Born On the Fourth of July [Special Edition] [DVD] [1989]

Nowadays we all know Cruise as an action-man who will go above and beyond what normal actors do in terms of stunts (hanging out of an airplane in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation). However, he used to give nuanced performances small dramas, or he would at least mix them in with his big action roles (Eyes Wide Shut is the last one that springs to mind, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a couple). In 1988 and 1989 he had the one-two punch of Rain Man (in which he was great even if Hoffman is giving the showy-er performance) and Born on the Fourth of July. Aside from maybe Rain Man and Magnolia, Born on the Fourth of July gives us Cruise as his very best. It's a must watch if you haven't seen it and like Tom Cruise.

1989 American war drama film adaptation of the best-selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic.[2] Tom Cruise plays Ron Kovic, in a performance that earned him his first Academy Award nomination. Oliver Stone (himself a Vietnam veteran) co-wrote the screenplay with Kovic, and also produced and directed the film. Stone wanted to film the movie in Vietnam, but because relations between the United States and Vietnam had not yet been normalized, it was instead filmed in the Philippines. The film is considered part of Stone's "trilogy" of films about the Vietnam War—following Platoon (1986) and preceding Heaven & Earth (1993).

This movie is not an action movie. Is more of one that deals with the overall trauma after the Vietnam War, and how some dealt with what happened to them. Tom Cruise kinda plays out if his usual "action/hero" persona in this film, portraying a real life individual who in the end protested against the government for the injustice that they put it through.

This is a film by Oliver Stone, so of course it's going to have polarizing views to some people. Nevertheless, Tom Cruise's performances was excellent and you actually grow to care about his character. It's a pretty "out of character " on his part, as people mainly see him as the strong hero in other films, and he never shows much vulnerability, but here he does just that.

I really enjoyed this one. I wasn't sure at first if it was going to be any good, but I figured I would give it a try. Excellent performance, great depiction of what it's like to come home from Vietnam. Wounded on the outside and on the inside. A little sad in places, not for younger audiences.

This movie is great, (except for the part that the story is so off point that the Marine whose story this is based on tried to sue the producers - which is to be expected from "based on a true story") The visuals and sound are amazingly improved now that the movie is on Blu-Ray.

Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July is not only one of the best American war films, but it's one of the few made by a veteran. A great companion piece to Platoon and a career-best performance by Tom Cruise.

Gives a life like glimpse of what the Vietnam War did to America during the late 60's and 70's. Also shows how despicable the VA hospitals were and some still are. Cruse's preformance is extraordaniary!