One To Touch your Soul Even Through the Flaws

Rating: 7/10 (26 June 2018)

Placed in the rightful hand for direction, Oliver Stone had experienced it all. In the Vietnam War, Stone was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star so therefore no one else was qualified to direct this film that pretty much sums up the nightmare he had endured and the reception he got afterward. "Born on the Forth of July" is the true story centering on Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) who was bitten by the military bug after President John F. Kennedy's speech which inspired him to join the Marines. After all the propaganda hype got to his head, he decided to arbitrarily volunteer after high school.
During his second voyage he accidentally annihilates innocent Vietnamese peasants and people of his own brigade while trying to escape the potential fatality of enemy cease fire. Three months into this, Kovic gets shot in the spine and has left him paralyzed from the waist down. He makes his residency in veteran's hospitals and almost gets his leg amputated, but he returns home to his parents.
Back home he gets the displeasure reuniting with an old school peer named Steve (Jerry Levine) who's made a great business for himself and had better common sense than to volunteer in the Vietnam War. Kovic is labeled as a hero at a July 4th parade, but has a meltdown unable to cope with the fact that he caused just as much heartbreak as he did triumphed during his journey. He tries to win back his love for his girlfriend Donna (Kyra Sedgwick) who has become an anti-war supporter.
Kovic is granted a monthly pension from the government, but he uses his restitution in favour for the sauce as he laments into a chronic state of self-pity distancing himself from his parents who evict him from their home as he travels to Mexico where he's retreated to a haven of other wounded soldiers including an argumentative Charlie (Willem Dafoe). There he starts drinking and hitting it off with hookers.
Fortunately, Kovic has a change of plans and comes back home. He comes to terms with the family of the soldier he killed including his widow (Lili Taylor) and becomes an antiwar advocate as interrupts the Republican Presidential convention led by President Richard Nixon which resulted in him being assaulted and rescued. In 1976 at the Democratic convention in New York City announcing the release of his autobiography.
After the success of his other films like "Risky Business" and "Rain Man", I though this was going to be chance for Cruise to shine come Oscar time. Sadly he lost out to Daniel Day-Lewis who played another crippled iconic. He dis win the Golden Globes for his performance and did get an ovation when Stone won for Best Director.
The movie itself was a box office success considering that an accomplishment being that was made under a small budget. The fan base at the time on imdb.com rated this film a passing grade of 7.2 out of 10 considering the viewership of under 60 K. The main gender age demographics were males around the ages of 18 or under gave the bulk of the appraisal at 7.9 out of 10 I'm guessing these youngsters can feel related to the leading character as he's going through high levels of personal issues and that the attraction can reflect on the youth more easier. For the men over 45 years old, they rated this film at its lowest score of 6.9 out of 10. This is largely due the fact that the star of the film was not closer in connecting with the younger star at the time or that their views were not lenient towards Kovic's antiwar beliefs or the lack of patriotism depicted in this movie.
In spite of all the fan support it has received over the years, there are a few flaws that came with the movie, though it didn't deter any of my expectations. Just some minor nitpicks They covered way too much ground making too much out of scenes that weren't in sync with the story. Who cares about Kovic and his failed efforts to win the wrestling title or to crash his school prom in a dramatic rain run. The Vietnam village annihilation was covered in many films before.
But Stone and Cruise will go out of their way to leave nothing out in their storytelling even if pisses the life out of you. The intense moments they bring will be there to get a reaction and they really deliver the goods. Especially when Kovic's yelling at his own mother while drunk.
Overall this movie is highly recommended with great performances and well deserved of his accolades and awards by the mass. It has an appeal and a btter connection towards its younger audience as it understands Cruise's character better. The older audience members may not sit well with his character or the antiwar statement it's given here. Sure it goes on for too long with scenes that don't fit the story but it thankfully doesn't meander. If you are into war dramas , then this film is a good watch that might touch on you.