Days of Thunder (1990)

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers (WGA):

Robert Towne (story) and
Tom Cruise (story) ...

Release Date:

27 June 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

You can't stop the thunder.

Plot:

A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level.

Plot Keywords:

Driver | Stock Car | Racing | Nascar | Team

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Cole Trickle
Robert Duvall	...	Harry Hogge
Nicole Kidman	...	Dr. Claire Lewicki
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

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (analog 70 mm prints) | CDS (digital 35 mm and 70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (analog 35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Chile:TE | Finland:K-10 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:10 | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:12 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) (1991) | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 (w) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia)

Filming Locations:

Bristol, Tennessee, USA

Company:

Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Trivia:

The scene where Cole Trickle leaves the pits after a race to hit Russ Wheeler is also based on ,an actual event during the 1987 all-star race at Charlotte, NC between drivers Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt.

Goofs:

Continuity: Near the end of the movie, just after the crew fixes "Cole"'s transmission and sends him back on the track, he pulls in front of the pace car as he exits pit road. Harry tells him to be at max speed at the drop of the green flag. Then you see the pace car pull off the track and the green flag drop. The exit to pit road at Daytona is between the Start/Finish line and Turn 1. Cole would be traveling at about 185mph, while the pace car and field are traveling at 65mph. He would've caught up to the back of the back of the pack before the pace car even made it to Turn 3 and Cole would've been at the tail end of the lead lap.

Quotes:

[talking to the chassis]
Harry Hogge: I'm gonna give you an engine low to the ground... extra thick oil pan to cut the wind from underneath you. It'll give you thirty or forty more horsepower. I'm gonna give you a fuel line that'll hold an extra gallon of gas. I'm gonna shave half an inch off you and shape you like a bullet. I'll get you primed, painted and weighed, and you'll be ready to go out on that racetrack. Hear me? You're gonna be perfect.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

Soundtrack:

KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR

Duvall excellent otherwise Top Gun with cars (and Nicole)

In the Top Gun genre although without the homo eroticism. But a great performance from Duvall who lights up the screen every time he is on - which is often. Nicole Kidman lights up the screen as well and not just for her acting! Cruise is OK as the foil to Duvall's Harry. Tony Scott's direction is standard for a Bruckenheimer film and deserves applause.

The plot is entirely predictable and there is little tension. Like Top Gun the bits in between the action are too long and the sub plot of the injured driver coming to terms with his forced retirement is tedious and contributes little. BUT see this if only for Duvall's flawless performance.