Oliver Stone... where oh where and why oh why? I think back on Stone's work, and I remember "Platoon" and "Wall Street". But so much of Oliver Stone's work is so bad. I haven't had the pleasure of diving head first in experiencing the brunt of his work, but I have plenty to chew on for now. "Natural Born Killers", "Any Given Sunday", "Alexander", and "World Trade Center" are just some of the piles this guy pulls out from his pants. Some of his films feel extremely passionate, and very thought out... but how much can someone think about meaninglessness? It feels like he gets a concept, a word or phrase even, and then barricades himself in a closet to dwell on it. Then he emerges to deliver the worst examples of his thoughts as he can. He says so little in the films that fall short, its a wonder how his brain operates.
In "Born on the Fourth of July", he gives us one of the few good films of his career. The movie is good, but I think most of the credit goes to Tom Cruise in this one. This film reminded me why Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, the great distances he can go as an actor really separates himself from the competition. I think there are only a handful of actors in which can be relied on carrying a film, and Cruise is definitely one of them. His performance is enough for me to try pushing this film on others, but the story is a glimpse of a few interesting things that at least I or my generation may not think about.
The film will make you sad, it will make you laugh, and it will surely please you. How much you will be pleased depends on the interest of the content to the viewer.
"Born on the Fourth of July"
7 / 10
