Review of Born on the Fourth of July (1989) by Mike H — 02 Jan 2012
Oliver Stone once again revisits a familiar subject in the Vietnam War with this adaptation of Ray Kovic's autobiography. Tom Cruise stars as Kovic and gives possibly the best performance of his career.
Kovic starts out as an all American teenager who sees joining the Marines as the duty he owes to his country. Instead, he learns that war is not the same fun and games that he and his friends played in the woods when they were younger.
When he is paralyzed from the chest down, Kovic must reexamine everything he believed in and find out who he truly is. Some of the film is extremely hard to watch, especially the scenes in the veterans hospital where Kovic is treated.
What the film does well is show a man trying to come to grips with what he witnessed and did while in Vietnam. The film also sadly shows the amount of disrespect and shame he received for having served his country in Vietnam.
The issue with the movie though is twofold. First is Oliver Stone, who has a tendency to be very heavy handed with his message in any movie he is making. This can be a bit annoying and it kind of treats the audience like idiots, as if we couldn't figure out the message on our own.
The other is that the film at times jumps from one point in Kovic's life to another without any explanation as to how or why we are there. This occurs more towards the end of the film and it is a bit confusing.
Otherwise it is a fine film on the effects of those who fought in Vietnam and especially those who came back with both physical and mental wounds.
This review of Born on the Fourth of July (1989) was written by Mike H on 02 Jan 2012.
Born on the Fourth of July has generally received positive reviews.
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