Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers (WGA):

Ron Kovic (book)
Oliver Stone (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

20 December 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Tagline:

A story of innocence lost and courage found.

Plot:

The biography of Ron Kovic. Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Vietnam War | U.S. Marine Corps | Small Town | Catholic

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Ron Kovic
Raymond J. Barry	...	Mr. Kovic
Caroline Kava	...	Mrs. Kovic
Josh Evans	...	Tommy Kovic
Jamie Talisman	...	Jimmy Kovic
Anne Bobby	...	Suzanne Kovic
Samantha Larkin	...	Patty Kovic
Tom Berenger	...	Recruiting Gunnery Sgt. Hayes
Frank Whaley	...	Timmy
Jerry Levine	...	Steve Boyer
Richard Panebianco	...	Joey Walsh
Rob Camilletti	...	Tommy Finnelli
Stephen Baldwin	...	Billy Vorsovich
Michael McTighe	...	Danny Fantozzi
Richard Haus	...	Recruiting Sgt. Bowers

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Spain:13 | USA:R (certificate #29975) | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) (cut) | Singapore:PG (heavily cut) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:R | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | New Zealand:R13 (DVD rating) | Norway:15 | South Korea:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:16 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Creekside Drive, Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Ixtlan

Trivia:

Cameo: [Ron Kovic]WWII veteran in the parade at the beginning.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Ron is thinking about what to put away in his room before boot camp, he stuffs away a toy pistol. The model pistol is a Beretta 92f, not made until 1983.

Quotes:

Charlie - Villa Dulce: The bitch thinks it's funny I can't move my dick!

Movie Connections:

Features D' Fightin' Ones (1961)

Soundtrack:

Hace un Ano

A forgotten masterpiece!

This has to be one of the the best war films I have ever seen. Where 'Saving Private Ryan' fell into a whirlpool of schmaltz or where 'The Deer Hunter' caught "bad ending" syndrome, 'Born' stood out. It is also the best Oliver Stone film I have ever seen. Where 'Platoon' looked cheap and lacked characterisation, where 'JFK' felt smothered in special guest cameos, where 'Natural Born Killers' looked silly and cartoonish and well, where 'Scarface' was just plain shameful, 'Born On the Fourth of July' stands out above all of these titles. It confronts you with the true, unrelenting horrors of the Vietnam war with the use of disturbing flashback sequences, kinetically energetic gun battles and slow-motion violence.

This film also proved that Cruise was an artistically satisfying actor as well as a commercial one (think 'Top Gun'). I think we can all agree that this was definitely his tour de force (and, if you're a 'Usual Suspects' fan, you can actually spot Stephen 'McManus' Baldwin in the scene where Ronnie and his friends are discussing their futures in a café). Sorry if I went a little off the topic at hand there, but I thought some of you might find that interesting. Anyway, if I had to summarise 'Born On the Fourth of July' in a few words I'd say something along the lines of really, really, really good or more poetically, moving and unforgettable.