On the first of August 2004 BBC 2 showed two movies featuring characters from the US Marine Corp , the first one being THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA and the second being BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY - Talk about contrasts ! Unlike the John Wayne flag waver BORN ON THE FORTH OF JULY is an entirely different type of movie , it's pro soldier but very anti-war , it's graphic , disturbing , foul mouthed , unsubtle but ever so slightly uplifting at the end
Despite being made in 1989 and despite first seeing it in 1993 I can't help notice that this movie is more relevant today than it was in the 1990s . Whatever the rights and wrongs of the American led invasion of Iraq it saddens me to see coalition troops coming home in body bags , worse it saddens me more to see young servicemen return from the Middle East missing limbs , maimed for life with psychological and physical wounds that will never heal . Better to fall quickly in battle than suffer a handicap that will last 40 or 50 years is my meaningless abstract opinion on the matter , and Ron Kovic's and thousands like him injuries will never heal , a point made very well .
I also couldn't help noticing there's an election going on for US president with the democrat candidate making a big song and dance number about his service in Vietnam . Is it just me or does anyone else think the democrats should have gone for Ron Kovic ? No one can question Kovic's patriotism unlike Kerry , no one can question Kovic's courage unlike Kerry's and no one can question Kovic's supposed injuries unlike Kerry's . Okay Kerry has three purple hearts against Kovic's one but Kerry can still run for the White House while Kovic will never be able to walk which shows that the purple heart is the most unfair military decoration ever invented and should be scrapped
As for the rest of the movie Tom Cruise is an absolute revelation as Kovic , I've criticised him before notably in VANILLA SKY as an actor unable to put enough anger in to a performance but as a sometimes bitter man Cruise is superb here . Stone's direction is also good though it's by no means his best work ( That would be PLATOON ) and the story isn't always as focused as it should be but with the exception of JFK it's better than any of the over directed nonsense he's made since
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