FILM REVIEW: Born on the Fourth of July

"Powerful, earnest, and wrenching antiwar film."

Oliver Stone explored the effects of the Vietnam war with three movies: Platoon, Heaven and Earth, and Born on the Fourth of July. Most regard Platoon as the best of this "trilogy," although I always preferred this one. Platoon was gritty and realistic, but this was powerful and more emotionally driven. Until I saw this film, I didn't have much respect for Tom Cruise as an actor, but everything changed afterwards. Cruise goes through a number of critical changes throughout this film, from a patriotic young man to a bitter, crippled veteran, and he does it better than you could imagine.

Cruise is the young athlete Ron Kovic, an idealistic and patriotic American who joins the Marines to fight in the Vietnam War. When he gets there, his brash eagerness is diluted by horror when he accidentally kills one of his own men. The pains in his heart are compounded by a bullet wound that leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. Returning home, he steadfastly clings to his national spirit, which puts him in conflict with the populace's growing aversion to the mess in Vietnam. He winds up in Mexico as a tormented drunkard, then reforms and becomes an anti-Vietnam activist, writing the autobiographical book on which this movie is based.

This movie is tremendously powerful because of its acute historical significance, strong anti-war message, and Tom Cruise's stunning acting. The movie is sad and wrenching, but it ends with an uplifting note of someone who rises above the pain and hate to a stronger condition. This is Oliver Stone's best film, I think. I also love the score by John Williams; the movie's theme does an incredible job evoking the feelings behind some of America's most painful years.

This film is also relevant in our modern times as the American public begins to turn against the lie of the "war on terror." Kovic's journey mirrors the blind patriotism after 9/11 that is now starting to see clearly at last.