I had seen Platoon; actually, I have seen Platoon a few times, and I remember playing the video game on my friend’s Atari ST back in the day. Yet for some reason, I had never seen 1989’s Born of the Fourth of July. The second of three Oliver Stone movies, with Platoon being the first and 1993’s Heaven and Earth being the third, that are based on the Vietnam War. I am not sure why, after the better part of 40 years, I never got around to watching this, but, hey, I have watched it now.
Where to Watch Born on the Fourth of July
Born on the Fourth of July was released on December 20, 1989. You can stream the film from a digital platform.
The Movie Review
A UK Charity Shop Discovery
I found this on Blu-Ray in a charity shop here in the UK for a pound and decided to pick it up as I am a big fan of Tom Cruise. Being from the UK, what I know about the Vietnam War is from movies and TV shows, as it was not something we learned about in school over here. I have seen a few movies based on the Vietnam War, and I would put Born on the Fourth of July up there as one of the best. I am a huge Tom Cruise fan, and he is just fantastic in the lead role here.
The Real Story of Ron Kovic
Not only is this a war movie, but this is actually a biopic and an adaptation of the book of the same name, which is a biography of former Marine turned anti-war activist, Ron Kovic. Outside of movies, TV shows, and video games, I am honestly very ignorant of this brutal war, and I have never read the book, so I cannot say how faithful an adaptation this is. What I can say is that this was a brutal and hard-hitting movie that really did stick with me for a day or two after I saw it.
Tom Cruise’s Powerhouse Performance
The movie is the story of Ron Kovic, played by Tom Cruise. We follow him as a child, becoming a Marine, getting injured in combat, and then the fallout from this. His turning to alcohol and having to deal with the trauma of what he saw and experienced during the war is really hard-hitting, and Tom Cruise is just fantastic in this role. You truly feel all his pain and anguish through the screen, and it was a movie that just had me sitting silent and still the whole time I was watching it. There is one scene where he is speaking and hears a baby cry… yeah, I will leave it at that.
A Bleak but Necessary Masterpiece
This is a pretty long movie, coming in at around two and a half hours, and it is really bleak and down for most of it, which is a given due to the subject matter. But I think that by the end of the movie, you truly do get behind Ron Kovic and the great work that he has done about speaking out against war and the horrible effects it has on the brave people who are in it and the way that they are just kind of left once they return home. It may not leave you feeling upbeat and happy, but there is no denying that this is a fantastic movie; it is honestly so much more than just a war movie.
