Days of Thunder  

10 out of 10 Special tires

Days of Thunder, Directed by Tony Scott and written by Robert Towne and Tom Cruise, starring Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall and Michael Rooker is a movie about the adventure of a very talented man and his ride with Nascar. Days of Thunder has everything you need in a classic movie. It had action, a beautiful character arc, a love story, and it always had you guessing as to who the antagonist was. Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall truly made this movie worth every bit of a perfect 10 out of 10 rating.

Days of Thunder begins with young hotshot Cole Trickle, fresh out of winning in F1, he decides to try his hand at NASCAR because it seems like more of a level playing-field. He is paired with Harry Hogge, a retired crew chief who is known as one of the greats in the sport. The two have a rocky relationship at first, but are soon inseparable. Cole begins winning and his only real competition is fellow driver Rowdy Burns. After some on and off track rivalry, the two take it too far and both end up mentally and physically impaired after a disastrous crash. Cole then must battle his PTSD from the crash all while trying to help his newfound friend Rowdy get back on his feet. 

Watching this movie was a life changing event for an impressionable nine-year-old. I still speak the quotes from this movie; “I’m dropping the hammer Harry” and “hit the pace car!” are both thoughts that stream through my head daily. The dialogue of this movie is unforgettable and brings the characters to life. It perfectly depicts exactly what I imagine racing was like in the 90s. 

Cole Trickle was a beautiful character with an amazing arc. You could really feel how humbled he was when Harry was right about everything. The anger he showed after practical jokes was refreshing after so many movies that merely skim over how the character would really feel. Cole Trickle’s arc from hotshot to scared little boy was incredible and brings the entire movie together. In my honest opinion this is Cruise’s best work.

Now would normally be the section where I complain about the movie and talk about what I dislike, but I have been thinking long and hard, and there is nothing I would change about this movie. Paired with Pixar’s Cars, this movie has made me the person I am. I probably wouldn’t be racing myself and I probably wouldn’t have the same love for NASCAR. 

Days of Thunder is by far my favorite of the movies we’ve reviewed and I thank Tony Scott for creating it. It is my favorite movie of all time and I would recommend it to anyone.