Tom Cruise is One Powerful Dude

Tom Cruise has been doing the dad thing a lot these days, but don't let his proud papa demeanor trick you – the original Maverick is still a powerful force on the scene.

The Valkyrie star graces the cover of the new Details, and is top-ranked celebrity — and #7 ovreall — on their Power 40 list of men who have the ability to effect change in the country right now. Others on the list include #1 dude Barack Obama, the fellas at the U.S. Secret Service, John Mayer, Sarah Palin's boys and more.

In his new movie, Tom plays a German military officer who stages an attempt to murder Hitler, a role that garnered some less than positive reviews from the Deutschland critics.

"That was always just a small group," he says of the German naysayers. "When there was finally dialogue between us and they realized what it was we were doing with the story, they relented. This was a hard movie to make on many levels—but that was just one challenge."

This isn't the first challenge Tom's faced in his long career, however.

"There's always someone telling you not to make a movie," he says. "When I did Born on the Fourth of July, they said, 'This is going to ruin your career. What are you doing?' Suicide? I've committed it. There were people who didn't want me to make Top Gun."

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The new issue of Details goes on sale Dec. 2.