Days of Thunder

Guilty pleasure for me. Works better than Top Gun for me.

The producers, director and star of Top Gun get together again for this above average racing drama. Its nowhere near as good as Top Gun of course but its no disaster. Tom Cruise is good as the daftly named racing driver Cole Trickle and the ever reliable Robert Duvall offers classy support. Michael Rooker is excellent as Toms rival and Randy Quaid shows a more serious side to those who only know him from the Vacation movies. Surprisingly the usually good Nicole Kidman is rather bland as the love interest although to be fair she's not given a heck of a lot to work with. The music is of course all important in a movie like this and it has a pretty good soundtrack including Maria McKee's Number One hit Show Me Heaven, but again Top Gun had a much better soundtrack with Hans Zimmmer no match for Harold Faltermeyer. Tony Scott directs with his usual style, if you have seen Top Gun or Beverly Hills Cop 2 you'll no what to expect, very flashy and VERY LOUD. With a slightly less predictable story this could have been a lot better but as it is its a pretty enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.

Tom Cruise cruises like thunder as Cole Trickle in Jerry Bruckheimer's, Days of Thunder. Cole Trickle, a name that became an icon, an inspiration and a hero for auto racing drivers way back in early 90's. An enthralling and roller coaster ride jammed with high octane racing action, enough to blast you off the seat. Days of Thunder gave birth to the sparkling chemistry between once upon a time two of the most memorable on-screen and off-screen couples Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

The story revolves around a young and smashing, auto racing rookie, Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise), who, after trying in the American open wheel ranks, seeks to grab a win on the NASCAR circuit. Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall), his mentor is his crew's chief. He also develops a romantic relationship with Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), a brain surgeon who's not so easy to convince when it comes to love. Claire works on Cole after a severe race accident, while racing with his competitor, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). But then comes the arrogant and dangerous newcomer, Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes) with owner Tim Daland (Randy Quaid), challenges Cole for a comeback to the race track. Finally after being convinced by his friend Rowdy, Cole hits the race track to complete his unfinished business against Russ.

Tom Cruise's classy portrayal of a hot shot auto racing rookie oozing with galvanizing confidence and energy won the millions of heart for his adorable and mesmerizing display of power and aggression as Cole Trickle. Starting with his stunning intro coming out from the smoke with a bike to defeating his rival Russ Wheeler at the end, he ignites an emulsifying inspiration in this journey of powerhouse racing. Cruise and Kidman's electrifying chemistry scorches the screen with witty dialogues and sizzling romance. Robert Duvall plays an absolute superb cameo complementing Cruise to the top.

Tony Scott's and Cruise's record breaking deadly combination that gifted the 1986's blockbuster, Top Gun reunited to recreate the same magic in Days of Thunder, which can be said as a sequel to Top Gun. Hans Zimmer's remarkable and awesome background score ecstatically blends with the mood when it comes to the racing events and defining the characters. Days of Thunder gives two of the best all time classic tracks: "The Last Note of Freedom" by David Coverdale and "Show Me Heaven" by Maria McKee.

If you are desperately into racing then Days of Thunder is the perfect one to punch the required inspirational boost within. It has its own indefinable class, style and persona that can't be left unnoticed. A must watch for Cruise fans; witness him cruising the top like never before.

This movie is basically paying homage to Top Gun. The same team that made that movie a success got together to create another pumped up movie.

Cruise plays Cole Trickle, a very cocky and smooth indy car driver that lost his ride and decided to head to NASCAR with team owner Tim Daland,(Randy Quaid), and be coached by legendary crew chief Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall). During the Daytona 500 Cole and nemesis Rowdy Burns are involved in a nasty wreck that hospitalizes both of them and threaten to end their careers. They become friends but Cole realizes his mortality and must overcome it if he is to ever race effectively again.

This has better romantic chemistry than Top Gun. Due in part to the fact that Cruise and Kidman really were attracted to each other and we know the rest is history. The action scenes are great and filmed superbly. It's also a very loud movie. It received an Oscar nomination for best sound. It's just another mindless action movie to help relieve boredom. 7 out of 10.

I like NASCAR, and I enjoyed Days of Thunder. The opening sequence at the Daytona 500 gives me goosebumps and makes me want to crank up the surround sound - a homage to NASCAR, the late 80s, and Americana. There were other fun sequences in the movie, like when Cole Trickle is crashing his car every week and when his crew played a prank on him after winning his first race. The movie came out during the height of the "Tom Cruise is Cool" era. And, Cruise is cool in this movie. Robert Duvall, who plays his crew chief, is even better in the film.

That said, there were so many errors in this film, it's laughable. The racing shots were taken from real races, and the film editing did a poor job of disguising real race cars (like Dale Earnhardt's No. 3) for fictional ones. The timing is off. There's a scene where Tom Cruise is talking but his lips don't move. There's another scene where a character in the movie calls him Tom instead of Cole - really inexcusable that a error that big was missed. The scenes of cars ramming into one another while leading the race wouldn't be possible in reality: they would wreck or cause too much damage to remain at top speed.

By conventional standards, it's a terrible movie. But, somehow, it's still a fun movie! Action on the race track is similar to the action in the sky in Top Gun. If you're up for a little escapism and wish fulfillment, then Days of Thunder lives up to the billing. But, if you're a critical viewer, you won't be impressed by this film - unless you're looking for ways to laugh at its mistakes.