Born on the Fourth of July – 1989
This was a better movie than I was expecting. I didn’t really have any idea of what the film was about, except that it was probably going to have something to do with patriotism. In this, I was both right and wrong. The film was the second movie in what has unofficially been called director Oliver Stone’s Vietnam War Trilogy. First, there was 1986’s Platoon, then Born on the Fourth of July, and lastly, 1993’s Heaven & Earth.
The movie is based on the autobiography of Ron Kovic, a Vietnam War veteran who started life as a boy who believed in patriotism and serving his country as a soldier. He believed in the absolute authority of the United States government, believing everything he was told concerning the rightness of the war in Vietnam and the threat of communism changing his beloved way of life. But his experiences in Vietnam change him into a man who questions his superiors, not understanding why he is made to do what he considers to be abhorrent, like murdering women and babies, and yet is not listened to when he tries to confess to killing a fellow American soldier by mistake.
Then, he is severely wounded, paralyzed from the waist down, and confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Not only does he have to deal with the memory of the horrors of the War and the reality of his handicap, but he has to deal with the prevailing attitudes of his friends and family who had not fought in the war. When he returns home, he is not rejected, though he is certainly not welcomed. To so many people, the war just didn’t make sense. Nobody knew why we were involved, why so many American boys had to fight and die for a cause that had nothing to do with them.
So he drinks, he becomes angry, and he starts to fight back against the lies that he had been told before joining the Marines. He fights back against people who attack him for being part of the war. He eventually fights back against his own depression and self-destructive behavior. In particular, the scene in which he comes home and begins throwing out accusations at his parents, drunkenly blaming them and the government for ruining his life, was the moment that really defined the character’s transformation from naiveté to maturity.
The movie stars Tom Cruise in a role that seemed to cement his career as a Hollywood super-star. His efforts earned him his first Academy Award nomination, which he did not win. But it also gained him a reputation as an accomplished and serious dramatic actor. He did a good job, and really went out of his way to do the part justice. The real Ron Kovic was on the filming set for most of the shooting, giving Tom pointers and advice on how to play certain scenes. In fact, Kovic also worked very closely with his friend Oliver Stone to write the script in the first place.
The bulk of the film was really about Ron’s struggle to survive, both physically and emotionally, in the wake of his injuries. Cruise had to learn to be proficient in using a wheelchair. He worked with the makeup artist to give him a look that very closely resembled the real Ron Kovic. Cruise really turned in a powerful performance. He was very committed to the part. But I think that it is par for the course for Cruise. Sure, Tom cruise has been in the news and has a reputation for being a little crazy at times, but there is no denying that he is a pretty good actor. You always believe his performances, and this movie was no exception.
There were also some other pretty competent performances in the film. Raymond J. Barry and Caroline Kava played Ron’s parents Eli and Patricia. His high-school sweetheart Donna, was played by Kyra Sedgwick. His best childhood friend and fellow Vietnam veteran Timmy, was played by Frank Whaley. And another familiar name, Willem Dafoe, played Charlie, another paralyzed war veteran he meets when he runs from his problems to Mexico.
The film reminded me, somewhat, of the 1978 Best Picture nominee, Coming Home. It had some similar themes that dealt with the treatment of Vietnam War veterans after their return home, though each film looked at the issue from a different perspective. It was a good movie that was worth watching. The script was good, the acting was good, and the drama was good. Well done, Tom and Oliver.