Born on the Fourth of July (1989) | Tom Cruise's Best Performance?

Born on the Fourth of July (1989) | Tom Cruise's Best Performance?

From Cinema Psychos Movie Reviews by Brian Cottington

July 5, 2026 · 1h 3m · Season 1 · Episode 402

About this episode

The episode reviews 'Born on the Fourth of July' and discusses its significance in American cinema and Tom Cruise's performance.

Happy 4th of July — we're doing it differently this year! Brian and John are joined by returning guest Henry O'Brien (Film Obsessive / Stuff I Watched Substack) to review Oliver Stone's BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) — and make the case that this is not just Tom Cruise's best performance, but one of the most underseen masterworks of American cinema. In this episode: • Why Stone's 5-act structure is a deliberate rejection of war film conventions • Tom Cruise vs. Eyes Wide Shut — where does Ron Kovic rank? • Willem Dafoe in Mexico: Robert Eggers crazy vs. balls-to-the-wall crazy • Stone & Sorkin as two sides of the same American myth coin 📬 Follow Henry O'Brien: • Film Obsessive: filmobsessive.com • Substack: Stuff I Watched • Twitter/X: @realHenryOBrien • Letterboxd: @HenryOBrien23 ⏱️ CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open — is this Cruise's best? 01:54 Celebrating the 4th of July with Controversy 03:06 1. BBQ on the 4th of July 05:21 2. War Movies on the 4th of July 05:44 Discussing Born on the Fourth of July 18:39 Synopsis of Born on the Fourth of July 20:01 The Film's Portrayal of Propaganda and PTSD 25:21 The Use of Music in the Film 28:28 Comparing Born on the Fourth of July to…

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