Out of nowhere, I found out that there is apparently a Days of Thunder sequel coming, and it starts filming in 2027! It sounds like they plan to do with Days of Thunder what they did with Top Gun: Maverick, and I am all for that! Days of Thunder was a movie that I loved as a kid. I rented this one a few times back in the day, and I even remember taping it off TV when it aired. I actually did a back-to-back with Days of Thunder and Born on the Fourth of July as I am on a bit of a Tom Cruise kick at the moment.
Where to Watch Days of Thunder
Days of Thunder was released on June 27, 1990. You can stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review
The Dreaded NES Rental Disaster
Ok, time for a personal story and trip down memory lane that no one asked for! One of the best/worst memories I have of Days of Thunder is that on a Friday, I would be allowed to rent a movie or a video game; sometimes I would get lucky and be allowed both, but usually, it was one or the other. One week at our video store, they had Days of Thunder for the NES! I had no idea this game even existed, and it blew my mind!
However, the plan for this week was that I was supposed to be renting the new Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, Kindergarten Cop. I had been talking about it all week and was excited, but at the last moment, I decided to rent Days of Thunder on the NES instead! Well, Days of Thunder on the NES sucked, and I mean sucked by 1991 standards, meaning it is even worse now! It is brutally difficult, horrible to look at…. But at least they did have Tom Cruise on his motorbike, so I give them that.
Tony Scott’s High-Octane Rush
Thankfully, 1990’s Days of Thunder from Tony Scott does not suck, and in watching this again recently, I still had a lot of fun with it, and I must admit, I was a little worried that this would not live up to the nostalgia I had for it, but it more than did. Actually, I think this may even be more fun than I remember it being. Tom Cruise plays the role of a race car driver called Cole who ends up getting picked up by a NASCAR team. Cole is rough around the edges and new to this exact form of racing, but he trains, and he manages to become a star.
Blockbuster Tropes and Pure Racing Adrenaline
Well, there is a rival turned friend, a new younger racer trying to take his spot, and of course, there is a hot woman who serves as his love interest; he has a setback he has to fight back from. This pretty much has every 80s and 90s trope you could want in a blockbuster movie, and I love it! The movie is super predictable, but it is a lot of fun, and the racing action, I feel, still holds up to this day. I will go one better and say that I think Days of Thunder is the best racing movie of all time! I watched this recently, and I would say I liked this way more than Gran Turismo, which is a movie I do like.
Star Power and Standout Chemistry
I feel that this is one of Tom Cruise’s real breakout roles that just catapulted him to stardom in the 90s. He is cool, he is easy on the eyes, but he is also a very likable character too. Plus, Cole just has great chemistry with everyone he is on the screen with. It is so easy to point out Nicole Kidman’s Claire, who is his love interest. But, it is the relationship and friendship between Cole and Michael Rooker’s Rowdy Burns that I think is the real heart of this movie. Actually, a neat bit of trivia for you here. In 2011 a Days of Thunder video game was released (do not get too excited, like the NES one, it sucks), and Michael Rooker actually reprises his role of Rowdy Burns, which I think is awesome.
An Insane Supporting Cast
In addition to Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, and Michael Rooker. Days of Thunder has an insane cast with the likes of Randy Quaid, Robert Duvall, John C Riley, and Cary Elwes, who makes you want to just punch him in the face; and they all do amazing jobs. It is kind of awesome how many years later, John C Riley would get to play the role of Cal Naughton Jr in the hilarious Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, which is like a parody of Days of Thunder.
Timeless Appeal and 4K Wishlist
I have had the Blu-ray of Days of Thunder for years, but in watching this again in the summer of 2026, I am pretty certain that I will be putting the 4K version of Days of Thunder on my Christmas list with the hopes that Santa will drive his Mello Yello Chevrolet with the number 51 on it, of course, to my house and gift it to me. This is just a great movie, and I do not even think that is nostalgia talking; it holds up as a really fun and exciting racing movie to this day. To say I am super excited for this apparent sequel is a massive understatement!
