Days of Thunder

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Days of Thunder
Directed by	Tony Scott
Produced by	Don Simpson Jerry Bruckheimer
Written by	Robert Towne Tom Cruise
Starring	Tom Cruise Robert Duvall Nicole Kidman Randy Quaid Cary Elwes Michael Rooker John C. Reilly
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Cinematography	Ward Russell
Editing by	Robert C. Jones Chris Lebenzon Bert Lovitt Michael Tronick Stuart Waks Billy Weber
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	27 June 1990
Running time	108 mins
Country	USA
Language	English French
Budget	US$60,000,000
Gross revenue	Domestic: $82,670,733 Worldwide: $157,920,733

Days of Thunder is an auto racing drama film released in 1990 by producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott. The cast includes Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes and Michael Rooker. The film also features appearances by real life racers, such as Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant. Commentator Dr. Jerry Punch, of ESPN, has a cameo appearance, as does co-producer Don Simpson.

Plot

Days of Thunder revolved around a talented, hot-shot auto racing rookie, (#46 and 51) Cole Trickle (Cruise), who, after trying his hand in the American open wheel ranks, seeks to win on the NASCAR circuit. His mechanic mentor, Harry Hogge (Duvall), acts as his crew chief. He also develops a romantic relationship with Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), a young brain surgeon who tries to tame him. Lo and behold, just when he thought it was safe and easy to get back into a race car and drive, an arrogant and dangerous newcomer by the name of Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes) doesn't make it easy on him, picking on him because he knows he can get away with it. Wheeler not only substitute-drove Trickle's pink Superflo car while Cole was in the hospital, but now he is teammates with Cole under the selfish, bullheaded leadership of car owner Tim Daland (Randy Quaid). Cole slowly tolerates Russ's arrogance until, after a race in which Russ cheats to win the race, Cole has his tires changed, and violently rams Wheeler from the side after the race, a response to their growing rivalry.

Meanwhile, Cole's relationship with "Rowdy" Burns (Michael Rooker) goes on a completely different course. In their first encounter, Cole, using Rowdy's car, impresses everyone by doing a test lap alone that was clocked as being "under Rowdy's time." This does not sit well with Rowdy, who "hazes" Cole during the rookie driver's first few races. However, once Cole gets his confidence, and, under Harry's mentorship, wins some races, he begins to haze Rowdy back, much to the anger of the veteran driver. During one particular race, both drivers are injured, which begins the bonding process the duo go through. When forced to attend dinner with other higher ups of NASCAR and with one another, Cole and Rowdy instead race one another in separate cars to the restaurant, venting their frustrations. From there, Cole and Rowdy begin to bond as close friends, with Cole and Claire going with Rowdy and his wife to their home and seeing their future property. Later, when Rowdy begins to show signs of a medical problem, it is Cole he finally opens up to. Cole, in turn, is the one who convinces him to see a doctor, and when Rowdy is diagnosed as unable to race, it is Cole he asks to race in his place.

The plot was very loosely based on some real-life NASCAR personalities: Robert Duvall's character was based on crew chief Harry Hyde, Cruise's on Tim Richmond, and Randy Quaid's on a composite of several owners, one of whom was Rick Hendrick. Some critics speculate, if not the producers themselves, that Rowdy Burns' part is reflective of Dale Earnhardt (Not yet proven, but the black car, cockyness, and the aggressiveness says it all) and Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes) of Rusty Wallace. Hendrick also provided the movie cars, driven by then-NASCAR drivers Greg Sacks, Tommy Ellis, Bobby Hamilton, and Hut Stricklin, with Hamilton making his Cup debut at Phoenix in 1989 in a movie car.^{[citation needed]} Although this was not acknowledged by the film publicly this was obvious to fans from many coincidences between the film and well known events.^{[citation needed]}

The film was released in the USA on 27 June 1990, and in Europe on 11 August 1990.

Reception

The movie received middling reviews from critics who mostly shrugged off the sometimes over-the-top special effects and plot in many ways resembling the earlier Bruckheimer, Simpson, Scott and Cruise vehicle, Top Gun (some calling it "Top Gun on wheels" or "Top Gun in Race Cars!"), which had been a huge success four years earlier.

An early working title for the movie actually was Top Run.^[1] Some NASCAR aficionados also took offense at the overuse and exaggeration of the "rubbing" (bumping) action of NASCAR, featuring maneuvers between cars that were uncommon and dangerous, especially for the period of time in NASCAR history the movie depicted.^{[citation needed]} This included a scene where Cole, after having been knocked out of a race at the very end by an opponent, instructed his pit crew to replace his flattened tires, proceeding to run out on the track and smash his car into the victorious rival who knocked him out of the race. The scene was actually based on the 1987 Winston all star race in which Bill Elliott crashed into winner Dale Earnhardt's car after the race. Kidman's casting as a brain surgeon was also panned by some critics; they considered that the actress, who was 23 at the time, was too young to play the role of a surgeon, which typically requires many years of training.^{[citation needed]} Her portrayal was also criticized for depicting a brain trauma surgeon riding on a motorcycle without a helmet.

Music

The score for Days of Thunder was composed by Hans Zimmer; Jeff Beck made a guest appearance on guitar. A score album was never released, although a bootleg was later available.^[2] The "Main Title" track was included on the two-disc The Wings of a Film compilation. However, the track "The Last Note of Freedom" on the soundtrack was co-written by Zimmer and Billy Idol. A soundtrack album was released in 1990 by Geffen. Maria McKee's "Show Me Heaven" was released as a single alongside the movie. The album is also notable for the inclusion of Guns N' Roses' cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door", a year before the song was released on the 1991 album Use Your Illusion II. The soundtrack also included "Trail of Broken Hearts", a song performed by Cher. The song was released on the single "Love And Understanding" and belongs to the recording sessions of her 1991 album Love Hurts.

Soundtrack track listing

1. "The Last Note of Freedom" - David Coverdale
2. "Deal for Life" - John Waite
3. "Break Through the Barrier" - Tina Turner
4. "Hearts in Trouble" - Chicago
5. "Trail of Broken Hearts" - Cher
6. "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - Guns N' Roses
7. "Gimme Some Lovin'" - The Spencer Davis Group
8. "Show Me Heaven" - Maria McKee
9. "Thunderbox" - Apollo Smile
10. "Love Live the Night" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
11. "Gimme Some Lovin'" - Terry Reid

Images

On pit road

Tom Cruise during filming

Camera vehicle leads the cars around the track

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Days of Thunder (film)

• Days of Thunder at the Internet Movie Database
• Days of Thunder at Allmovie
• Days of Thunder at Rotten Tomatoes
• Days of Thunder at Box Office Mojo
• Days of Thunder at Metacritic
• Movie stills