Quality Vietnam War film

Rating: 8/10 (1 June 2020)

I hadn't seen this movie for many, many years, probably not since it was a new release on VHS, so could remember little of my initial thoughts. It's probably fair to say I wasn't expecting a lot.
Overall, a really pleasant surprise, much better than expected. It has aged well and the early performance by Tom Cruise is excellent. As an actor with somewhat limited range, this seemed just right for him, though I seem to recall it raised a few eyebrows at the time. I found it surprisingly moving, especially when he returns home and he, his family, and his local community, try to adapt to his new station in life.
A few of the other characters could have been developed a bit more, Kyra Sedgewick seems a bit under-used and Willem Defoe, while entertaining, doesn't make a lot of sense. It also drifts a bit in the last half hour, if you didn't actually know the story, the wrapping up in the last five minutes would seem a bit rushed. This doesn't detract from the movie overall however, that sits quite nicely among the many other great films about the Vietnam War.