Plot
A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level.
Release Year: 1990
Rating: 5.5/10 (32,151 voted)
Critic's Score: 60/100
Director:
Tony Scott
Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall
Storyline Cole Trickle enters the high-pressure world of Nascar racing. He's a hot driver with a hot temper, and this attitude gets him into trouble not only with other drivers, but members of his own team as well.
Writers: Robert Towne, Tom Cruise
Cast: Tom Cruise
-
Cole Trickle
Nicole Kidman
-
Dr. Claire Lewicki
Robert Duvall
-
Harry Hogge
Randy Quaid
-
Tim Daland
Cary Elwes
-
Russ Wheeler
Michael Rooker
-
Rowdy Burns
Fred Dalton Thompson
-
Big John
John C. Reilly
-
Buck Bretherton
J.C. Quinn
-
Waddell
Don Simpson
-
Aldo Bennedetti
Caroline Williams
-
Jennie Burns
Donna W. Scott
-
Darlene
(as Donna Wilson)
Chris Ellis
-
Harlem Hoogerhyde
Peter Appel
-
Cole's Crew
Stephen Michael Ayers
-
Crewmember
Taglines:
Cruise like Thunder.
Release Date: 27 June 1990
Filming Locations: Bristol, Tennessee, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $60,000,000
(estimated)
Gross: $165,900,000
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
In the "Making of..." documentary, Rowdy's Winston Cup Championship trophy is for 1984. The real-life champion for that year was Terry Labonte.
Goofs:
Continuity:
When Harry is telling Cole what happened to Buddy, Harry and Cole are standing at opposite ends of the car, when Cole walks away, they've switched positions.
Quotes: Buck Brotherton:
[noticing an undamaged spot on the car]
Well how 'bout that, a side we don't have to fix. Harry Hogge:
[kicks that door panel]
I don't want you spoiled, Buck.
User Review
Say what you will, but this is a great movie for guys.
Rating: 8/10
Regardless of your opinion of NASCAR racing, this is an incredibly fun
movie
for guys.
Is it creative? No. It's pretty obvious that it's the same thing as Top
Gun.
The only difference is maturity. Over the years, Tom Cruise had developed
into a fine actor, and when coupled with Robert Duvall (in a spectacular
performance) and a surprising Randy Quaid, Days of Thunder becomes a film
which gets pretty much any guy involved in it.
I personally hate NASCAR, but still I find this film absolutely riveting,
and every time I watch it, I suddenly have a desire to go race my car down
the highway. In fact, the biggest argument against this movie is that it
does get to the testosterone.
The music for Days of Thunder sets it up perfectly. Hans Zimmer does an
effective job with his second Cruise film in two years (Rain Man was the
other), and The Spencer Davis Group's Gimme Some Lovin' makes some plotless
racing scenes worth watching.
The script, penned by Bob Towne, is far more clever than the average action
movie and actually creates some serious character depth for Cole and Rowdy,
although Cary Elwes' character seems excessively evil.
But, all in all, this is an action movie that works for Cruise fans, even
if
they don't like action movies. 8.5 out of 10 (On a pure enjoyment
basis).
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