I love this movie because it works on every level there is. Photography, editing, story, acting, score, everything is top of the line. In the opening we are blown away by Ron Kovic's childhood. Why? Because of the stunning photography and editing. Stone gives us an idea of America so perfect you feel like getting up and singing along.

Next Ron is thrown into Veitnam, the exact oposite. It's pure hell. Ron's unit kills women and children and even one of there own men. The contrast in settings is amazing.

The verteran's hospital the probably the most discusting we see how badly our men need help but instead they are subjected to the most inhumain conditions you can't believe it happened in America. "I just want to be treated like a human being! Is that so much to ask?" yells Ron.

Once home we see how Ron tries hard to fit back into America but his body is destroyed and he comes to the harsh realization that his life is ruined forever.

We switch scenes again to Mexico where Ron induldges in as many vices as he can to show just how low he's sunk.

Ron ends up getting his act together and confessing to the family of the fellow Marine he killed, and becomes an anti war activist.

I'm probably the only guy writing a positive review of this film that agrees with the Veitnam war 100% but I love movies and 'Born' stands by itself as a stunning drama and cinamatic masterpeice. How they did the photography for this I'll never know. It was way ahead of its time. An anti war movie in the decade that gave us 'Red Dawn'? Stone had guts and vision!

...Stone won the Oscar for best director. It should have won for best picture!


4 STARS TO THIS GOOD AND CONTROVERSIAL MOVIE.   July 8, 2003
 1 out of 1 found this review helpful

In "Born On The Fourth Of July", we follow the life of Ron Kovic (played by Tom Cruise), divided in episodes. First, we see him as a little child, playing with his buddies with weapons (toys, of course). Then we see him as a teenager, whose main concern is to finish school, go to the prom and dance with his love interest, a girl named Donna. At this point the movie seems like a TV series episode, but the story changes radically once the young Ron hears the speech of a recruiting Sergeant.

Now the only thing that Ron can think about is to go to the Vietnam War and fight for his country. So he goes to Vietnam, and in the process he is witness of horror, death, tragedy and injustice. He also gets badly injured and becomes paralyzed from the chest down.

He returns home and finds that the new generation is very different in ideas, they hate the war and criticize the USA government. Initially he defends "Uncle Sam" ideas and repudiates the lack of "patriotism" of the young hippie generation. But gradually he discovers that the war is absurd and ridiculous, and he fells used and frustrated.

"Born On The Fourth Of July" shows how the young people was wasted in the Vietnam war; some of they lost their lives, some of them were mutilated, but all of them were damaged both physically and mentally.

Once again, Oliver Stone repudiates the Vietnam war in this movie, and in the process, he makes a criticism to some establishments of the American way of life, the USA government, the paranoia about the communism, the "Uncle Sam Wants you" mentality, and above all, the use of young people to fulfill political ambitions.

The only part that I personally hated were the scenes in Mexico; those scenes were boring, pointless and were made with incredible bad taste, but in general the movie is well made and provokes different emotions and thoughts.


Ron Kovic is a hero   May 23, 2003
Ron Kovic in my mind is not so much a hero for his views, his book or his movie. Ron Kovic is a hero because instead of living a life long pity party, Ron takes action, and it is positive action. He has more meaning to his life then most of us do.
This movie was great, although if you read his book you will be a tad disapointed because of how some of the facts are rearranged differently in order to fit into the 2 hours of the movie. It's a wonderful movie though. I especially love the part where right when your about to just burst out bawling (in the fighting scene with his mom), he does something that just totally makes you laugh. Watch the movie to find out what.
A great great great movie.


Stone's Second Vietnam Epic   February 15, 2003
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

1989's Born On The Fourth Of July found director Oliver Stone revisiting the scene of his greatest critical success, Vietnam. Unlike his Academy Award winning Platoon, Born On The Fourth Of July is not based on Mr. Stone's war experiences, but is the true life story of Ron Kovic. Mr. Kovic was an idealistic young man from Massapequa, Long Island who wanted nothing more than to join the Marines and serve his country in battle. He joins the Marines after high school and ends up in combat in Vietnam. It is very different than the solider games he played as a child. He is forced to commit acts he could never have imagined, including destroying a village, unbeknownst to the unit, which isn't filled with Vietcong, but women and children and this lays the groundwork that helps to break his patriotic zeal. Eventually he is wounded in combat and the injury to his leg renders him a paraplegic. Back home in the States, he undergoes rehabilitation believing that he will walk again, but is forced to finally concede that he will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Both he and his family have a difficult time dealing with his paralysis and he is burdened with fact that he will never have use of his lower body and will never be able to have sex. He becomes extremely bitter and gets drunk all the time. Finally after going off to a place in Mexico where other wounded vets have gone, he realizes that war is wrong and he is an example of the destruction it causes. He joins a group of veterans against the war and joins in protest against it, faces opposition to his cause before it is accepted and until the final scene in the film where he shown about to go onto the stage and speak at the 1976 Democratic Convention. Tom Cruise stars as Ron Kovic and gives a performance unlike any in his career. He perfectly fits the image of the young Kovic, bright-eyed and fresh faced, but as he changes into the longhaired, unkempt wheelchaired bound Kovic, it is a Tom Cruise we had never seen before. Mr. Cruise is brilliant and he deservedly was nominated for his first Academy Award, but lost out to another actor playing a man with an affliction, Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot. The film was nominated for seven other Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Screenplay based on another medium in which Mr. Stone and Mr. Kovic shared the credit and it won two awards, one for Film Editing and Mr. Stone took home his second Best Director award. Born On The Fourth Of July is a powerful and heartfelt movie that shows that families can be ruined by war even when someone survives and that all men who fight in battle are heroes in one way or another.