One of Stone and Cruise's best

Rating: 10/10 (26 July 2009)

I recall first watching BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY when it first came out in 1989 (back during a time when I frankly watched too many movies). They had done Vietnam movies to death at this point (DEER HUNTER, COMING HOME, APOCALYPSE NOW, PLATOON, FULL METAL JACKET, BOYS OF COMPANY C, HAMBURGER HILL). All those prior films, except for COMING HOME and DEER HUNTER in parts are about the actual Vietnam experience, whereas BORN is virtually about the effects on the soldier upon returning home. You'd think that by the time of BORN (1989), a film about anything related to Vietnam would seem like retread. Thankfully, due to Oliver Stone and Tom Cruise, it is anything but that. An amazingly involving film that stands out amongst the great Vietnam films, BORN quite possibly cracks the top 5 Vietnam movies!
It catches your attention from the opening when our hero Ron Kovic (portrayed brilliantly by Mr. Cruise) briefly narrates how he came to be infatuated with war and his country as a boy. Such an innocent scene of little Ronny playing "war" with his friends on his birthday, the 4th of July. Then sitting on his father's back during the 4th of July parade and admiring the veteran soldiers passing by. Soon after we see a teenage Ron working in the grocery store afterschool with all the enthusiasm and energy a young teen should have. Amazing that at this point in his career (I think Cruise was actually in his late 20s) that he could so perfectly make us believe him as a teen! Then Ron enlists in the Marines and goes off to Vietnam to be badly wounded (permanent paralysis). The brief Vietnam scenes are incredibly authentic and the VA hospital scenes are some of the most disgusting and gruesome ever filmed. Ron and other vets are treated like utter crap by the VA employees and he has to endure this treatment while being devastated that he has lost permanent use of his legs.
Ron returns home and THIS scene that occurs around the midway point of the film is the one that I most remember. Watching this once energetic, full-of-life young man now permanently disabled and having to return to his family in this condition chokes me up to this day, especially that brief moment with his mother.
As time passes, Ron realizes that his idealism may have been misplaced and that war, in particular this war, may not have been the right one to fight. His own family turns against him, the very ones who encouraged him in the first place...Sad...So Ron leaves and moves to Mexico to get away from his troubles and hooks up with similar vets who live a life of booze and sexual pleasure (as best these men could experience). He soon realizes that these people are no more his friends than perfect strangers and that he must battle and defeat his inner demons to become a complete man again.
I'm not a big fan of biopics, but Stone's film seems to capture the essence of the pre, during, and post Vietnam experience from one brave, great man's viewpoint, but never devolves into pontification or tedium. And frankly, generally films like this can easily become tedious. The cinematography, sound, and editing is brilliant. Mostly, the film benefits from Mr. Cruise, a truly GREAT actor who proved that he could play with the big boys! Really, one of the best portrayals of a real-life person in film ever!