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Born on the Fourth of July

R Released Dec 20, 1989 2h 24m Drama List
84% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 76% Audience Score 50,000+ Ratings
In the mid 1960s, suburban New York teenager Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During his second tour in Vietnam, he accidentally kills a fellow soldier during a retreat and later becomes permanently paralyzed in battle. Returning home to an uncaring Veterans Administration bureaucracy and to people on both sides of the political divide who don't understand what he went through, Kovic becomes an impassioned critic of the war. Read More Read Less
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Born on the Fourth of July

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Led by an unforgettable performance from Tom Cruise, Born on the Fourth of July finds director Oliver Stone tackling thought-provoking subject matter with ambitious élan.

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Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael New Yorker Stone plays bumper cars with the camera and uses cutting to jam you into the action, and you can’t even enjoy his uncouthness, because it’s put at the service of sanctimony. Sep 12, 2023 Full Review Kevin Maher Times (UK) A score from John Williams and aggressive direction from Oliver Stone make this the pre-eminent Vietnam War movie. Jul 5, 2023 Full Review Kurt Jacobsen Chicago Reader Stone niftily strings together a batch of cuttingly effective dramatic sequences. May 12, 2022 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins It’s a taxing watch, but the themes are potent and timeless. Rated: 8/10 Aug 8, 2023 Full Review Candace Wiggins Southern Voice (Atlanta) Aided by John Williams' majestic score and Oliver Stone's taut, no-holds-barred direction, this film shows the dark side of what happened when Johnny came marching home. Rated: 4/4 May 9, 2023 Full Review Brian Susbielles InSession Film Stone made emotional gut-punches during this era that provided the opposite side to what patriotism is... Mar 7, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Olson K Watched on July 26, 2024. Good actors, good movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Stelios C Very disturbing to watch but great movie. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/24 Full Review Jones J Oliver Stone proves himself a true master in this American war drama. He handles the both mind-boggling and inspiring life of Ron Kovic with beautiful delicacy and a raw, cinematic power. From genius camerawork throughout war scenes, to flawless, compelling direction through the emotional lows and even lowers, Stone truly seats us beside Kovic and brings us a journey we will never forget. Tom Cruise delivers his career’s greatest performance as Kovic, balancing his heroism, his ambition, and the sympathy, and the defeat of his life. John Williams’ score is gorgeous and heart-wrenching, penning another theme that is seamlessly born to sing for this film. Born on the Fourth of July is a beautiful, tragic, yet empowering movie that will move anyone that is willing to be swept away by Oliver Stone’s masterful but challenging work. In honor of this incredible film we should solute Mr. Cruise and Mr. Stone. But above all, we should truly solute Mr. Ron Kovic, for being willing to tell his story and for handing it over to us in this awe-inspiring film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/24 Full Review Untoldnews U A mature honest portrayal of how governments use you up an chew you out...how people are generally stupid and have short memories...an humanity has a long hopeless journey to lasting among other great interplanetary civilisations. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/18/24 Full Review Bill B The movie was intense, and had some very good acting. But the movie was so negative, distorted, and biased that I was turned off by the tone, bias, and negative feeling. Sorry that I wasted the time hoping for a good picture Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/10/24 Full Review Tim M Oliver Stone's histrionics occasionally get to be a bit much, but otherwise Born on the Fourth of July is a compelling postwar character study headlined by a never-better Tom Cruise. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Born on the Fourth of July

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Born on the Fourth of July

Movieclips: John Williams: 11 Incredible Themes Movieclips: John Williams: 11 Incredible Themes 27:14 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - You Never Killed a Baby! Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - You Never Killed a Baby! 3:11 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Your Yankee Doodle Dandy Come Home Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Your Yankee Doodle Dandy Come Home 3:27 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Thou Shall Not Kill Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Thou Shall Not Kill 4:07 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Maybe We're Home Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Maybe We're Home 2:03 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - To Be Whole Again Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - To Be Whole Again 3:06 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - A Painful Confession Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - A Painful Confession 1:41 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - The Homecoming Speech Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - The Homecoming Speech 1:55 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Treated Like a Human Being Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Treated Like a Human Being 3:08 Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Ron Is Shot Born on the Fourth of July: Official Clip - Ron Is Shot 2:03 View more videos

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Born on the Fourth of July

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Movie Info

Synopsis In the mid 1960s, suburban New York teenager Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) enlists in the Marines, fulfilling what he sees as his patriotic duty. During his second tour in Vietnam, he accidentally kills a fellow soldier during a retreat and later becomes permanently paralyzed in battle. Returning home to an uncaring Veterans Administration bureaucracy and to people on both sides of the political divide who don't understand what he went through, Kovic becomes an impassioned critic of the war.
Director
Oliver Stone
Producer
A. Kitman Ho, Oliver Stone
Screenwriter
Oliver Stone, Ron Kovic
Distributor
Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co
Ixtlan Corporation
Rating
R
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 20, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$68.8M
Runtime
2h 24m
Sound Mix
Surround
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