Days of Thunder

"You can't outrun the thunder."

1990 1h 47m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 1,809

AdventureActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer that threatens his career when the two smash their cars. But with the help of his doctor, Cole just might overcome his injuries-- and his fear.

“You can't outrun the thunder.”

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Cast

Tom Cruise
Cole Trickle
Robert Duvall
Harry Hogge
Nicole Kidman
Dr. Claire Lewicki
Randy Quaid
Tim Dalander
Cary Elwes
Russ Wheeler
Michael Rooker
Rowdy Burns
Fred Thompson
Big John
John C. Reilly
Buck Bretherton

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tony Scott
Writers: Robert Towne, Robert Towne, Tom Cruise
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Days of Thunder Colletion" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tony Scott, shot by Ward Russell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Robert C. Jones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall and Nicole Kidman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You can't outrun the thunder.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tony Scott directs. Ward Russell behind the camera. Hans Zimmer scores. Robert C. Jones cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $60M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
236 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Days of Thunder Colletion" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Tony Scott, shot by Ward Russell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Hans Zimmer. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Robert C. Jones shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall and Nicole Kidman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "You can't outrun the thunder.".
9IMDB entry: tt0099371 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 17 themes, including "underdog", "sports", "stock car racing", "daytona".
11Released under 32 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ward Russell
Original score: Hans Zimmer
Editing: Robert C. Jones
Costume design: Susan Becker
Makeup / hair: Rick Sharp
Sound: Donald O. Mitchell
Stunt coordinator: Gary McLarty
Runtime: 107 min · 1h 47m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $60,000,000
Box office: $157,920,733
Return: 263% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Days of Thunder (1990)

Part of

Days of Thunder Colletion

Series of films following the character of Cole Trickle.

Also by

Tony Scott

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522020-05-16
★ 6/10
I'm not much a fan of any kind of racing but found this to be a relatively entertaining sports-thriller which does feature some good NASCAR racing sequences and a nice cast, though can't really say anybody stood out, even Cruise. 3.25/5
GenerationofSwine2023-01-12
★ 10/10
It is Top Gun on wheels isn't it? Only Maverick came across as more blue collar wild and Trickle is a little more California pretentious wild. So it's kind of Top Gun only with Cary Elwes playing Val Kilmer. It's kind of Top Gun only Robert Duvall plays Cobra. It's kind of Top Gun but Nicole Kidman plays Kelly McGillis. It's kind of Top Gun only with NASCAR instead of Tomcats. You can't really fault this as a bad film, because it makes a promise to be a certain kind of film, and it keeps it's promise... and entertains while doing it. So, if you are coming in thinking Chinatown.... what do you think you are watching?
CinemaSerf2024-04-17
★ 6/10
"Harry" (Robert Duvall) is quite merrily driving his tractor on his farm when his erstwhile racing partner 'Daland" (Randy Quaid) shows up telling him of a new hotshot driver that he simply has to meet. Reluctantly he goes to the track and is introduced to the stroppy and headstrong "Cole" (Tom Cruise). Let's just say that the two just don't get on at all, but hey - we all know what has to happen now and yep, that's exactly how things pan out. An injury puts "Cole" under the care of "Dr. Claire" (Nicole Kidman) and I'm not too sure what the ethics committee might have to say about what ensues on the romantic front of this entirely predictable high-octane yarn. It might almost be as if one of the stars was a petrol-head and had enough money for a vanity project? Maybe that's just cynical - but in any case there's always some decent race photography to fall back on as the narrative suggests the depth of driving skills in this sport isn't very extensive. Duvall does his best to inject a little gravitas to the proceedings, but it's essentially a quickly-paced toy for it's headliner that you can watch for the (very) occasional adrenalin rush but that's about the height of it.