Insightful, but could've been better

Rating: 7/10 (12 June 2005)

Born On The Fourth Of July (1989) is more or less the biography of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam vet who eventually becomes anti-war after feeling abandoned and forgotten by the country he fought for.
The film moves along well enough, and despite the wonderful portrayal of Kovic by Tom Cruise, I did not find myself entirely drawn into the story. I understood and sympathized what he was going through, but did not feel it, and I can't help but think it's simply the result of an inadequate screenplay. Oliver Stone certainly knows how to direct the material, but I found nothing particularly spectacular. The scene with Ron and Charlie (Willem Dafoe) on the highway was pleasantly amusing. I was however moved by Ron's speech to his mother and later outraged by the abuse he took at the rally, but these moments did not arrive till near the end of the film.
VERDICT: Certainly a moving story worth seeing, but I can't help but feel it could've been better. Recommended to all, 17 and up of course.
7.0 out of 10.0