Review of Born on the Fourth of July (1989) by Miikka O — 12 Aug 2008

I remember being a bit confused after I saw this movie for the first time. I wasn't really sure whether it's too exaggerated and over-acted, but after subsequent viewings, I have to say that it's a pretty decent movie.

And it's very Oliver Stone, packed with little details (which in this case are based on real events) and also having his political message included. Tom Cruise does some decent work there for the most part and supporting cast is rather strong as well.

And it's almost like Platoon revisited, you see so many familiar faces there. So, all in all we can say that this is not an easy movie and if you can't handle some quite disturbing scenes and quite a strong political message regarding the Vietnam war, then you may want to skip this one.

But otherwise, it's a good example of Tom Cruise not being just "a pretty boy" and a well-made movie.