Powerful Stuff

Rating: 9/10 (26 September 2017)

Continuing my plan to watch every Tom Cruise movie in order, I come to Born On The 4th Of July (1988)
Plot In A Paragraph: The biography of Ron Kovic (Crusie) Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
Anyone who thought Cruise was just a pretty boy, who could not act, were proved wrong with this powerful movie. He was rightly nominated for an Oscar, and I don't think there will have been too many complaining had he won. He really showcased his acting chops here. The movie was nominated for 8 Oscars winning 2. Best Film Editing and Best Director for Oliver Stone.
I can see why this powerful movie is not to everyone's taste. It certainly isn't one I watch a lot, but that doesn't mean it is not a brilliant piece of movie-making. This is the first serious drama Cruise has not had a more famous co lead, and he does not disappoint. If anyone has not seen this movie I urge you to check it out!!
The battle scenes are exactly how I imagine the confusion of gunfight in a war zone to be and the scenes in the hospital are brutally honest in their horror. It could have been easy for Cruise to fall into a number of traps with this performance and he doesn't!! Similar with Stone, his direction could have wondered into other directions, but it doesn't!! It sticks true to the heart of its story!! As painful as it is.
It's interesting that the movie poster has a youthful Cruise on it, as it's not how he looks for the majority of the movie.
Born On The Fourth Of July grossed $70 million at the domestic box office, to end the year the 17th highest grossing movie of 1989.