Born on the Fourth of July (1989)

 

You can rest assured that director Oliver Stone has a lot to say concerning the Vietnam War. Yes, you already have the classic 'Platoon', which is a pretty heavy film in and of itself, but this one might hit even harder, as it deals with how the United States governments at the time screwed over young boys and even worse: left them to rot as soon as they came back home. 

A feelgood film, this most definitely is not. 

Tom Cruise plays Ron Kovic, an enthusiastic kid from Massapequa who grows up in a devout family that oozes patriotism. They have a blind adoration for the government and the idea that God will guide them. All of the men in the family have fought in the previous wars and going into the miltary is pretty much considered normal. So when the conflict in Vietnam starts to get the US involved, Ron is quick to sign up. But it doesn't all turn out to be as easy as politicians make it out to be. But still, Ron is confident they will win. But then several things happen that don't go over as well. His platoon kills some children by mistake and he mistakenly shoots one of his teammates.

You know: friendly fire is something not often talked about, as if it didn't happen. But it did, more than people like to think.

This shakes Ron up pretty badly, but a while later they head into an ambush and he is shot. The wound severs his spine, making him paraplegic. The hospital back home is a shithole. It's dirty, understaffed, underequipped and goes to show how much the government cared about wounded veterans. These scenes are hard to watch at times, but it was (is?) all too real. Then when Ron finally gets home, things don't really look up. More and more kids protest the war, even his brother. Ron is still so entranced by his patriotism that he feels betrayed, but when he meets up with a former girlfriend who is now an activist, his belief in the state starts to crumble. Eventually it disintegrates and he realises that they have all been screwed over by lies and deceit. 

You know, it's hard seeing how even today, countries are all gung-ho about sending kids off to fight, but when they get back, they're pretty much left to their own devices. Talk about respect for your soldiers... 

In order to get away, Ron heads to Mexico where he meets up with other wheelchairbound veterans, who have mostly just given up and have become incredibly cynical. But he finally pulls through and becomes very vocal on his anti-war stance. 

This is based on the real life experience of Ron Kovic, so you know this stuff actually happened. This makes it all the more poignant. What really makes this film shine, are the performances, as they are all across the board excellent. Tom Cruise pulls it off, even if he will always seem too young, with or without the fake moustache. But other than that, his intensity and genuine growth as a character are very gripping. But literally everyone is on top of their game here. Special shout out to Willem Dafoe, who only shows up threequarters into the film, yet leaves an indelible impression as one of the paraplegic veterans in Mexico. 

Hot damn, that guy is good. 

This film is pretty tough to digest, not because of how it is done, but because everything that happens in this story just gets to you, as it is oftentimes incredibly harrowing. Let's put it mildly: the politicians of the era don't come out unscathed and it's tough to understand why these veterans were basically just abandoned and tossed aside. That puts an entirely different spin on all this patriotism you often hear people going on about. 

The saddest part is that it is all true, even to this day. 

As for Stone's Vietnam-films, 'Platoon' will always hold a special place in my heart, but this one is absolutely excellent and a definite must watch.