Powerful, slightly biased anti-war film.

Rating: 8/10 (14 September 2010)

Born On The Fourth Of July is the second of three films Oliver Stone did on Vietnam.I have seen Platoon but not Heaven and Earth. While Platoon deals with the actual war this film deals with the aftermath.
The main character Ron Kovic is an idealistic young American in the early 60's who goes to fight for his country in Vietnam and comes home in a wheelchair paralyzed from the waist down.The rest of the film deals with how he goes from bitter drunk to a anti-war protester.
As with all Oliver stone films I have seen that deal with politics this movie leans to the left,albeit not as heavy as Nixon.If you can deal with the slightly bent take on facts and who is to blame for the war this film is a powerful addition to the canon of films that try to show the horrors of war both during and after.
Tom Cruise is absolutely brilliant in this film and carries this film very well.He should have won a Best Actor award for this film
This film works great as a double feature with Platoon to give you a deeper understanding of Vietnam.
In summary I felt that this film while not the best anti-war film I have seen,that goes to Grave Of The Fireflies,it is worth watching if you are interested in the effect war has on people and how life changes completely after for everyone involved.