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Days of Thunder (1990)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
27 June 1990 (USA) moreTagline:
You can't stop the thunder. morePlot:
A young hot-shot stock car driver gets his chance to compete at the top level. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win moreNewsDesk:
(16 articles)
Cruise To Return To Daytona For 500 Race (From WENN. 13 February 2009, 5:25 PM, PST)
Cruise Still Thrilled About 20-year-old Nascar Film
(From WENN. 8 February 2009, 5:40 PM, PST)
User Comments:
The Need For More Speed moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
107 minCountry:
USAColour:
Colour (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 moreSound 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)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Production began without a finished script; scenes were often written the day of filming. During one driving sequence, Tom Cruise actually had to read his lines off cue cards attached to his windshield, which resulted in a minor car accident. For subsequent driving sequences, Cruise was fitted with a special earpiece to have lines fed to him. moreGoofs:
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. moreSoundtrack:
GIMME SOME LOVIN' moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
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If I had to guess the genesis for Days of Thunder had its place in two areas. First the fact that Top Gun proved to be such a mega-hit for Tom Cruise that a similar film was almost dictated to be made by Paramount. But secondly it was reported that on the set of The Color of Money, co-star Paul Newman got Cruise interested in auto racing so you put those two things together, Days of Thunder was almost a film that had to be made.
The film certainly has the feel of NASCAR to it and it takes its place along side such racing classics as Grand Prix, The Racers and Paul Newman's own film, Winning. The story is the teaming of young rookie sensation Cruise and top mechanic Robert Duvall.
Tom's character is a whole lot like the young fighter pilot in Top Gun, a kid with a world of confidence and the ability to make his brag become fact. He's a driver by instinct not knowing a whole lot about the mechanics of a racing car. That's the way he and Duvall complement each other although it's not an easy relationship.
Days of Thunder is also the film on which Tom met Mrs. Cruise number two, Nicole Kidman. She's a neurologist who gets to treat Tom after a crash and also drops the hammer on Cruise's rival Michael Rooker and his career after a serious head injury.
There are also some nice performances by Randy Quaid as the stock car owner and Cary Elwes as another of Cruise's rival drivers.
Fred Dalton Thompson, District Attorney of New York County on Law and Order, former United States Senator, and would be President of the United States is in the cast as the head of NASCAR. If the political thing doesn't work out for Fred, he certainly has the presence and authority to be a baseball commissioner. They'll certainly need another Judge Landis in that job to restore some integrity to that sport.
Days of Thunder got an Academy Award nomination for Sound Recording and it's a good followup film for Top Gun.