Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Martin S

  
  This is some fine directing right here from Mr. Political Subject himself. This movie uses one of the oldest tricks in the book for dramatic effect....Slowmotion....and it does it really well. Tom does possibly his best role here? And it's a very interesting story. Willem Dafoe… More
  This is some fine directing right here from Mr. Political Subject himself. This movie uses one of the oldest tricks in the book for dramatic effect....Slowmotion....and it does it really well. Tom does possibly his best role here? And it's a very interesting story. Willem Dafoe makes a brief but oscar worthy apperence. There are a lot of very beautiful shoots in this movie. Escpecially that first shoot after we cut to the war. That is just iconic. This movies story draws many similarities to The Deer Hunter but it's still very diffrent and uniqe. A really good movie and a great work by Tom Cruise

• moon r

  
  Cruise pulls out all the stops in his visceral portrayal of a guy who goes from trusting and unthinking patriot to wounded and wondering casualty of the Vietnam War. Certainly one of the very best of this genre, it's core point simply a question : when has blind obedience ever… More
  Cruise pulls out all the stops in his visceral portrayal of a guy who goes from trusting and unthinking patriot to wounded and wondering casualty of the Vietnam War. Certainly one of the very best of this genre, it's core point simply a question : when has blind obedience ever been an American ideal?

• xGary X

  
  A biopic based on the life of Ron Kovic, an idealistic poster boy for the American dream who volunteered for Vietnam only to return home to a different world both traumatized and paralysed. I've never been a big fan of Tom Cruise, but he gives the performance of his career as the… More
  A biopic based on the life of Ron Kovic, an idealistic poster boy for the American dream who volunteered for Vietnam only to return home to a different world both traumatized and paralysed. I've never been a big fan of Tom Cruise, but he gives the performance of his career as the Vietnam vet who became the spokesman of a disenfranchised generation. Being based upon Kovic's own book the film is a very personal journey and as such is a little episodic, often resembling one of those "triumph of courage" daytime telemovies rather than the overt politicism of many of Stone's other films of the time. It also limits his Vietnam experiences to the bare minimum which means that it lacks both the context and outright anger of Salvador and the emotional drama of Platoon leaving something of a half way house between the two. The supporting cast also don't get much of a look in so it feels a little superficial but it is an intelligent, well made film carried by a strong central performance. It does lack the power of Stone's best work however.

• Conner R

  
  This is without a doubt my favorite Oliver Stone movie. It has all of the passion and and emotional depth in ten minutes that most Vietnam movies try to attain for 2 hours. Tom Cruise played an amazing Ron Kovic, you were able to see the entire breakdown and redemption of his… More
  This is without a doubt my favorite Oliver Stone movie. It has all of the passion and and emotional depth in ten minutes that most Vietnam movies try to attain for 2 hours. Tom Cruise played an amazing Ron Kovic, you were able to see the entire breakdown and redemption of his character. I loved the message of the movie, it wasn't so much about action and physical damage of the war. It was about the complete destruction of hope for so many individuals. It's so heartbreaking to see such a good person have to suffer through so much.

• Anthony L

  
  A more honest account this time from Stone which shows the brutal reality of the Vietnam war, it?s far superior to Platoon. Possibly the only time I think Cruise has really been great!

• Chris G

  
  Some movies act like a microcosm of history. They take one little part of an enormous picture and use it to show how the little piece of the big picture affected each other. With Born on the Fourth of July Oliver Stone shows us how gung-ho America was going into the Vietnam war and… More
  Some movies act like a microcosm of history. They take one little part of an enormous picture and use it to show how the little piece of the big picture affected each other. With Born on the Fourth of July Oliver Stone shows us how gung-ho America was going into the Vietnam war and how that conflict affected millions of lives by looking at one life in that war: Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise). The film opens with the youngster Kovic watching a Fourth of July parade in the 1950's that reeks of apple pie and Eisenhower. Kids played soldier in the woods to mimic their dads and uncles stories from Europe in the decade before. Jump ahead to Kovic near graduation and deciding to join the Marines. He is still gung ho and ready to die for his country in a war in Vietnam that will be "over before we get there". He goes to Vietnam where two tragic events change his life forever in which one of them is taking a NVA bullet that renders him paralyzed from the chest down. He returns to a different America, polarized by the war and finds himself slowly seeing that the war wasn't as honorable as he thought it was. Tom Cruise finally got some respect from this film, proving that he could be more than the guy in his underwear dancing to Bob Seger or flying airplanes. By his return home he is a beaten man and it shows in his appearance. To me, this is Tom Cruise's first great performance. The remainder of the film from his return is mainly Stone showing Kovic's reaction to the turmoil that was the late '60's and the early '70's. The film shouts at us that this is how a million people reacted to it by looking at this one, lone man. It's a fascinating journey that Stone takes us on with ups and downs and the resentments and triumphs that go along with it. A terrific biopic.

• Sanjaya &

  
  Actually the story was pretty good, a story about a Vietnam veteran soldier because of the war.. Tom Cruise brilliantly portrait Ron Kovic, the young soldier with great ambition for the Vietnam war but yet he got wound in the war so he become a Vietnam veteran soldier in such a young… More
  Actually the story was pretty good, a story about a Vietnam veteran soldier because of the war.. Tom Cruise brilliantly portrait Ron Kovic, the young soldier with great ambition for the Vietnam war but yet he got wound in the war so he become a Vietnam veteran soldier in such a young age... This movie really describes how awful the war is... But, since I watched the cut version of this movie, so I'm not too understand with this movie... Even that, Tom Cruise shows his great talent at that time... And now, he should be disappointed knowing in his success as a celebrity, he didn't get an Oscar for his acting..

• Cassie H

  
  This movie based on a true story,was the best film. It was shocking and very sad,and was wonderfully made!!!

• Christopher M

  
  It certainly seems like this is a film that got lost in the shuffle - overshadowed by more popular films about Vietnam, such as Platoon (also done by Oliver Stone) or Full Metal Jacket or even The Deer Hunter. It's interesting because like The Deer Hunter (which is also… More
  It certainly seems like this is a film that got lost in the shuffle - overshadowed by more popular films about Vietnam, such as Platoon (also done by Oliver Stone) or Full Metal Jacket or even The Deer Hunter. It's interesting because like The Deer Hunter (which is also excellent), Born On The Fourth Of July focuses not on the events of the war itself but on the after-effects. I had wanted to see it for the longest time mainly because it's one of Tom Cruise's early roles, and I love Tom. It's also in my opinion his first truly great, or major role. Though he had good roles in The Color Of Money and Rain Man before this, it's Born where he really gets to show his chops as an actor for the first time. The film, based on the true biography of the main character, Ron Kovic (who was involved in the making of the film based on his book), is definitely an ambitious one, spanning much of the very involved life of Mr. Kovic and featuring a large ensemble cast. Stone, as he is able to do most of the time, handles the ambitious project very well. However, the film largely rests of the shoulders of Cruise, and he was obviously very up to the challenge, even this early in his career. This is one of the films that is just so vast it's almost hard to critique - but I know that I enjoyed it very much, and it featured some awesome surprises such as Willem Dafoe's role. Basically you have to see this if you enjoy Vietnam films or Oliver Stone or Tom Cruise or any combination thereof.

• Aaron N

  
  Ron Kovic: People say that if you don't love America, then get the hell out. Well, I love America. Tom Cruise stars as Ron Kovic in the second of director Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy. Stone worked with the real Ron Kovic in order to try and capture what happened in his… More
  Ron Kovic: People say that if you don't love America, then get the hell out. Well, I love America. Tom Cruise stars as Ron Kovic in the second of director Oliver Stone's Vietnam trilogy. Stone worked with the real Ron Kovic in order to try and capture what happened in his life, from his early childhood, through his tour in Vietnam, and up to the eventual outcome surrounding his injury and what people thought about the war when he came back home. The movie starts off by showing us Kovic in his home town, desiring to become a marine and be a war hero like his father and the other WWII vets that he sees. We then shift to Vietnam, where Kovic sees and is a part of things that shock and hurt him. He is also shot, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. This leads to the bulk of the film, which is better than what came before it. Kovic goes back home to a changed country. People take sides as to how effective this war really is and what to think about the government. Kovic also goes through mental anguish involving a number of things including what it means to be seen as a war hero, the loss of his legs, what America thinks of him, how he should think of America, and so on. He goes through a tough odyssey of sorts involving the things he is forced to deal with concerning his life and family, and what to do next. Cruise is very good in this role, probably among his best work as an actor. What would now easily be considered Oscar bait, playing a war hero paraplegic, is a testament to how good someone has to be to pull it off. His performance in this movie is probably overshadowed by Gary Sinese a few years later as Lt. Dan in Forest Gump, as that is probably more of a memorable film, but that shouldn't take away from how good Cruise is. There is also a good supporting cast that includes Raymond J. Barry as Kovic's father, Kyra Sedgwick as the girl he left behind, a number of people that were all in Platoon, including Willem Dafoe, who comes in late in the film to spice things up. The score of this movie, which I picked up pretty quickly as being from John Williams fits well with the themes of this movie. This goes with the style of the film visually as well. There are a lot of neat 'Stone' moments that one can recognize from the way they are setup. Stone, always being recognized for his editing style, makes that apparent here again for having a picture that flows well enough and moves into each scene appropriately. While verging on too depressing at times, mixed with enough profanity to hold anyone over for a week, this is a good story with a great performance from Cruise. Ron Kovic: Sometimes, Stevie, I think people, they know you're back from Vietnam, and their face - changes: the eyes, the voice, the way they look at you, you know. Steve Boyer: I know what you mean, Ronnie, but people here - they don't give a shit about the war! Yeah! To them it's just a million miles away. It's all bullshit, anyway. I mean, the government sold us a bill of goods and we bought it, and got the shit kicked out of us, and for what, huh? Ron Kovic: What do you mean, "we," Stevie? You were in college, man.

• Candy R

  
  Movie about aftermath of war for Vietnam veterans.

• Bobby H

  
  Movie is great. It was honestly hard for me to watch at times, because of the realness of it. Really shows how wars effect people, especially the men who are serving, and if anyone has not seen this movie, try too find it and watch it! It's better then the majority of war… More
  Movie is great. It was honestly hard for me to watch at times, because of the realness of it. Really shows how wars effect people, especially the men who are serving, and if anyone has not seen this movie, try too find it and watch it! It's better then the majority of war movies, as of late.

• Dean M

  
  Tom Cruise makes a remarkably good performance in this true story of Vietnam voluntter Ron Kovic, wounded in battle and confined to a wheelchair. This is a powerful, heartfelt scream of rage and despair, both shocking and human, in director Oliver Stone's best style since… More
  Tom Cruise makes a remarkably good performance in this true story of Vietnam voluntter Ron Kovic, wounded in battle and confined to a wheelchair. This is a powerful, heartfelt scream of rage and despair, both shocking and human, in director Oliver Stone's best style since <i>Platoon</i>.

• Byron B

  
  This movie left me shaken and choked up! It pays homage to The Best Years of Our Lives and perhaps some other films about vets returning home. But specifically Best Years, I think, with the shot of Ron Kovic after he has become paralyzed and finally returns to his parents'… More
  This movie left me shaken and choked up! It pays homage to The Best Years of Our Lives and perhaps some other films about vets returning home. But specifically Best Years, I think, with the shot of Ron Kovic after he has become paralyzed and finally returns to his parents' house staring at his high school wrestling picture in his old room. Harold Russell in Best Years does the exact same thing becoming lost in the old picture from his high school athletics career when he felt he was a whole person. Both of these movies deal with men who have lost some part of themselves and have to discover how to gain strength and courage and acceptance to be a whole man again. By exploring Ron's youth, Born on the Fourth of July shows that the story is really about pressure and failure and confusion and how we deal with those things. This is an epic story with a tremendous supporting cast. It's about a boy who becomes a soldier, a soldier who becomes paralyzed, a paraplegic who becomes an outcast all the while searching for his humanity!! Sometimes it takes an outcast to speak the truth, someone who has been paralyzed to really stand for something, a soldier to fight for life, and of course it's the natural progression of things for a boy to triumphantly become a man!

• Naughtia N

  
  This is the true story about Ron Korvic who joins the Marine Core and gets sent to Vietnam. In Vietnam he gets injured and is cripled in his legs. He doesn't get treated like a human being in the hospital and soon feels the inhospitality of the people he loves because of their… More
  This is the true story about Ron Korvic who joins the Marine Core and gets sent to Vietnam. In Vietnam he gets injured and is cripled in his legs. He doesn't get treated like a human being in the hospital and soon feels the inhospitality of the people he loves because of their opinion of the war. He soon developes to an anti-war activist in order to make a big change to the US way of governing the country. This really is a touching story and very authentic. You really feel sypathetic for Ron. I don't know why I didn't watch this movie before today.

• Mike T

  
  Tom Cruise is downright outstanding in this meticulously directed war epic. Although it's shamelessly traditional in some ways, Born on the Fourth of July is much more unsettling and thought-provoking than your average anti-war film. A phenomenal and highly recommended piece of… More
  Tom Cruise is downright outstanding in this meticulously directed war epic. Although it's shamelessly traditional in some ways, Born on the Fourth of July is much more unsettling and thought-provoking than your average anti-war film. A phenomenal and highly recommended piece of work.

• Joey N

  
  I'm glad I wasn't familiar with the story line before I saw this. It made the transformation of the character more powerful. So going into this cold, at first I thought it was a well-directed film with nothing really compelling to say. But the film gets better once he… More
  I'm glad I wasn't familiar with the story line before I saw this. It made the transformation of the character more powerful. So going into this cold, at first I thought it was a well-directed film with nothing really compelling to say. But the film gets better once he returns to a home he didn't expect. (this is about 1 hour into the film). The parallel war parade scene, for me, is where things started becoming fascinating. The last 20 minutes or so are a gripping directorial achievment.

• Nicolas K

  
  Oliver Stone on the stuff he has shown to know best.

• Sarah P

  
  I liked the transition of Tom Cruise's character in the movie, but it was a little too drawn out for me.

• Lord N

  
  umm no. not a good film. i got the feeling while i was watching the film that i should maybe care about what they were preaching to me but i really didn't. Tom Cruise complained the whole movie. i just didn't care about what they were saying. this is the only nominee in 1989… More
  umm no. not a good film. i got the feeling while i was watching the film that i should maybe care about what they were preaching to me but i really didn't. Tom Cruise complained the whole movie. i just didn't care about what they were saying. this is the only nominee in 1989 that i wouldn't have given the best picture award to.

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