Days of Thunder
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Days of Thunder
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For the NASCAR-style racing series in Europe which used the name "Days of Thunder" from 2003-04, see Stock Car Speed Association.
For the video game based on the movie, see Days of Thunder (video game).
| Days of Thunder | |
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| Directed by | Tony Scott |
| Produced by | Jerry Bruckheimer Don Simpson |
| Written by | Robert Towne |
| Starring | Tom Cruise Robert Duvall Randy Quaid Nicole Kidman Cary Elwes Michael Rooker John C. Reilly Fred Thompson |
| Music by | Hans Zimmer |
| Editing by | Robert C. Jones |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 27 June 1990 |
| Running time | 107 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$60,000,000 |
| IMDb | |
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.
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 as he picks on him because he knows he can get away with it since not only did he substitute drive Trickle's Pink Superflo car while Cole was in the hospital, but now he is teammates with him under the selfish, bullheaded car owner Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) as the new superstar Nascar was looking for with Rowdy Burns out.
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's (Michael Rooker) part is reflective of Dale Earnhardt and Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes) of Rusty Wallace. Not yet proven, but the black car, cockyness, and the aggressiveness says it all.[citation needed] 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.
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] 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.
Soundtrack track listing
- "The Last Note of Freedom" - David Coverdale
- "Deal for Life" - John Waite
- "Break Through the Barrier" - Tina Turner
- "Hearts in Trouble" - Chicago
- "Trail of Broken Hearts" - Cher
- "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" - Guns N' Roses
- "Gimme Some Lovin'" - The Spencer Davis Group
- "Show Me Heaven" - Maria McKee
- "Thunderbox" - Apollo Smile
- "Love Live the Night" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
- "Gimme Some Lovin'" - Terry Reid
Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2007) |
- Meg Ryan (who had appeared alongside Cruise in Top Gun four years earlier) turned down Kidman's role.
- Kyle Busch has paid tribute to Bobby Hamilton, whose Cup career rose with the movie as a stunt driver, in the Rowdy Burns #51 Exxon car. The idea came as a result of Hamilton's fight against neck cancer in 2006, a fight he would eventually lose in January 2007 with his death to the disease. Busch currently races a Craftsman Truck for Billy Ballew Motorsports, truck #51, and painted similarly to the Rowdy Burns car from the movie, winning several races in the 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons). Busch even has "Rowdy Busch" painted over the driver's side door where his name would normally be. He also used the paint scheme and name while touring the United States in his late model team that he started in 2007. The original Rowdy Burns Exxon #51 from the movie was used by Bobby Hamilton in his Cup debut in 1989 at Phoenix. At the May 16, 2008 Truck race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Busch added to the Hamilton tribute by wearing a helmet similar to the one worn by Michael Rooker in the movie (and by Hamilton in stunt driving, since he drive the car in racing scenes), complete with "Rowdy Burns" on the front and Exxon on the top, although it was a full-face helmet. (NASCAR currently requires full-face helmets on drivers, a rule that was not in play in 1989.)
- Although rare for an incident where a driver slams into the eventual winner, at the end of the 2008 Sharpie 500 in Bristol, Kyle Busch disgusted with the way he was passed, slammed into Carl Edwards. A similar incident took also took place between Dale Earnhardt Jr and Carl Edwards during the 2006 Carfax 250 (Busch Series) in Michigan. Earnhardt Jr spun Edwards on the final lap and won the the race. Edwards initially parked in Earnhardt Jr's pit stall. He then proceeded back out on the track and hit Earnhardt Jr during the cool down lap.
- A licensed video game, loosely based on the movie, was released later in 1990.
- In a scene where Cole is giving out an autograph to a teenage girl, Tom Cruise actually gave out his own autograph to the girl.[citation needed]
- Hardee's restaurants as well as Matchbox and Racing Champions distributed 1:64-scale die-cast cars from the movie to the public at Hardee's, Exxon Stations, most malls, and some small stores. Many of these cars can be found still on eBay and in local novelty collectible stores.[citation needed]
- Many shots of in-movie races both at the 2 Daytona 500's and the July Firecracker 400 were taken from the actual 1990 Daytona 500.[citation needed]
- John C. Reilly's first of two NASCAR-themed movies he starred in, as he also played the role of Cal Naughton Jr. in the 2006 movie "Talladega Nights" starring Will Ferrell.[citation needed] In an interview, Reilly spoke of being the subject of some good-natured ribbing by mechanics when his car broke down and he had no idea how to fix it, unlike the characters he played.
- When Cole is first introduced to Jenny, the wife of competitor Rowdy Burns, she says "Hi Tom".[citation needed]
- All of the character's cars in the movie were built by Hendrick Motorsports.[citation needed]
- Monogram produced the #18 Hardee's, #46 City Chevrolet, #51 Mello Yello Chevrolet Luminas has 1:24th scale model kits, the decals for the #46 Superflo Oil and #51 Exxon can be found in the aftermarket.[citation needed]
- Cole's Superflo Oil Chevy appears in the 2007 film Redline. However, its number is 66, and it is blue instead of pink.[citation needed]
- One of the City Chevrolet sponsored cars from the movie was an actual Winston Cup car owned by Rick Hendrick and driven by Tim Richmond, upon whom the character of Cole Trickle was based. The car has since been re-re-skinned to its original appearance, and is on display at the Hendrick Motorsports Museum in Charlotte.[citation needed]
- Another movie car driven by Tom Cruise in close-ups is on display at the real City Chevrolet dealership in Charlotte, which is owned by Rick Hendrick's family.[citation needed]
- Some scenes are adopted in Pixar´s Cars.[citation needed]
- When Cole and Rowdy are told to drive to dinner together, they rent a second car and wreck both vehicles. The Taurus was rented from Hertz and the Lumina was rented from Avis.[citation needed]
- Kings Dominion, an amusement park in Doswell, Virginia had a Days of Thunder themed ride for many years. They still have a replica of the #51 Mello Yello Chevy parked at the Eifel Tower near the entrance[citation needed]. Canada's Wonderland and Carowinds, formally Paramount amusement parks had a Days of Thunder motiona theater for many years. The ride still exists though the film has changed several times and no longer has any racing themes.
- Indian Film Ta Ra Rum Pum, which was filmed at the Milwaukee Mile and Rockingham Speedway, was inspired by this.[citation needed]
- Fred Thompson makes a cameo appearance, playing Bill France, Jr..
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 at the Internet Movie Database
- Days of Thunder at Rotten Tomatoes
- Days of Thunder at Box Office Mojo
- Movie stills
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