Days of Thunder

Name: Days of Thunder
Genre: Adventure, Action, Drama
Released: 1990-06-27
Duration: 1 h 47 min
Rating: 6.2
Cast: Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes

You can't outrun the thunder.

Days of Thunder (1990)

Timing: 1:47 (107 min)

6.2/10
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Everything about the movie

Video 7

Photo 69

Actors and characters

Video for the film Days of Thunder — Days of Thunder (1990) Original Trailer [FHD]

2:26

Photo 69

Release date

1990-06-27

Country

United States

Production

Paramount, Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films

Genre

Adventure, Action, Drama

Budget

$60 000 000

Box office

$157 920 733

Website

Director

Tony Scott

Actors

Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, Fred Thompson, John C. Reilly, J.C. Quinn, Don Simpson
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Tom Cruise

Producer

Jerry Bruckheimer, Don Simpson, Gerald R. Molen

Camera operator

Ward Russell

Composer

Hans Zimmer

Artist

Audition

David Rubin

Editing

Chris Lebenzon, Billy Weber, Michael Tronick
Whole Team (85)

Short description

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.

What's left behind the scenes

The film specifically utilizes footage shot at the Daytona 500 (a 500-mile NASCAR Cup Series race). At one point, cars driven by Bobby Hamilton (1957–2007) and Tommy Ellis were put on the track; their results did not count toward the official standings, and they retired after 40 laps. At one point, Dale Earnhardt (1951–2001) even appeared on the track.
The idea for the film came to Tom Cruise (who also became one of the screenwriters) when he and Paul Newman (1925-2008) were allowed to test drive one of Rick Hendrick's racing cars (he is the owner of the 'NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports' team, co-owner of 'JR Motorsports', founder of the 'Hendrick' automotive group, etc.). On the very first lap, Cruise reached a speed exceeding 290 km/h.
Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, and occasionally Robert Towne often began filming days by arguing with director Tony Scott (1944-2012) over how to shoot a particular scene. Throughout this, the crew simply sat idle while still being paid—sometimes for up to 20 hours a day. Some members of the creative team later recounted that they received such large sums for overtime that it would have been enough to fund a four-month vacation after filming ended.
It is claimed that, despite all the shooting delays and overtime, the filmmakers only discovered after completing filming that they had forgotten to shoot the scene of Cole Trickle's car, driven by Tom Cruise, crossing the finish line.
Filming took place from December 11, 1989, to May 7, 1990.
It is claimed that, despite all the filming delays and overtime, it was only upon the completion of production that the filmmakers discovered they had forgotten to film Tom Cruise's character, Cole Trickle, actually crossing the finish line.
NASCAR driver Greg Saks served as Tom Cruise's driving double. The actor wanted to be behind the wheel himself, but the insurance company strictly forbade it. The Chevrolet cars were prepared for filming by members of Rick Hendrick's racing team, and some of these cars were later used in actual races. Thirty-five cars were crashed during filming.
Filming began before the script was fully completed. It often happened that certain scenes were written and added to the script on the very day of filming. In one episode, for example, Tom Cruise had to read his lines from cue cards on the windshield, which even led to a minor traffic accident. Subsequently, Cruise used an earpiece to hear his lines and repeat them.
Don Simpson, Jerry Bruckheimer, and occasionally Robert Towne often began shooting days with arguments with director Tony Scott (1944-2012) regarding the filming of a particular scene. The film crew simply sat idle during this time, but were paid for it – sometimes for 20 hours a day. Some members of the film's creative team later said they earned so much overtime that it would have been enough for a four-month vacation after filming.
The idea for the film came to Tom Cruise (who became one of the screenwriters) when he and Paul Newman (1925–2008) were allowed to test one of Rick Hendrick's racing cars (the owner of NASCAR Hendrick Motorsports, co-owner of JR Motorsports, founder of the Hendrick automotive group, etc.). On the very first lap, Cruise reached a speed exceeding 290 km/h.
Filming began before the script was fully completed. It often happened that certain scenes were written and added to the script directly on the day of filming. In one episode, for example, Tom Cruise had to read his lines from cards on the windshield, which even led to a minor car accident. Subsequently, Cruise used an earpiece through which he heard his lines and repeated them.
The film specifically used footage shot at the 'Daytona 500' (a 500-mile NASCAR Cup Series auto race). At one point, cars driven by Bobby Hamilton (1957-2007) and Tommy Ellis were put on the track; their results were not counted towards the official standings, and they retired after 40 laps. At one point, Dale Earnhardt (1951-2001) even appeared on the track.
Greg Saks, a "NASCAR" driver, became Tom Cruise's stunt driver. The actor wanted to drive himself, but the insurance company strictly forbade it. The "Chevrolet" cars were prepared for filming by members of Rick Hendrick's racing team, and some of these cars were subsequently used in actual races. 35 cars were wrecked during filming.