"The Worst Years of Our Lives"

Rating: Null/10 (6 July 2001)

A biography of Viet Nam Vet turned anti-war activist, Ron Kovic, this remains one of the more powerful, and graphically disturbing 'coming home' pictures to come out of Hollywood. I think the footage depicting Mr. Kovic's recovery in a rat infested, ill-equipped VA Hospital are by far the most lasting. Tom Cruise's performance as Ron Kovic is nothing short of amazing. You will find yourself forgetting the actor behind the roll, a feat Tom Cruise rarely accomplishes. The film has lost some of its punch over time, mainly because Oliver Stone's magic has all but faded to the point that you now uncover flaws in his earlier films, that might have gone unnoticed had he not exposed himself in his later works. The zealously religous yet unfeeling mother figure rears her head in this film as well as in Nixon, as an example. Watch this if only for Cruise's performance, but be warned it may take you to a place emotionally you might have wished to avoid.