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Plot:
True story of Ron Kovic, a Marine wounded in Vietnam, covering his life from childhood in New York, through his 1964 enlistment and tour of duty in Vietnam, to his harrowing stay at a veterans hospita...( read more 
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:November 19, 2008This 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!
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MCT:October 21, 2008
One of the few roles I liked Cruise in. An exciting film, really mind-blowing albeit conventional and yet even in spite of that, this film brings out a certain depth in it, a certain Hollywood style payoff and fundamental enjoyment of the film. I love it and personally was touched by it at certain points. Dafoe's performance was well-done and also, another thing is the tone, beautifully done and handled, Stone really brings out this transformation well in a traditional style and the depth in it is just great.
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MCT:October 21, 2008maybe the 1st i thought how a good actor tom cruise could be, and he really is. Heavy drama and the leg scene still haunts me
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MCT:October 8, 2008
A very emotional movie. The storytelling is superb. Tom Cruise's portrayal of Ron Kovic is ultimately powerful and effective (proof he is a great actor). The way his character changes from a supporter of the Vietnam War to a protester is astonishing. Oliver Stone's best.
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MCT:October 6, 2008An outstanding powerful performance by Tom Cruise. Harrowing and thought provoking. This has to be Oliver Stone's best film and Tom Cruise's best performance.
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MCT:September 26, 2008
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.
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MCT:September 21, 2008
I wonder if 'patriotic' is an appropriate word to describe 'Born on the Fourth of July'. Given the title alone it would seem so, and those iconic opening scenes of a fifties post-war street, flags waving vigorously and family units huddled together really encompass the American meaning of the word. They aren't mawkish, and the protagonists justifications in applying for the U.S Marine Corps on the verge of the Vietnam War aren't immature or squeamish; here is a kid who is truly devoted to serving his country, not for personal honour or glory, but because he genuinely believes it is the right thing to do; it is what should be done, and by all lads his age.
'Born on the Fourth of July' is the true-life story of war veteran Ron Kovic, who did once believe in such sentiments. It may seem predictable today, even a cliché, but it would be completely unexpected to him that those war experiences would change him; change what type of person he is, change him physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually. He was unprepared for such changes, and director Oliver Stone brings together a drama that truly embodies this ideal, with the inclusion of how Kovic would eventually adjust to them in the anti-war riots that follow back home.
This is a superb piece of cinema on so many levels; empathetic without indulging into romanticism; realistic and, at times, brutally shocking; and quite literally mentally straining, because you realise how unimaginable and incomprehensible such experiences are to those who haven't felt such terror, hurt or anguish. Pain in the face of apparent victory, or guilt over the accidental, unnecessary loss of another.
Remembering the film is pre-'Saving Private Ryan' I wondered if Spielberg was influenced by the Vietnam section, which is rather grotesquely violent for 1989, and realised how innovative the film truly is. It's impact hasn't been forgotten, and it's influence still stands strong.
John Williams rousing score stands as a masterpiece alone among the great technical achievements of the film, including cinematography laced with an authentic edge and the director seamlessly weaving the film's different eras without making the narrative choppy or inconsistent. Tom Cruise also proves he is more than worth actor status than his 'celebrity' label would offer, delivering a riveting, and emotional performance as Kovic.
'Born on the Fourth of July' is an expertly crafted chronicle of one man's life, and how he strove to do right first in one way, and then by other means. The picture stands the test of time, and that is what makes this a masterpiece in film; stirring, haunting, and emotionally poignant. Stone's best director Oscar was truly deserved. It's all too easy to rally aside Kovic by the film's end, and the picture depicts how so very few will truly understand how he and so many others suffered, for a misled cause. -
MCT:September 20, 2008
In 1960's America patriotic Ron Kovic signs up to become a Marine and defend his country in the Vietnam War. When this conflict leaves him semi-paralysed however, he struggles to come to terms with his body, his emotions and the country around him that can't seem to comprehend his sacrifice. Based on a true story 'Born On The Fourth Of July' is an interesting take on the Vietnam War; but its director Oliver Stone handles it in such a way that it slightly undermines the sincerity of the films message. I found The first half an hour was incredibly rose-tinted. I understand this may be done purposefully to portray the wondrous qualities of American life before Vietnam, but it all looks so happy that it ends up lacking some credibility. When Kovic receives his injuries however, the film begins to take a horribly realistic turn. The director then maintains this harsh approach for a while but then loses it again and continues his merge of 50% dramatics and 50% realism. Stone also took this approach with 'Platoon' which I generally think is the more successful of his works. I could handle Stone's choppy direction in that but in this picture it grated on me. One moment it's an over-dramatic and creative piece, the next it's intent on showing the genuine hardships faced by Vietnam veterans. It can't find an equal ground. The score is also way to over-powering. It ruins some genuinely tense and emotive moments. The overlapping of score, speech and sound effects is also unbearable to listen to, I had to alter the volume several times throughout the film. I feel guilty criticising two War veterans work and I understand that films like these have an important place in cinema but I found that this was just to dramatic for me. I'm more of a 'Saving Private Ryan' or 'Band Of Brothers' type viewer. Having criticised the film quite badly now, I feel I ought to mention some of its redeeming features. Tom Cruise is very good as disenchanted Kovic and he's supported by an excellent cast of actors who all give credit to their characters. The acting is the films strongest point. 'Born On The Fourth Of July' is a War film with good intentions but it ultimately falls a little short of its initial message.
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MCT:September 17, 2008Average storyline but not so enjoyable as his other films.Started okay but went down hill half way through.
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MCT:September 14, 2008
overrated. It's not a bad movie, a little long, sometimes boring, but Tom Cruise makes it watchable.
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MCT:August 2, 2008
I wished I read the book before viewing the movie. Anyway, it brings to light what some of our soldiers are going through still to this day.
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MCT:July 19, 2008
3.8...would've have been a 3.85 if I had gone the whole movie without having to look at Tom Cruise's hair like that
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MCT:July 10, 2008
Tom Cruise delivers a riveting and unforgettable portrayal of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone's Academy Award - winning masterpiece.
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MCT:June 25, 2008Actually 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..
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MCT:June 21, 2008
Fifty years from now, Tom Cruise will be remembered for this film. His portrayal of paraplegic Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic was so powerful and more importantly the film did not glamorize war but instead showed the reality of it. One of Oliver Stone's best. Keep stickin' it to the man!
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MCT:June 8, 2008
superbly done.. war is not the solution 4 human problems.. America did stop the war against Vietnam but they did the same mistake over Iraq.. I wonder if they would make this kind of movie again based on Iraq war...hmm..
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MCT:June 7, 2008
Patriotic, liberalist and a powerful and shocking post-Vietnam tale. Very underrated and brilliant. Excellent Tom Cruise (wow).
81/100 -
MCT:May 20, 2008
This movie based on a true story,was the best film. It was shocking and very sad,and was wonderfully made!!!
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MCT:May 19, 2008
Great film! one of Tom Cruises' best performances ever!A very moving film and another awesome directing job by Oliver Stone which earned him another academy award.
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MCT:May 17, 2008
Bravo! Brilliant! Pictures like this makes me wish Tom Cruise would do more high quality acting nowadays. Just a pure look at life for homecoming vets. very good.
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MCT:April 20, 2008
In "Platoon", Oliver Stone gets us to see the soldiers in Vietnam. Here, the work was about the effects the war could have on a marine afterwards.
The movie tells the true story of Sergeant Marine Ron Kovic, badly wounded thus handicapped in the war, and the struggle to regain a normal life afterwards, turning his back on the war and the government.
There's no better than Stone to convince in a political view in a movie, think "JFK" for example.
Cruise puts on a distinguinshed performance as well. -
MCT:March 17, 2008
Super duper depressing and I suppose that's the point. I remember the real life Ron Kovic went to get an award or something and was very grumpy and rude. It was awesome. But the movie wasn't.
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MCT:February 28, 2008
It was really, really good. Very sad and depressing...but something about it just got on my nerves. I think it might have been his radical change of opinion...call me a jerk if you like, but those otehr guys coming home and hearing him portest feel the same way he did at first.
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ajischillinposted 127 days ago
