An absurd nearly 2hr-long NASCAR commercial that makes as much sense as a 7-year old arranging high-velocity accidents between die-cast metal cars which already have flames painted on them whilst making excitable 'explosion' vocalizations. Days Of Thunder is also essentially a land-based Top Gun minus the military and Val Kilmer but with Michael Rooker and An Endless Dawn Chorus Of Dopplered Engine Harmonics And Metal-On-Metal Carnage Prominently Featuring Sponsor Logos. This makes for not-insubstantial differences. Because you don't have call signs, you have to give your characters insane names like Cole Trickle, Russ Wheeler and my favorite, Rowdy Burns. Rowdy Burns is played by Michael Rooker in what might be his greatest achievement on the silver screen. Not only do…

(2020 Summer Blockbuster Series)

I have zero interest in the actual sport of racing ... but that all changes each time I buckle up and experience Tom Cruise hitting the track in Days of Thunder.

"This son of a bitch just slammed into me ... No, no, he didn't slam you, he didn't bump you, he didn't nudge you... he *rubbed* you. And rubbin, son, is racin'."

The combination of Tony Scott's vision/direction and Hans Zimmer's score makes this opening sequence of watching the Daytona International Speedway come to life on race day damn near a religious experience. The story is as cliché as it gets with the new rebel kid in the sport bumping heads with his savvy veteran…

The rating I've given this film doesn't quite reflect my enjoyment of the film. Overall, I enjoyed this film for what it was, but I can't in good conscience give it higher than 3/5.

"Days of Thunder" uses just about every sports movie cliche imaginable. We see a young, cocky rookie in the form of Tom Cruise's 'Cole Trickle' reach the heights of his sport, fall and rise again. And when you see Tom Cruise with a writing credit it's pretty obvious that this film is going to be fawning all over him. As others have mentioned this film is basically "Top Gun" on wheels, from both a character perspective and a filmmaking one as Tony Scott once again re-teams…

"He rubbed you, and rubbin', son, is racin'."

Top Gun meets Rush.

Tony Scott is the king of a very specific type of atmosphere. He takes his visuals and pushes them to the limit of what they can convey emotionally. Need an establishing shot to set the scene? Make it sunset and amp up the color saturation and make it say something about the world we're about to enter rather than simply showing us where we are. Lay down a slick 80's soundtrack underneath and you've got Tony Scott. His brother may have made more memorable individual films, but for my money Tony's the one with the stronger voice. There's lots of plotty, expository nonsense ("Those tires are match-perfect!"), and…

Days of Thunder feels like a cash grab from the Top Gun team. It takes everything marginally good about that film and makes it worse. Tom Cruise’s character is flatter, more annoying, and less emotional, and his romance with Nicole Kidman’s character is entirely unconvincing (which is ironic, given the pair’s real-life relationship). Meanwhile, the technical elements can’t match Top Gun’s high-flying adrenaline (though the final race gives it a run for its money), and Hans Zimmer’s laughably dated guitar solo score doesn’t hold the same charm as the Top Gun soundtrack.

Maybe it’s unfair to criticize a movie for not meeting the heights of the film that preceded it. But Days of Thunder is essentially Top Gun with a bad paint job — the…

As entertaining and colorful as it is formulaic, Tony Scott's "Days of Thunder" is a thrilling, if completely surprise-free, racing drama. Starring Tom Cruise in another one of his talented-upstart-who-rides-his-determination-above-the-fray roles, the film courses with speed, excitement, and foregone conclusions. It all follows a well-worn pattern, but that pattern engages successfully.

Cruise plays Cole Trickle, a stock car driver in need of a car, a mentor, and a race. He gets all three and becomes a minor racing hero until adversity in the form of a crash knocks him out of the circuit. As luck and screenwriting guidelines would have it, Trickle returns to the track after forming romantic and friendly partnerships that boost his morale and chances. Again, it…

Days of Thunder (aka The Top Gun of race car driving) is one that I thoroughly enjoyed, but can’t really consciously give a higher score than this. There’s just something about this film that makes it feel so heartwarming and fun to have on. 

My main criticisms of the film is that first, it includes nearly all of the sports film cliches in the book, from the cocky rookie, the grizzled and uncompromising vet, to the insane and ridiculous rivalries. The pacing is also a bit off here. The first act zooms by real quick, and then once Cole Trickle gets injured, the pacing slows down considerably and the romantic subplot goes on for longer than it needs to. One…