Born On The Fourth Of July Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1989

Born on the Fourth of July is an Academy Award winning film directed by Oliver Stone that is based on the real life story of Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic, who entered the war as a patriotic gung-ho kid and returned as a paralyzed and despairing individual. Unfortunately as is true with many Oliver Stone films, the movie can polarize its viewers due to the director's insistence to allow his own personal political bias to detract from the strength of the characters and story.

Ron Kovic was a popular and athletic small town teen that was brought up with a fierce patriotism for home and country… so strong, in fact, that he volunteered to join the Marines in hopes of fighting, and perhaps even dying, for his country in the Vietnam War. He was strongly supported by his mother, family and community, for at the early point of the war America was still overconfident that wiping out the communists would be a relatively quick and easy task.

But once Kovic finds himself in the midst of Vietnam, he discovers that the patriotic vision of war that most of America painted was anything but the reality. Not only does he see his compatriots die in hopeless battles, he observes travesties such as the slaughter of women and children civilians, the horrors of friendly fire and a general lack of concern from the upper brass about such problems.

During a particularly vicious battle Kovic is shot multiple times, his wounds so severe that he was paralyzed for life. The movie makes it a point to show us in as graphic detail as possible allegedly how poorly the veterans were treated in the VA hospitals back home.

Eventually he returns to live with his parents, still defiantly pro-war to the point where he would shout slogans such as "love it or leave it" to anyone that questioned whether it was a war we should be fighting. But as the years go by, Kovic becomes a drunk awash in self-pity, until he makes a complete turnaround and becomes an anti-war protestor.

Oliver Stone is a very talented director that can produce some memorable works, such as Wall Street, but he also has the flaw of allowing his political beliefs to overtake a movie so blatantly that rather than convert people to his cause, he makes those who initially disagree with him entrench themselves even more firmly against him. Skilled directors are able to subtly provide food for thought to make viewers consider what they just saw despite their political inclinations, whereas others can hit audiences over the heads with their views with the strength of a sledgehammer, thereby turning off most folks who don't share the same beliefs.

The first hour of Born on the Fourth of July is very strong indeed, for it shows us a fairly impartial yet deeply human look at Ron Kovic's experiences from childhood to war to post-war struggles. But alas, that's where the movie takes a turn for the worst and becomes little more than political tripe that just seems to endlessly drag on and on.

One scene that displays Stone's intruding bias is a confrontation a drunken Kovic has with a fellow veteran in a barroom. Kovic starts whining and making a fuss about his lot in life and the war, only to be told by a fellow ex-Marine to suck it up and deal with it; that he's no more important than the those who lost their lives in even more devastating prior wars, and that it's unbecoming for a Marine who volunteered to fight for his country to bitterly complain about being hurt in the line of duty afterwards.

I happen to fully agree with the proud Marine that didn't feel being a drunken nuisance was an acceptable way to behave, but Stone so desperately wanted to depict his anti-war stance into the scene that it was purposely shot in a manner that was purely sympathetic to Kovic – as if the proud and sensible veteran was the bad guy. It was a powerful scene that could have benefited the movie greatly if Stone had the sense to allow viewers to make their own decision as to who was right, rather than tell viewers whom he believed was.

Tom Cruise was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Ron Kovic, and there's no denying his intense and masterful performance. Born on the Fourth of July shines with star power, actually, featuring appearances by the likes of Tom Berenger, Ed Lauter and Willem Dafoe. Sadly the movie becomes so haphazard that no one besides Cruise makes any real impact – every single role in this film aside from Ron Kovic can be considered a cameo.

Being a strong supporter of brave veterans but a believer that Vietnam was a mistake, Oliver Stone could have won over my support with an honest anti-war film. Instead, his leftist viewpoints were so grossly presented that Born on the Fourth of July felt like little more than claptrap to me.

Clearly since the film is based on the true story of Ron Kovic the main character did indeed go through various transitions in his life, but with Stone's history of exaggerating the truth to achieve its goal it's tough to know where Kovic's beliefs and story ends and Stone's soapbox begins.

Had Oliver Stone had enough conviction to let the story tell itself and keep the focus on his target's story and the brilliant performances by the actors involved, Born on the Fourth of July could have been a remarkable film for viewers across the entire political spectrum. But as it is, those who don't lean as strongly to the left as Stone does may be able to acknowledge the movie's strengths, but they will have a difficult time swallowing it.

Movie rating: 5 stars

If you enjoyed Born on the Fourth of July you may also find the following films to be of interest:

Enjoy the Born on the Fourth of July experience in the comfort of your own home with these products!

DVD

Stone Collection

Soundtrack

Other Resources:

Born on the Fourth of July IMDb Page

Movie Sitemap

Wondering if the Netflix service is all
it's cracked up to be? Read our
detailed review and find out!