Nowadays Tom Cruise is well known for his action performances, and for good reason. The dudes got the Mission Impossible films under his belt, and his most recent movies like Jack Reacher and Oblivion have all been focused on explosions and testosterone. In sharp contrast to those high-octane features is Rain Man, a 1988 Barry Levinson effort that is one of the rare films to accomplish the feat of being both the no. 1 movie at the domestic box office the year it was released and winning Best Picture.

Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) has had a chip on his shoulder his entire life stemming from his estranged relationship from his father. When his Dad kicks the bucket, he discovers that his father has left three million dollars to a brother Charlie never knew he had; Raymond (Dustin Hoffman), an Autistic-savant who goes on a road trip with Charlie who intends to get the massive amount of cash his brother has one way or another. That sort of motivation makes it pretty damn blatant that Charlie is not a stand-up fellow at the start of this movie, and frankly, Rain Man leans too heavily on depicting Charlie being irritated at his brothers quirks, as it makes the kind actions he commits later on in the story feel phony or suspicious rather than triumphant.

However, I do give kudos to Rain Man for not giving the movie a traditional story structure, with a happy ending not gracing the motion picture and a tidy conclusion not greeting the brothers. That doesn’t completely forgive the too over-the-top brash demeanor Charlie has in earlier portions of the plot, but it does show a sort of bravery in the movies writing that took me by surprise. Even if it doesn’t quite know how to handle Charlie, the script, in addition to embracing a more downbeat finale, also depicts Raymond in a believable manner.

As someone on the Autistic spectrum (I’ve got Asperger’s syndrome, which is a far less imperative case of autism than what Raymond has), I’m always interested to see how actors handle depicting the traits and mannerisms that are common in those on the Autistic spectrum and Dustin Hoffman absolutely nails Raymonds moments both intimate and bombastic in scale. My concerns he would be delivering a hammy performance drifted away after just a few minutes viewing his acting, with even modest in scale bits like his constant renditions of “Whose On First” carrying a believable sense of distress.

He’s so out of his element on this journey and the only way he can express himself is by clinging to his routines (which mainly consist of television shows and specific food patterns). He’s easily the most captivating creation of Rain Man, and frankly, I have to wonder why he isn’t the lead of this movie. Why do these sort of movies dealing with characters different races, sexualities, cultures or, in this case, developmental disorders always feel the need to have some white dude as the lead? Do they think audiences won’t be engrossed in unique struggles and absolutely need conventionality to guide them through things?

That’s a larger issue that should be taken care of sooner rather than later in the grand scheme of Hollywood, but at least Rain Man fares better than the majority of motion pictures that employ this hackneyed storytelling tactic. Dustin Hoffman is in excellent form, the writing remains sharp and Barry Levinsons directing, while far from extraordinary, does well capturing the various locations Charlie and his brother encounter. Though there is one thing I do need to note before I close this review; the films score is composed by Hans Zimmer, a man responsible for composing numerous famous pieces of cinematic music. But his work here felt out of place, with some portions of the score feeling like they’d be more at home in a thriller or spy movie. Really took me out of the movie at times and surprised me considering Zimmers track record.