Days of Thunder (1990)

A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level.

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers:

Robert Towne (story), Tom Cruise (story)

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Cole Trickle
Robert Duvall	...	Harry Hogge
Nicole Kidman	...	Dr. Claire Lewicki
Randy Quaid	...	Tim Daland
Cary Elwes	...	Russ Wheeler
Michael Rooker	...	Rowdy Burns
Fred Thompson	...	Big John (as Fred Dalton Thompson)
John C. Reilly	...	Buck Bretherton
J.C. Quinn	...	Waddell
Don Simpson	...	Aldo Bennedetti
Caroline Williams	...	Jennie Burns
Donna W. Scott	...	Darlene (as Donna Wilson)
Chris Ellis	...	Harlem Hoogerhyde
Peter Appel	...	Cole's Crew
Stephen Michael Ayers	...	Cole's Crew

Storyline

Cole Trickle enters the high-pressure world of Nascar racing. He's a hot driver with a hot temper, and this attitude gets him into trouble not only with other drivers, but members of his own team as well.

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Plot Keywords:

ticklishness | motor vehicle | motor car | cool | vehicle | 

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Taglines:

Cruise like Thunder.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sport

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Nick Searcy.

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Goofs

Both the rental cars apparently sustain damage when Cole and Rowdey are racing them to the restaurant, but in many shots they appear untouched.

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Quotes

Big John: If you two wanna turn yourselves into a greasy spot on a country road somewhere, go right ahead. I don't give a shit and I don't think anybody else does, regardless what they say to your face. But you two monkeys are not going to do it on my racetrack. Now y'all heard of a "Japanese Inspection?" Japanese Inpsection, you see, when the Japs get in a load of lettuce they're not sure they wanna let in the country, why they'll just let it sit there on the dock 'til they get good and ready to look at...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Motormouth: Episode #4.9 (1991)

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Soundtracks

Break Through the Barrier
Written by Andre Cymone and Gardner Cole
Performed by Tina Turner
Produced by Andre Cymone
Tina Turner courtesy of Capitol Records, Inc.

User Reviews

I feel the need, the need for Speed

The producers, director and star of Top Gun get together again for this above average racing drama. Its nowhere near as good as Top Gun of course but its no disaster. Tom Cruise is good as the daftly named racing driver Cole Trickle and the ever reliable Robert Duvall offers classy support. Michael Rooker is excellent as Toms rival and Randy Quaid shows a more serious side to those who only know him from the Vacation movies. Surprisingly the usually good Nicole Kidman is rather bland as the love interest although to be fair she's not given a heck of a lot to work with. The music is of course all important in a movie like this and it has a pretty good soundtrack including Maria McKee's Number One hit Show Me Heaven, but again Top Gun had a much better soundtrack with Hans Zimmmer no match for Harold Faltermeyer. Tony Scott directs with his usual style, if you have seen Top Gun or Beverly Hills Cop 2 you'll no what to expect, very flashy and VERY LOUD. With a slightly less predictable story this could have been a lot better but as it is its a pretty enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

27 June 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Days of Thunder

Filming Locations:

Charlotte Motor Speedway, 5555 Concord Parkway S, Concord, North Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,490,445, 1 July 1990

Gross USA:

$82,670,733

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$157,920,733

Company Credits

Production Co:

Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (analog 70 mm prints) CDS (digital 35 mm and 70 mm prints) Dolby Stereo (analog 35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1