An Excellent Anti-War Film
10/10
Author: TheArizonian2014 from United States
8 October 2011

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Born On The Fourth Of July, is considered part of Oliver Stone's "trilogy" of films about the Vietnam War.It includes Platoon and Heaven & Earth.It gave him an Oscar for Best Director.It is a film adaptation of the best selling autobiography of the same name by Vietnam War veteran Ron Kovic,who was paralyzed during the Vietnam war and who later becomes an anti-war as well as pro-human rights political activist. Tom Cruise plays the role of Kovic excellent which allowed him to get nominated for an Academy Award.

The rest of the cast includes Kyra Sedgwick,Raymond J. Barry,Jerry Levine,Frank Whaley and Willem Dafoe. The film takes us to different part of Kovic's life like his youth;on how he develops his passion to join the marines;his tours in Vietnam;how he got paralyzed from the mid-chest down;when he joins the joins Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW); and travels to the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami to protest the on-going Vietnam War.The movie ends with Kovic's speaking at the 1976 Democratic National Convention,shortly after the publication of his autobiography.

The movie touches on the theme honestly on physical and mental anguish Ron Kovic suffered as he lost his ability to walk.Aside from that,he also lost his ability to have children as well.Aside from that,it also touches on the emotional stress that the war brought him.Finally,it also makes room for his transformation from an idealistic youth to an anti- war propagandist. In the end,the Oliver Stone did succeed in presenting the ill effects that war brings to Americans who severely suffered from it.Overall,this is one of the best anti-war movies ever made in film history.