy.

As one YouTube commenter put it: "Tom Cruise is the greatest recruitment tool the Navy has ever had."

Cruise is set to appear next in "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," the eighth entry in the series, in theaters May 23.

©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.