Born on the Fourth of July – B+

As a teenager, Ron Kovic dreamed of serving in the military as his father did in World War II. He decides to join the infantry after a military recruiter visits his high school. His experiences before, during, and after the Vietnam War is the basis of his book and this film. This is perfect material for director Oliver Stone – the 60s, Vietnam, and political activism are all represented by large segments of the movie.
The pre-Vietnam scenes are a little overcooked with Tom Cruise running in the rain to dance with a high school crush and “Moon River” playing on the soundtrack. But Stone captures the chaos and confusion of Vietnam even better than he did in Platoon. The third sequence involves Kovic’s stay and rehabilitation in a VA hospital after a bullet leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. In many ways, these scenes are more disturbing and alarming than the war scenes. The fourth part of the film is about Kovic’s return to his hometown. He’s not sure which has changed more: himself, the town, or his old friends. He can only relate to those who went to Vietnam. The final scenes involve Kovic struggling to find meaning in Mexico before turning into a political activist and speaking to cameras (off-stage) at the 1972 Republican National Convention. He would later speak on stage at the 1976 Democratic National Convention.

Stone basically holds an overlong and complicated movie together. A great choice is placing the Vietnam scenes on the beach instead of the jungles he used in Platoon. Tom Cruise gives a great performance as Kovic – he would later top himself with Jerry Maguire and Frank TJ Mackey. Interesting casting choices include Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe who are basically playing versions of the characters they played in Platoon. The cinematography by Robert Richardson is first-rate, but just a rehearsal for his dazzling work in JFK and Casino. John Williams’s first score for Stone is not as interesting or groundbreaking as his other two (JFK and Nixon), but the same could be said of those films. Still, you can see Stone on the verge of a major artistic breakthrough here. B+

Footnote: Stone has recently been rejected by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to make a documentary about him.