Thou Shall Not Kill - Born on the Fourth of July (5/9) Movie CLIP (1989) HD

[@TheKeisari]

Everyone who thinks Tom Cruise is overrated, should see this movie. This is one of the most powerful scenes i've ever seen.

[@arthurbunsch2311]

Tom Cruise is overrated,but he was great in this movie,maybe one of the reasons people don't like him is because he plays in a lot of crappy movies,where he always plays the same pretty boy charackter.

[@jonmooreDP919]

TheKeisari One of the very few movies that Tom Cruise is ACTUALLY good in lol. But yeah in all seriousness though I thought he was terrific in this.

+TheKeisari This movie along with Magnolia is the best Tom Cruise.

[@cataleo1]

+TheKeisari I think exactly like you. Tom Cruise is PERFECT for drama, same as he was in Anderson's "Magnolia" - powerful and intense! He should not be cast in 'action' movies instead. Totally not his cup of tea

[@oeckstei]

He needs to do more films like this one. Return back to basics Tom.

[@sum18514]

Every time he tells his mom “it’s a lie it’s a F***** lie tell her dad tell her” the father knew as a ww2 vet what the horrors of war would have in store for his son and the atrocities of war his son would be forced into or witness too….always gets me emotional this scene is so raw.

[@navyman4]

My dad was in Vietnam, Recon. He said he was eating one day with a close friend who just got there when all of a sudden his head exploded on his food. He could look through the guys Half-Skull and see the inside of his smoking head from the front. To this day he doesn't know if it was a bullet round, grenade or mortar because they popped smoke and started a bloody firefight soon after that. HE SAW MANY things like that. Dad was shot TWICE and they said, "Flesh wound! Get back in the fight!". No purple heart. Nothing. After two more years, he got Honorably Discharged back into the Heroin infested Ghetto he came from. His mother (granny) kicked him out JUST LIKE THIS because nobody cared about PTSD back then.

[@HeroOfCardassia]

+navyman4 I'm sorry to hear about your dad's hardships. In the movie Heartbreak Ridge, Clint Eastwood said it best: "War is hell, boy. And that's a fact"

[@rbryant100]

Dad was 1st Marine Division, 1966-67. Seen a LT blown to pieces when his jeep hit a mine. He seen burning bodies falling out of a chopper. He struggled for years with alcoholism and PTSD. By the time he learned to deal with things, he developed pulmonary fibrosis. The VA screwed around with his claim until he was finally rated 90% around 2002. He passed away in April 2014, he was alone in his recliner when he died. I miss him every day

[@navyman4]

OMG...I'm so sorry brother. This really gets to me man. I can totally relate to having a Father who's been through hell in Vietnam.

[@christianregalado8939]

sir please tell your father if he is still alive that I said thank you for your service.

[@chirastello321]

yeah and my son was in world war ll

[@themadlad8540]

His dad didn't want him to go . God I feel for his dad.

[@harveymarvey3348]

I think he just wished Ron joined the Navy like he did.

[@THEMilkSHAIKH]

Wouldn't he be drafted anyway?

[@Crackshotsteph]

He enlisted before the draft.

[@gaijin140]

Here’s the thing. His father was wwii vet. That war did not care what branch we were. But no one could predict how bad Vietnam would end up. Ron’s father manage to guess correctly. It was not a war worth fighting. Not like fighting the axis powers.

[@jamesjavellana5]

Before this there was a scene where his father even mentioned that he wished his son be stationed in Europe or Korea than Vietnam.

[@supastar25]

"You're ashamed of me...!" That was so painful...what a great scene.

[@markcleveland9656]

is Truth and he said the Truth and they did not like it for they were not doing what they said they would do in their Religion, for they were ashamed and lacked human compassion.

[@rickyb6086]

My dad, Rip served his country and introduced me to this movie. He could literally quote every line from this scene! Damn, I miss my dad! Cancer took you too soon..

[@bdeshiguy]

Sad..

[@MariusWales]

I salute him!

[@rickyb6086]

Thank you!

[@synsol5731]

I thank your dad for his service

[@Ristopistox]

Go on my friend...

[@puplover7991]

The other thing I love about this scene is the subtext between Tom and his mother. All the pressure he felt from her to be a "good boy" and he is finally exploding. Not only about the war, but about HER.

[@gmoose7155]

So he comes home plastered, wakes up the neighborhood, curses her out and whips out his joint? That is designed to hurt and humiliate his mother. She didn't cripple you! Isn't she also giving you a place to live?

[@peterp2153]

He’s drunk and he’s angry and depressed.

[@sup9542]

​@@gmoose7155 He came home quietly, she started to make a scene about it, calling him a drunk. It was amazing he didn't snap earlier, that hospital would have driven anyone insane. After everything he went through he came home to complete insensitivity and disdain.

[@JagerFrostTroll]

His mother is absolute trash and his father has no balls. Sad

[@Elchamuc020]

I wouldn't blame her but rather her beliefs.

[@jackedkerouac4414]

The lady who played the mother is an incredible actress. Made me cry thinking that a mother is so blinded by religion and the lies the government tells her that she’d abandon her own son when he’s crying out for help

[@dewjade4897]

Carolyne Kava

[@Kelly14UK]

I hated her.

[@fabiandimaspratamathesecond]

But her character represents first & second generation of immigrants. They are American Croats. Clinging to traditional values and highly patriotic to the country which gave them opportunity. Vietnam War was indeed different than any wars Americans had been involved at that point. Traumatized a nation.

[@Kelly14UK]

@@fabiandimaspratamathesecond I thought they were Polish on the Dad's side?

[@jaywilliams9294]

@@Kelly14UK She was Polish

[@-boba-9029]

This scene still brings me to tears. This is the kind of movie that sticks with you long after you watch it

[@skylinez4793]

This movie is beyond sad and disturbing. This like the depressed and realistic version of forest gump.

[@heytheremclovin]

It is. Because it shows just how meaningless and useless, worthless Vietnam was at the sacrifice of our G.I.s I'm glad many got pardoned by Carter when they returned. B.S. war 💩

[@Professor__S]

This movie should be mandatory to watch in high school so it shows kids that going to war for your country is bullshit. Every war since world war 1 has been a bankers war. Its 2023 and people are waking up to the corruption and lies the government tells us on a daily basis.

[@anubhavjha854]

Whenever I feel depressed I watch this scene..Just to remind myself what pain truly feels like

[@soltemple389]

Brainwashed parents will do anything to meet the expectations of society, without even being conscious of what they're doing. I was lucky to have a mom that allowed me to be myself. This is an emotional scene very well done!

[@ffmm2078]

Meanwhile,,Jesus loves you

[@Ristopistox]

@@ffmm2078 "he loves you and he needs...money!!" -George Carlin-

[@Cyclonus24]

Something tells me that when she’s crying the way the she is at the end, that’s actually real. She’s not crying because she’s holding up her neighborhood persona, she’s crying for real.

[@jerrodbutali3990]

Have dumb boomer parents like this. "Tell cops everything, theyre your buddy" sort of things.

[@rahilkhalid7403]

@@Ristopistox "He's all powerful, He's all knowledgeable but somehow he can't figure out how to get money." Man love that guy. RIP George Carlin

[@KidFresh71]

How has this guy never won an Oscar? Between his turn in Rain Main, Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, and especially this movie (and this scene!); Cruise has proven he's one of the very top actors of his generation.

[@alvexok5523]

Yes, Tom Cruise was great in those movies. And don't forget him in Top Gun, A few good men, Risky business, Days of thunder, and Minority report, and others. He's an excellent actor, and really knows how to engage viewers in so many scenes he's been in in his movies

[@patriceaqa288]

@@alvexok5523 Jerry Maguire I don't think counts in that conversation

[@shanehaney2121]

@@patriceaqa288 I think it does but it's been a long time since I have watched, so maybe I'm wrong.

[@cdee12120]

This was his very best scene. It cut to the bone.

[@icemanire5467]

He was unfortunate to go up against Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot this year.

[@CaptainNicBlake]

I was a 14 year old punk, metalhead kid when this came out, but when my folks rented this and I saw this scene, I was moved to tears.

[@HeroOfCardassia]

This clip is so sad. Tom Cruise is a gifted actor. His performance here looks so real.

[@rastadpl]

Damn you can feel Ronnie's pain. Intensely powerful scene.

[@rastadpl]

You could see the love his Dad has for him. Ugh I hate his Mom.

[@machida58]

White Ronin Veterans kill themselves at very high rates even for men, who are 5 times more likely to kill themselves than women.

[@shayekisitu]

Tom Cruise, fantastic actor. I agree he should have won Best Actor for his role. Amazing!

[@3TNT3]

Really??? Over Daniel Day-Lewis in My Left Foot???!? You have GOT to be kidding. Not. Even. Close.....

[@3TNT3]

Pleeeeeease, go and actually watch My Left Foot, and then watch Born on the Fourth of July, again, and just tryyyyyyy and tell me that you still believe Tom Cruise should have received the Academy Award over Daniel Day-Lewis.

[@shayekisitu]

I don't need to. That is my opinion. Just like you have your opinion which I fully respect.

[@3TNT3]

Yes, you are correct, you do have a right to your own opinion, but if you haven't seen Daniel Day-Lewis' Academy Award winning performance, for that year, then your opinion is not an adequately informed one. How can you say that you would still think that Tom Cruise should have won that year, even if you saw Daniel Day-Lewis' performance, if you haven't actually seen it? If you were open-minded, and honest, and willing to accept that DDL's performance mayyy have actually been better, you might even agree with me IF you ever saw DDL's performance, as well. Again, I wasn't saying that you don't have a right to your own opinion, as this is a subject which is completely subjective, but I am saying that I think one at least needs to see all the nominee's performances before they can declare which one was the best. All I am asking is, please just actually watch Daniel Day-Lewis' stunning performance in My Left Foot, and then if you still actually believe that Tom Cruise's performance was better, then fine. But at least have an adequately informed opinion. Danierl Day-Lewis hasn't won a record 3 Best Actor Academy Awards for nuthin.' And especially not when he has done so by making one half, to one third the number of films that most actors his age have made. He doesn't act. he *becomes* the character. He lives and breathes the character. As he himself has said, he has a gift for self delusion. He gets himself to actually believe he *is* the person he is playing. He also isn't called 'The Chameleon,' for nothing. And when the best actors are asked who *they* think the best actor is, his name is maybe mentioned more that any other.

[@shayekisitu]

Blah Blah Blah. I think you need to learn to leave well enough alone. Happy Movie Watching to you.

[@GregoryIannicelli1997]

What I really love about this movie is that it focuses on the emotional damage done to our soldiers. While I love movies like Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket that focus on the training and battles, movies like this focus on the true horrors.

[@cryptinflame4308]

Kind of have to disagree with you on that one...the medics death in saving private Ryan...or joker putting the sniper out her misery in FMJ. Horrors of war if you'd ask me. FMJ in the long run is pretty much about the horrors of war...the helicopter gunner killing random civilians, ECT

[@GregoryIannicelli1997]

+Michael Aloi You do make some great points, and those are some great scenes.

[@kbanghart]

@@cryptinflame4308 Well, how about horrors back at home compared to in combat itself.

[@zackcross7190]

This and The Deer Hunter show the true affects that Vietnam had on the vets.

[@KOSMICKEN09]

Coming home is a pretty great movie too about vets

[@rumenigpires]

Terrific acting by Tom Cruise.

[@Komnen0s]

Usually I'm not a fan of Tom Cruise, but he nails this role. He's not a bad actor per se, but he generally has a limited range. In most movies he's just playing himself. But here he really speaks to the experiences of Vietnam vets in a poigiant way. He just sounds so weak and defeated because he's had to deal with all this suffering at such a young age. There's this palpable frustration in his voice as as he tries to make sense of what happened to him, as well as the harsh realities of the world he was exposed to. He's clearly upset that his parents don't understand what he went through, and that they're coldly unsympathetic to his mental turmoil. It's darkly funny that his mom is more upset by him saying the word "penis" than the pain her child is feeling, which he seems to pick up on. His performance elevates the film from merely being a drama to a visceral indictment of society's treatment of Vietnam vets and the experiences they went through (and continue to go through, unfortunately).

[@suat365]

The mother also

[@TonyDanza4Lyfe]

He can't even muster tears. He's literally just squinting his face with no tears it's awful

[@rumenigpires]

@@TonyDanza4Lyfe real people, when desperate, often do not shed tears also. Only expressions of pain

[@rumenigpires]

@@Komnen0s well put!

[@ryro1975]

I always come back to this . This is one of the truest and best acted scenes in history .

[@GregoryIannicelli1997]

I honestly hate the mom after this scene. Can't she see that Kovic is suffering from PDS? Does she have any idea what Vietnam did to her son? He got crippled, people died around him, and his humanity was stripped from him. I bet all of us would eventually breakdown the same way Ron did if we went through all that. Yet this woman tries to make it as if he was a terrible person. Ignorance. Just flat out ignorance.

[@leila7254]

Male Sentient Void She's a bad mother. there are many in the world like her. But there are also plenty of wonderful women, capable and caring mothers who never let their kids down

[@machida58]

+Leila7254 No "good person" would rape life into existence.

[@dusty2080]

It's PTSD, and also back then no one really knew what it was or what it could/would do to a person. The Vietnam War was what opened everyone's eyes to PTSD and after the poor treatment of the vets made everyone realize they had to be supportive of people with the condition

[@YungBeezer]

@@machida58 Facts

[@antaris6493]

Magazine Trete Kovic has a point about what he says about the government. After WW2, the government went on a frenzy constantly lying about pretty much everything they did to prevent the spread of communism. It wasn’t right.

[@brianpomeroy9624]

Tom Cruise should've won the academy award for that performance.

[@drlee2]

I feel like films like this come so easy for Oscars. Cruise had the mis-fortune of this film coming out the same year as 'My Left Foot', another biopic for which Daniel Day-Lewis on Best Actor. I've seen both films and honestly can't say which performance is more deserving. I mean, Day-Lewis did some amazing physical stuff to transform himself into his handicapped character, but Cruise just owns this film start to finish. Hard to say. Personally, my favorite performance of Cruise is 'Collateral' and think he should have won Best Actor for that. Creating a character from scratch and making them 3-dimensional and seem real, to me, is harder than playing a real-life character in a biopic, where you have a lot of material and history to work from.

[@rhinoman1984]

I remember when the Academy Awards came on TV for that year. It was tough choice, he was competing with Daniel Day Lewis (My Left Foot), Morgan Freeman (Driving Miss Daisy) and Robin Williams (Dead Poets Society).

[@gerrycollins149]

Man when Tom Cruise wants to deliver... He hits the nail on the head. Impossible to watch this and not empathize with his frustration and sadness. He delivers a similarly visceral performance in Magnolia.

[@srhs_wrestling7480]

The Vietnam War destroyed a generation of innocent American kids whose only crime was turning 18 at the wrong time. Such a powerful portrayal of the shattered mind and spirit of someone with a now dark future.

[@davidbolha]

They had the chance to disobey. 😌

[@Price70]

​@@davidbolhaAnd go prison or give up citizenship by fleeing to Canada. They were kids with no resources or street smarts. They took their chances trusting in their country's military, hoping to survive one tour, not knowing if they did survive they'd be mentally ill

[@kellypolfleit3942]

❤️🙏

[@retroguy9494]

@@davidbolha Were you even alive back then? Because I WAS even though I was just a little boy. Do you have any idea whatever how those guys that 'disobeyed' were treated? They were literally demonized by society. Especially the over 40 crowd who went through World War I, World War II and Korea. If they fled to Canada, they were fugitives from justice. It wasn't until President Carter took office that he pardoned all of them.

[@el34glo59]

People really don't understand how unbelievable of an actor Tom Cruise is. They don't. He's the definition of a movie star sure. But the guy is a natural actor with amazing depth when he goes in. This, Magnolia, Collateral, A few good men, The Firm etc . On top of it he did all his own stunts and still does in everything.

[@slazerlombardi]

Do you need help?

[@alexthomas7923]

wish he still did dramatic roles, it seems like the older he’s gotten and more embroiled in scientology, the further and further he’s drifted from movies like this

[@jamesjameson4566]

If you're praising an actor, the word you don't use is "unbelievable"

[@fraerot]

well his religion f..k him up. He didn't get Oscar for that

[@millypoo7713]

Yes, people do understand. Nice try to be a know-it-all 😅

[@FallenMonk55]

Very powerful scene with exceptional acting from a vintage Tom Cruise

[@pureluck8767]

Jackson P. Vintage? He is still good creep

[@FallenMonk55]

My OP was complimenting him you twit

[@zubb8]

+ Jackson, P.ure Luck is as screwed up as Tom cruises mother in the movie...LOL

[@obiedrier4841]

Jackson P. I know and now he does nothing but shit crap pictures. Why didn't keep him up with good quality stuff like this idk

[@kbanghart]

And Carolyn kava was excellent here as well

[@GetToDaChoppa-k5r]

By far Tom Cruise's best ever performance and Oliver Stone's best work.

[@LukeDelgadillo]

The argue between Ron and his mother is the representation of real Vietnam vets and the American people that won't help them and who curse, banish and spit on them. Say what you want about Tom Cruise, the mans an awesome actor.

[@happydayz7857]

They treated the vets like damaged goods. Not good enough anymore.

[@mainsmain]

"walking tall machine gun man, they spit on me in my homeland"

[@alwillk]

Forget that part. What even worse is what the government did them. No healthcare, no money, no therapy, etc.

[@kilaadams7354]

​@@alwillkRight! His story about the horrific conditions at the VA hospital is heartbreaking! He gave his legs and soul for this country.

[@pgm1972]

Cruise on top of his game. Absolutely devastating. How he psyched himself up to film this. Just imagine....and Oliver Stone - we salute you

[@JLOCC23424]

It is just criminal how Tom Cruise didn't get an Oscar for this,it's an absolute masterpiece.

[@eebbeerrttpp]

Daniel Day Lewis won the Oscar. Arguably the best actor in history. But I like Tom Cruise and he’s definitely a great actor.

[@JLOCC23424]

@@eebbeerrttpp Tom Cruise is the best actor in history

[@icemanire5467]

Daniel Day Lewis knocked out one of the greatest acting roles in cinema. He was very unfortunate. It was like Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia and Gregory Peck comes out with To kill a mocking bird

[@14isoldenough]

Does it matter? Why do people care what awards actors/actresses get

[@JLOCC23424]

@14isoldenough Nowadays no but oscars sed to be a big deal back then and Tom really deserved one you just don't get it.

[@keenoled]

The long edits, the angle as if we're looking at people from the height of a wheel chair, the movement of the camera, mastery.

[@mhaze210]

This is one of those scenes I watched on the "black box" when I was young, and I was blown away by how raw and powerful this scene felt. Looking back on it now it's still one of Tom Cruise's best performances...and also Ron Kovic was born to have this story shared...what he went through was the story needed for the World to know the truth about how terrible War is, and how the government and media together condition us from early youth into being "ready" to go to War,

[@seniorzolo3433]

What do you mean by the "black box"? I'm 42 and I don't remember that. I know the war was before my time. I think Cruise's performance here should've won him an Academy. But I wasn't born when the Vietnam War ended.

[@milart12]

This is a great scene and agree with a lot of posters who say that Cruise should have won the Oscar. However, the best part of this scene is not shown. After all the sturm and drang, Tom Cruise's (aka Ron Kovic's) father helps him to bed and they share a quieter moment. As the father is helping him to bed, Cruise's character tearfully asks his father: "Who's going to love me dad"-Who's going to love me?

[@seniorzolo3433]

@@milart12 I wish I owned this movie just for that part.

[@ipi223]

usually for me great movie fan movie don t reach my heart this his exactly there! i cry every time Great actor !

[@ipi223]

so raw like it is For all those brave man that being in a war or close to RESPECT still the point is NO MORE WAR

[@bobcatfish2796]

Bawling my eyes out, such a powerful scene I’ll never ever forget

[@hawkinatorgamer9725]

A very, very, very, powerful scene. After two tours to Iraq as an Infantryman(I had it very easy in comparison). I now understand this so much better than I did as a kid watching this movie. I came home fine physically, but mentally, emotionally, everything that was me was different. I Went myself, I came home a different man. I have put my family through similar drama on a druken night or 1000. The Lies, thats true. It is all bullshit lies. When you get out, and you start to think freely as a civilian, no mission. Those lies will eat you up and really hurt in places you did not know you can hurt. Ultimate betrayel.

[@lard_lad_AU]

Thanks for sharing and I hope your better now mate. I went to Afganistan and Iraq so I know the feeling.

[@hawkinatorgamer9725]

@@lard_lad_AU Cheers brother, yeah im doing pretty good. Hope you are as well.

[@SouthernGentleman]

PTSD is horrible thing to watch

[@k-man150]

This is such a powerful scene. It’s hard not to get emotional during it. Cruise was such a phenomenal young actor.

[@evilwillhunting]

It’s here where Ron finally completely realizes two things: the war really was for nothing and what a bleak and pointless life lies before him as a cripple. I think he was dealing with the latter by denying the former

[@borismcnair4263]

Totally agree

[@tylerwagner1978]

I'm just glad he got out of that hell and he found a purpose. To spread his message. He loves his country but the government is where it stops for him.

[@Michael-jw6et]

You don't have to live a bleak, pointless, life because you are in a wheelchair. What a terrible and ignorant thing to post.

[@midwaygamer-ou3my]

This was probably the most accurate portrayal of veterans still till this day it's still happening

[@SilentDanDisney]

Especially with Iraq and Afghanistan.

[@GrifterTheBoyIdiot]

It's terrifyingly depressing

[@KazumiKiguma]

"You didn't kill women and children" How, exactly, would you know that without having been there?

[@Justin_GFM]

She was most likely in denial and probably grew up thinking that no way could our servicemen commit war crimes, yet her own son just came back from Vietnam and is telling her what he saw himself

[@jackedkerouac4414]

@@Justin_GFM That’s why she’s bawling her eyes out. It just hit her that Ronnie is going to hell

[@wikipediafollower]

Women sincerely believe they're empathetic, but they don't know--and willfully blind themselves to--how men feel

[@pedrojrmineiro]

@@wikipediafollower some, not all, and thats not a normal behaviour of a mother, by the references I got. Besides that I met a lot of women and got into relationships with a few of them, and I can tell you there is good and bad women out there, just dont fall in love with the bad ones.

[@Butterfly22593]

@@wikipediafollower This scene didn't have anything to do with how women respond to men's emotions

[@hopefulagnostic336]

. . . And we still haven't learned a goddamn thing.

[@enprise7335]

Hopeful Agnostic because human beings are addicted to war and not addicted to peace.

[@Dan-di9jd]

@@enprise7335 Peace is also a lie. War is also a lie. We should all be living in peace and harmony but since we are all alive and want different things in life, we will continue the never ending cycle. That doesn't mean you should accept it, but it does mean you should accept reality. Peace is just as much of a lie as an all out war.

[@sublimelove23]

The GWOT veterans got dealt such a bad hand. Their suicide rate is devastating. It just angers me thinking about it, how could we let the people in power get away with what they did. The untold amount of lives they shattered.

[@scada67]

Tom should get an Oscar for this.

[@jameslisle7775]

+Raymond Mack They both deserve the Oscar. Its so unfair!

[@BARUCHIAN99]

Moshe W. Yup, Tom Cruise said it himself that Born on the 4th of July is one of his best movies he starred him

[@2fun55]

Ron Kovic gave Tom Cruise his bronze star V for "going through the hell Ron went through." It was a thoughtful gift, Tom was hesitant but Ron insisted Tom accept it.

[@guitarlover1370]

Na, my left foot would of made Shakespeare cry

[@G4MBIT]

Totally

[@johnnymarlin819]

The actress playing the mother incredible acting as well, turning into the evil mum.

[@Marcusx1980]

This is in my opinion Tom Cruises best performance. The scene is so sad and powerful.

[@kampdog]

This old veteran is crying his eyes out.

[@jackstrawFW]

Thank you SO much for your service. 🙏💚

[@apax2901]

This movie was hard to watch.. We civilians really don't know what Vets have gone and are still going trough.. A great movie

[@arthurrubio5129]

This is one of the best depictions of war I’ve ever seen

[@Mamillius-00]

No matter all the Scientology stuff, Tom Cruise is a WORLD CLASS actor.

[@MARSBELLA1]

WAS

[@Dopesickgypsy]

@@MARSBELLA1 top gun 2

[@thaddeust.thirdiii736]

@@MARSBELLA1All the recent Mission Impossible movies, Edge of Tomorrow

[@randomguy22867]

@@MARSBELLA1 you're dumb man

[@conorsmith8551]

I don’t think Tom was in Scientology at this point was he ? Certainly his best performance

[@garethq]

Incredible acting from tom cruise

[@ski-retro]

Extremely powerful scene. If only all the parents could see this scene before their kid goes to army. There's nothing heroic and honourable in permanent disability, mental issues, getting your child home in a box etc. Fortunately many movies show the other side, broken homes and side effects of the war - mass media usually avoids these issues. What they show is waving american flag.

[@Yobachi2007]

Out of everything that's being said and is going on in the scene, the thing she's most concerned with and agitated about is him saying penis.

[@nerdieone1]

Yobachi2007 Cause she was extremely religious. -_- His family in real life disowned him

[@aimeeadesso4383]

+Yobachi2007 Yeah I know the mother lives in her own Candy land world and doesnt even care about his mental state and Ron Kovic was angry and bitter b/c he went to Vietnam and he was lied and betrayed by his country and I met some vietnam vets and I brought them all coffee to show my love and kindness toward these men! They were going to Vietnam memorial! I know these men fought for their country and they were lied and betrayed now in today so many of our men and women are serving their country he came back with PSTD and most of our soilders are suffering from this! I understand the mother was religious but doesn't God say Love your children and love your parents too! I feel bad for everyone in this scene and Ron Kovic's family disowned him which is heartbreaking and sad! Tom Cruise was amazing in this even if he is overrated actor!

[@rjn8001]

+Yobachi2007 It's a bit deeper than that. You gotta figure she's hurting the second most after Ron. A mother's empathy for her children is so strong she could probably only cope with her son being this way by blocking it out.

[@aimeeadesso4383]

Yeah I agree with what you said and I felt bad for Ron Kovic in this scene WAR tears people apart

[@Yobachi2007]

Ryan JN Empathy for her son? She was doing the opposite of showing empathy. She was completely ignoring his pain, and going out of her way to come up with a reason to obfuscate the issues of why he was in pain by whining about something benign like him saying penis. And then she was so "empathetic" she threw him out. What is happening is she can't deal with her own guilt of the truth he's bringing forward and that's why she's trying to shut him down and obfuscate. She was way more concerned about not having to deal with the feelings of facing up to the b.s. she set her sun up to suffer than she is with his feelings.

[@ng2603]

We had teachers in high school who fought in Vietnam and we used to ask them to tell us about the war ... they would say, maybe later. In the end they never did ... but one day we had an assembly and with no introduction they screened this film for our senior class. Blew me away. RIP to the lost and God bless the ones that came back.

[@DeepScreenAnalysis]

It was so brave of a young actor like Tom Cruise to do this movie... you would think that he would only want to perpetuate the American myth, because after movies like Top Gun, he represented a national ideal... but he then turned around and forced people to question that myth and see that it was an illusion.

[@shytguy]

Except it’s not a myth. It’s a grand democratic experiment and it’s ideals deserve to be believed in. We do, however have some glaring problems and the government had screwed working class and poor people when it came to Vietnam war. Definitely not our finest moment.

[@SameBasicRiff]

Great comment, fr

[@MrFgfgdg]

Must be a nice thing to believe in, but every day in this country I see the bodies of working people chewed up and offered at the altar of Mammon. All power to the people

[@b-music9329]

Both Tom Cruise and John Williams (Music) should have won an Oscar for this. It's one of the most memorable film soundtracs ever, and the acting performance of Tom Cruise imho is one of the best acting performances in film history. You simply can't play this any better, the whole transition from this young motivated naive guy to the drawn from life war veteran. It's simply so damn convincing. And it's puzzling how close it is to the real Ron Kovic. Also the movie as a whole is a masterpiece. This film has let me understand the american soul and also the soul and origin of the hippe movement.

[@muthias4582]

Man feeling alone it's always so painful for people. 😭

[@machida58]

Matthew Millard Men are alone in this world.

I love being alone. It's more painful to be around people...

[@interestedparty7523]

The fact that he apologizes to his narcissistic mom, his acknowledgement of the unfair pressures placed upon him and his inability to come through, demonstrates how very wrong society was when rearing these young men through childhood and adolescence.

[@tjtube65]

Saw this in the theater when it came out. Back then Cruise was considered a 'pretty boy' actor who wasn't really too serious. Walked out of this move shook to the bone by his performance and by the fact that he chose to play such a difficult, conflicted, mournful, driven, mournful, haunted and physically disabled character. Think about how TC is known fo this physicality in so many roles - here he releases himself from that image and has to act only from the arms up. Devastating movie and one of his best.

[@asanta2023]

Agree..,also interesting that he had already completed Top Gun when he did this.

[@user-wr6db6nw8t]

Loved this scene! His mother was ashamed of his being in a wheelchair, just like the wrestling match scene, because he didn't 'win'! The look of disgust she gave him when he suffered that high school loss told a lot! And another thing people don't pick up on in this film, notice when he returned home how she was the last one to come out to see him? As a mother, you would think she'd race out to see him home! This is one of my favorite movies on Vietnam, more so than Platoon or Full Metal Jacket! Cruise played this role wonderful all the way!

[@interestedparty7523]

Exactly.

[@JasonPerryman]

Always wondered what it was about his mother looking out the window for so long before she came out. I always thought it was just that as a Mom she would be so much more sensitive than anyone else and had to get her emotional control down first. Now after what you say I guess it's her uncomfortability with how ashamed she may be of Ron in that chair.

[@patrickc3419]

@@JasonPerrymanIt’s probably that; because she’s also the first to hurry and go back inside to compose herself in that scene, as well.

[@millypoo7713]

No... we all picked up on it Mr. Know-it-all

[@user-wr6db6nw8t]

@@millypoo7713 Well, some people are slow

[@GregMuniz7]

This is why tom cruise is one of the greats. He can do any role.

[@shaheedpetersen6231]

I must say...top performance by Tom Cruise. One of the best rendition by an actor in a biography movie. Spectacular. Even after watching the movie a dozen times, it still leaves me in tears. Thank you Tom Cruise for doing justice to the story of our hero Ron Kovic.

[@harvestcanada]

I met him in real life considering what happen to him, the man was still as sharp and lucid as a knife. Watch and learn. His mother embraced the I am alright jack attitude denying the cost that her life style would bring. At he end of the day it destroyed the family. Great scene of an unfortunate real life event.

[@rickyb6086]

Did Cruise get an Oscar? He deserved one from this scene alone..

[@Crunch_Buttsteak]

No he lost to Daniel Day Lewis who deserved it more for his performance in "My Left Foot".

[@mcsquare77]

+Crunch Buttsteak My Left Foot was Good but not half as Good as Born on the Fourth of July!

[@Crunch_Buttsteak]

mcsquare77 I agree "Born on the 4th..." is the superior film, but I feel Day Lewis had the superior performance.

[@eisenhowerrepublican4237]

For yelling "penis"? :3 *LETS DO IT!*

[@lucasdavis1964]

Who cares if he's a scientologist? He's still a good actor and this movie is evidence to that.

[@tammyfields801]

Lucas Davis so true

[@tiaaaron3278]

Yeah and it's not like rest of Hollywood is full of innocent angels either.

[@calisongbird]

Scientology is guilty of horrible abuse of its members. Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and all of its celebrity members are fully aware and do nothing, because Scientology has blackmailed them. They have all their deepest, darkest, most personal thoughts and actions recorded in “auditing” sessions that the Church can use to keep them quiet.

[@JimmySteller]

@@calisongbird Still not as bad as what the Catholic Church did and continues to do to untold millions of people. The recently discovered graves of First Nations children across Canada is just one example of it.

[@moonbug7252]

@@JimmySteller It isn't a competition.

[@jalex.musica]

This scene (sans PTSD) is what depression felt like for me.

[@lefthandedbaker]

Tom Cruise got robbed from the Oscars in this.

[@G4MBIT]

What a shame

[@vicdeakins2238]

Well, if the competition didn’t include Daniel Day-Lewis’s performance in My Left Foot I most definitely could see why Cruise would’ve taken home the gold that year

[@etchedinstone7562]

When he yells "Penis!" at his mother, it's the only funny part of the entire scene.

[@HAL-vm3wn]

.... in the movie

[@User-zzyyxxvv]

This is Tom Cruise’s best performance in my opinion and he’s got so many

[@regidorparcon8434]

i was broke in this scene ,my tears non stop to fall i cant control!!!! tom cruise deliver his best acting movies

[@billjoe39]

Touching and hilarious at the same time.....Raymond J. Barry and Caroline Kava give great performances.

[@Hybinette]

***** Well, at 03:25 he says penis several times.

[@incarnateTheGreat]

This is where he needed his Mother the most, and she wouldn't or couldn't help him.

[@AaronB99999]

How Tom Cruise didn’t win an Oscar for this role I’ll never understand

[@chicobond89]

Well, he got beaten by da man Daniel Day-Lewis who also played a disabled artist. And also Morgan Freeman was nominated as well for driving miss Daisy, although I don't know if he was a supporting actor back then. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[@Michael-jw6et]

It's not hard to understand: Tom Cruise was great in this movie, but Daniel Day Lewis was brilliant in My Left Foot.

[@makaveli3189]

@@Michael-jw6et over rated lol

[@JJArsenault-ys5yy]

If they ever give an Academy award for best acting of all time…this is it!!

[@MichaelBrown-rg8oi]

I wish there was an oscar for every category... Because Tom Cruise deserves praise for this performance and an important piece of social awareness and message he put in.

[@hla5560650]

Tom at his best

[@oeckstei]

I wish he would get back into these types of movies.

[@tiaaaron3278]

Magnolia (1999) was his best.

[@andrewcabral963]

Yeah except that whole Mustache and hair just doesn't fit him.

[@patriciaalva1156]

Incredible performance about the reality of war and what happened to the kids that were sent to fight in Vietnam

[@kian3540]

his acting is just freakin' amazing here.

[@GingerTTaylor]

This scene causes me to laugh and cry at the same time. Its so gripping. Tom Cruise really hit home with this.

[@LiquidNitrogenisis]

When he says "yes you did" or its "all a lie" I am convinced it is one of the best performances in cinema history q

[@jayreffner8831]

Daniel Day Lewis was great in My Left foot but Cruise notched him here. He clearly should have won best actor.

[@DruGirl1]

Tom Cruise is coo coo in real life but as an actor, he's OUTSTANDING

[@camporosso]

Tom Cruise is really great in this.

[@rubencortez9131]

I felt so sorry for Ron in this scene a lot of emotional pain on how much he went through in the war and I’ve always wondered that the argument with him and his mother happened in real life

[@mariosedlar8632]

His father was of Croatian descent, where I come from. Tom Cruise is an awesome actor and he is sometimes underrated. Great movie and particulary this scene is great representation of PTSD. I know this because I have dad who also faught in our war for independence back in the 90s and has some scars from that period. Every war is unreasonable. God bless America and Croatia 🇺🇸🇭🇷

[@jehad78]

It's criminal Tom Cruise didn't win the academy award for this scene alone. Its a great movie and he's a great actor.

[@electricdreams9446]

It's too good. That's why. They don't want everyone reminded war is a racket

[@chocolatetownforever7537]

What a powerful scene. This movie is when Tom Cruise proved that he was a great actor. As a kid, I grew up watching Cruise in his more commercial movies. I didnt get this movie. After growing up, and learning about history, The Vietnam War, and some of the struggles that our soldiers had to deal with as they came back to the U.S, I truly learned to love this movie, as well as Tom Cruise's performance. Its my favorite Tom Cruise movie by far. God bless the vets of the Vietnam War. Those that were lost in that land thousands of miles away, and those who are getting older and dying off now. Any time, and I mean ANY time somebody puts their life on the line, in any conflict our country faces, are heroes. Those that served our country will always be heroes to me.

[@nickyhaugh2390]

This scene was just impactful and influential in all kinds of aspects. Both Tom Cruise and Caroline Kava performed impeccably in this scene alone.

[@geekTroperaku]

I hope someday Cruise returns to more dramatic roles, I love him as the last movie star but I do miss his early performance.

[@NikiWonoto26]

agree - from Indonesia -

[@markwoldin162]

This is so loving, so painful, so heartbreaking. I weep for all of them.

[@vegetasolo1221]

For the duration of filming the scenes after Ron is paralyzed, Tom Cruise stayed in and used a wheelchair off the set as much as possible.

[@deb310red]

Method Acting works

[@SilentDanDisney]

@@deb310red Why he still does his own stunts to this day. To think after this he was off to Daytona to shoot Days of Thunder.

[@asanta2023]

@@SilentDanDisney and to think that he had completed Top Gun before this.

[@stevewozniak223]

Acting in this scene was amazing. Really feels like your watching a real family

[@CitySkin09]

Fucking PTSD, man...

[@sophieseverson8465]

Cruise absolutely deserved an Oscar for this performance.

[@gumballsrelative9197]

Happy Veterans Day Ron Kovick.

[@supermariofan03]

As much as I loved Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot, the Oscar should have went to Tom Cruise. This is what you call a transformation performance, first half he’s a boy who wants to go to war to protect his country, second half he’s a troubled crippled drunk who had quite an experience.

[@tyrannosaurusburke]

This is a hard scene to watch. It made me cry the first and second time I saw it.

[@KOSMICKEN09]

This movie had a profound effect on Me after I saw it ...really got me interested in reading more about vets and the Vietnam experience. What an acting performance from Cruise

[@dragonskulle7283]

"don't say penis in this house!!" roflmao

[@roccoboy32]

Incredibly powerful scene, the one I remember the most from this movie. Tom Cruise and Caroline Kava are phenomenal.

[@GodChristLord]

What don't humans understand about: "Thou shall not kill"? The wisest people should run a country and a government. What happened to all the wise rulers?

[@seniorzolo3433]

Cruise's best role.

[@vidright]

It‘s ashaming that Cruise didn‘t get the acadamy award for this acting

[@Josey_Wales]

Such an incredible clip. You find yourself thinking how miserable it really was for Ron, being a young man now paralyzed after living a normal life. It's a great performance by Tom, I think his best movie but damn the woman who played his mother was awesome in this scene in her own right!