Not Only 'Forrest Gump': 8 Best Movies Starring Tom Hanks, Ranked by RT

Tom Hanks' name is synonymous with Hollywood quality and humanity. Yet, for many, he will always be remembered as Forrest Gump – the man who found himself at the center of pivotal moments in American history.

While Forrest Gump is an undisputed masterpiece, it would be a mistake to reduce Hanks' entire filmography to that role.

8. 'The Terminal', 2004

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 61%

Viktor finds himself in a legal bind. Flights to his homeland, a fictional Eastern European nation called Krakozhia, have been canceled due to a military coup. His visa has also been revoked because of the outbreak of hostilities.

Thus, Viktor becomes a prisoner of the terminal. Yet he maintains his composure, an attitude that invariably infuriates Frank Dixon, the airport security chief eager to get rid of him.

Fortunately, Viktor befriends Enrique, a food service worker, and Gupta, a janitor, and even wins the affection of a flight attendant named Amelia.

7. 'Sleepless in Seattle', 1993

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 75%

The 1980s and 1990s were a golden age for romantic comedies. By then, Tom Hanks had established himself as a major Hollywood star and was offered roles in two rom-coms that would go on to become genre benchmarks: Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail.

Sleepless in Seattle introduced an innovation to the genre by defying romance film conventions – the lead characters did not meet until the end.

This concept struggled to make its way through the Hollywood studio system but was ultimately rescued by Nora Ephron, who was originally brought on to refine the script and ultimately took on the role of director.

6. 'The Green Mile', 1999

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 78%

In The Green Mile, the actor dons a uniform and steps into the role of Paul Edgecomb, a guard serving in the grim E Block of a maximum-security prison. Death-row inmates walk the Green Mile on their final journey on Earth here.

Edgecomb leads a small team of guards and seems utterly exhausted by the repetitive, somber ritual of state-sanctioned executions. To make matters worse, he is plagued by a painful case of cystitis.

However, the monotonous existence of death row changes when John Coffey, a gentle giant, is brought to the prison. Paul soon discovers that the prisoner's spiritual power far surpasses his physical strength.

5. 'Cast Away', 2000

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Chuck Noland, the ordinary man portrayed by Hanks in an extraordinary situation, was always in a rush. Yet he failed to accomplish the one thing that mattered most – marrying Kelly, the woman who held his heart.

In a cruel twist of fate, Chuck found himself stranded on an island with nothing but coconuts, a mercilessly blinding sun, and a volleyball for company. Suddenly, he had all the time in the world.

Hanks admitted in interviews that, due to Zemeckis' filming method, which dispensed with "cut" or "action" commands so the actor would never break character, he grew so accustomed to the isolation that he began to hear Wilson the volleyball talking back to him in his mind.

4. 'Captain Phillips', 2013

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Captain Phillips is another one of Tom Hanks' movies based on true events. In it, Hanks plays Richard Phillips, a container ship captain who finds himself in a perilous situation.

His ship is seized by Somali pirates led by Abduwali Muse. Despite his appearance as an ordinary middle-aged man, Phillips displays remarkable composure and resourcefulness, saving most of his crew while becoming a hostage himself.

The hijacking actually took place in 2009. The following year, Phillips published a book recounting the events, and Columbia Pictures immediately acquired the rights to adapt it for the screen.

3. 'Saving Private Ryan', 1998

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Tom Hanks played Captain John Miller, a battle-hardened man who combines determination with gentleness. High command tasks him with a seemingly suicidal yet noble mission: to rescue Private Ryan.

The challenge is that Miller must first locate the private, who has been dropped behind enemy lines and knows nothing of his would-be rescuers, while leading a small squad.

The movie was one of the year's highest-grossing movies and won several Academy Awards, including Best Director.

2. 'Catch Me If You Can', 2002

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

The plot, based on a true story, follows FBI agent Carl Hanratty as he tracks down the elusive con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. across America and Europe after Abagnale ran away from home at 16 and began forging bank checks and engaging in other financial scams.

A peculiar bond develops between pursuer and criminal, reminiscent of the relationship between a stern older brother and a mischievous younger one, which ultimately evolves into friendship.

Incidentally, Abagnale himself – who wrote an autobiography about his exploits in the 1960s – was pleased with the film and Spielberg's additions to his story.

1. 'Big', 1988

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

The success of Penny Marshall's comedy turned young Tom into a star. In Big, 12-year-old Josh Baskin wishes on an antique fortune-telling machine to become an adult.

The next morning, he wakes up in an adult body, which terrifies his mother and forces Josh to run away from home. He finds a place to live and achieves success at a toy company because he remembers what it's like to be a child, unlike his colleagues.

However, over time, this existence weighs increasingly heavily on him, and he seeks a way to become a child again.