Tom Cruise stars as hot-shot racing car rookie Cole Trickle in this crash bang wallop extravaganza from superproducer Jerry Bruckheimer. Dubbed 'Top Gun on wheels', Days of Thunder roars its way through the story of a talented but cocky young driver who decides to take a shot at the big leagues. After acquiring a mentor in the shape of grizzled car mechanic Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall), Trickle eagerly takes to the track. A near-fatal accident, however, knocks his confidence and the previously self-assured competitor begins to lose his swagger. Cue love interest Dr Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), a brain surgeon who nurses Cole back to health while trying to curb his reckless ways.
In an instance of art imitating life - Cruise and Kidman first became romantically involved on the set of this film - Trickle begins to fall for the young doctor, and decides he is ready to get back behind the wheel. Everything seems rosy, but things take a dangerous turn when an arrogant and aggressive rival (Cary Elwes) comes to the fore, determined to beat Trickle at any cost.
From the stable of director Tony Scott (Top Gun/Crimson Tide/True Romance), this heady mixture of action, drama, sport and romance follows a similar formula to his previous work. A wellworn plot is offset by enthusiastic performances from a mixture of seasoned pros and up-and-comers like Kidman and a young John C. Reilly. Featuring an irrepressible Cruise in his early 90s heyday, this action flick offers a brazenly shallow adrenalinefuelled ride. A guilty pleasure for fans of cars, crashes and Cruise.
Days of Thunder is a Film programme that first aired in 1990 and has been classified a 12 certificate.
