Days of Thunder (1990)

Days of Thunder

• I used to be quite the NASCAR fan, though I definitely fell out of it a few years ago. After watching this, it almost makes me want to get back into it. Almost. Even though I’m not a big car guy anymore, I still enjoy a good racing film as much as the next person. I think “good” is about the most positive word I can use for this film. I wasn’t expecting anything great, so I wasn’t disappointed. In terms of story and characters, it’s a bit of a ‘Top Gun’ rehash, and most of Letterboxd seems to agree with me. I do enjoy some ‘Top Gun’, so seeing something along the same lines, just with cars instead of jets, can be fun. All the race scenes are pretty great, and shot very similar to any NASCAR race that would be on TV. Obviously, there’s more focus on the characters, cars, and POV’s, but what I’m saying is that it feels pretty realistic to an actual race. The story itself was kind of run-of-the-mill, with it basically being Tom Cruise racing, having difficulties, getting a love interest, then winning a race. That’s literally all there is to it. I don’t mean this as an insult, but this is a “turn your brain off” kind of film. Just have fun and enjoy the action. The cast does a good job, with standouts from Cruise and Robert Duvall. There’s not anyone I disliked, but those men in particular carried most of the film. I also really liked Michael Rooker (who I’ve met, by the way, just want to brag a little bit). The Zimmer score is decent enough for a 90’s racing film, but I was not a huge fan because…well, it was very 90’s. There’s not too much else to add, so I’ll just say that this can be a fun film if you try to have fun, but don’t critique it too hard, cause there isn’t a whole lot of substance. I’d recommend it to most sports/drama fans.