Review of Born on the Fourth of July (1989) by Alexander R — 29 Sep 2011

Here we have another one of Oliver Stone's films about Vietnam.

Tom Cruise plays Vietnam veteran and now anti-war activist Ron Kovic. It's based on the autobiography of the same name that Kovic wrote. (he also co-wrote the screenplay with Stone). I'm one of those people that never took Tom Cruise seriously. With the exception of Jerry Maguire, I never found him to be that great of an actor (another reason is that he's a scientologist). Now having said all that, this is the best performance I've seen from him. If he weren't in the movie, I don't think it would've been as good as it is. However there is a scene where he is drunk and yelling at his family about how they don't appreciate the war (before Kovic became anti-war). This scene is supposed to be dramatic, but because Cruise looks really crazy with the long beard and mullet, it was really hard for me to take it seriously. The other students in my class felt the same also.

As for the rest of the movie, the other actors are really good. Oliver Stone has a bunch of interesting camera shots and there are many powerful dramatic moments in the movie. This movie however feels more like a Steven Spielberg film rather then an Oliver Stone film and I think it's because of the fact that John WIlliams scored the film. It's not his best score, but it's very powerful given the tone of the film.

It's a very well made movie, and there is nothing else new that I can say about it that critics haven't said about. I did however give me a look at the disjointed mind of a vietnam veteran and how much hell they went through after the war. (especially with all the protesters and since we lost that war).