Reviewed by Johnny McNair

Paramount Home Entertainment – 107 mins – 1990 – Rated PG-13 – 1080p Widescreen 2.35:1 – Dolby TrueHD 5.1 Audio

When it was released in 1990 Days of Thunder was hyped as being Top Gun on wheels, and because of the mega success of that film, everyone was waiting for Thunder to blow it out of the water. Well, Days of Thunder did okay at the box office, but it was in no way the Tom Cruise money maker that his previous films were, some may call it one of his biggest bombs in relation to cost. Days of Thunder cruises onto Blu-ray from Paramount Home Entertainment, but only hardcore Tom Cruise fans should jump onto this ride, because this film worked better when it was Top Gun.

THE MOVIE

Tom Cruise stars as Cole Trickle (yeah, for real), a ‘Maverick’ who wants to jump into the professional car racing circuit, but all he knows how to do is drive, and doesn’t even know the difference between a fan belt and a spark plug. Getting the interest of a man struggling to get his name back in NASCAR, (Randy Quaid), Cole is paired up with an old gruffy mechanic named Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall), who thinks he’s a waste of time, but they must work together to bring down the current bad boy on the track, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker), who will do anything to keep Cole from succeeding. Tossed into the mix is a romance between Cole and a brain surgeon, Dr. Claire Lewis (Nicole Kidman), which is almost as unconvincing as the movie’s premise.

Directed by Tony Scott and Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the same team that made Top Gun, Days of Thunder suffers way too much from comparison, but can’t pull the magic that Gun had to make it work. The main problem with the film is that it’s trying to follow the underdog story, but Cole Trickle is so cocky you never root for him. You can’t attach yourself to a character that thinks they’re cooler than you in a sports film. Just imagine if Rocky were arrogant, you wouldn’t have cared if he won the fight or not. Cruise has shown he can be a good actor in movies like Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia, but in Days of Thunder, he’s just going through the motions and trying to be cool. True, all the guys were like this in Top Gun, but you want fighter pilots to be super cool because they’re defending the country; this technique doesn’t work with a racecar driver.

Robert Duvall gives the one-standout performance in the film, because you believe he could be that guy, but the problem is everyone else around him is not giving him much to interact with. The main focus of the film is just to show Cruise in as many driving shots as possible with him turning the steering wheel with an intense look. All of the racing footage looks great, but you never get the sense that you are in the driver’s seat.

Also this film feels dated, with big hair and that hazy lighting that was overused in late 80’s movies, it’s like watching on old MTV video. Almost twenty years later, Days of Thunder is hard to watch, and doesn’t feel as nostalgic as you would think, with the only crystal ball highlight is knowing that Tom and Nicole are no longer an item, even though this is the film that got them together. If you’ve never seen Days of Thunder, I’m curious how virgin eyes will react to it, but if you’ve already been along for this ride before, even on Blu-ray there’s no need to another lap around the track.

VIDEO

For some reason this film doesn’t look as good as you would think on Blu-ray. Even though it’s presented in full 1080p formatted in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the transfer is all over the place with heavy grain and soft images. Tony Scott’s films are known for their excellent camera work, but here nothing stands out, because it doesn’t look any better than a standard DVD. Some scenes show off promise, such as the racing venues with hordes of NASCAR fans in the stands, but overall this is in no way show off material.

AUDIO

With it’s Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround mix, Days of Thunder does a decent job of immersing you in the world of racing, because when those cars roar around the track your room will shake. Dialogue sounds muffled at times, and the corny theme that’s playing over it most of the time doesn’t help. Overall, it’s acceptable, but there are so many Blu-rays out there that do it better.

EXTRAS

What’s up Paramount? Buyers of this Blu-ray are getting the rug pulled out from under them, because all you’re getting here is the film’s trailer.

BOTTOM LINE

Days of Thunder is not the best Tom Cruise film, but it’s also not the worse. As a Blu-ray this one disappoints with a mediocre picture and no bonus features. Only Die Hard fans should invest in this disc, because for the same price you could grab one of the Mission: Impossible Blu-rays, which deliver more bang for your buck.

SCORES (out of 5):

The Movie: 2.5

Video: 3.0

Sound: 3.0

Extras: 0.0

Bottom Line: 2.5