• Days of Thunder (1990)

    In the fast-paced world of NASCAR, a rivalry brews between rookie hotshot Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) and veteran racer Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). When both of them are seriously injured in competition, the former bitter rivals become close friends. With Cole's spirits restored by a romance with neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), and Rowdy still sidelined by injuries, Cole decides to race Rowdy's car in the Daytona 500 against underhanded newcomer Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes).

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Days of Thunder
60
metacriticBased on 16 Critics
53
Based on 53 Users

Release Date: June 19th, 1990

DVD Release Date: May 25th, 1999

PG-13 |1 hr 47 min

Plot Summary

In the fast-paced world of NASCAR, a rivalry brews between rookie hotshot Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) and veteran racer Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker). When both of them are seriously injured in competition, the former bitter rivals become close friends. With Cole's spirits restored by a romance with neurosurgeon Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), and Rowdy still sidelined by injuries, Cole decides to race Rowdy's car in the Daytona 500 against underhanded newcomer Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes).

Cast: Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Michael Rooker, Cary Elwes, Fred Dalton Thompson, John C. Reilly

Director: Tony Scott

Genres: Action

Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Keywords: Transformation , Quest , Hospital , Brash , Love , Friend , Competition , 1990s , Rivalry , Intense

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Ratings & Reviews

  • 70
    Julie SalamonWall Street Journal

    The movie blurs into a continuum of cars pounding one another and closeups of faces showing disgust, happiness, fear and outrage. It's the kind of shorthand imagery that works best in brief spurts, say, the amount of time it takes for a television commercial to implant a spark-plug brand into your brain. [5 Jul 1990, p.A9]

  • 75
    Roger EbertChicago Sun-Times

    And Cruise is so efficiently packaged in this product that he plays the same role as a saint in a Mexican village's holy day procession: It's not what he does that makes him so special; it's the way he manifests everybody's faith in him. show more

  • 75
    Gene SiskelChicago Tribune

    Days of Thunder, the latest Tom Cruise movie, which is a flimsy but nonetheless compelling story of a hot-shot amateur race car driver who wants to make it in the big-time world of championship stock car racing. Good writing by Robert Towne and a host of strong supporting performances complement the on-the-track visuals of director Tony Scott in giving us a sense of the leap of faith that is required by drivers at this level. [29 Jun 1990, p.C]

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Awards

Nominated Sound
Oscars Academy Awards (1990)