Days of Thunder (1990)

Days of Thunder (1990) – Raised by VHS Review

Welcome to Raised by VHS – proudly paying late fees since the 1980s. For our very first overdue rental, we wanted something big, loud, and impossible to ignore. Coby made the call for this one, pulling down a tape that’s pure early-90s blockbuster adrenaline: Days of Thunder (1990).

Directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, this was the movie that asked the very important question: what if Top Gun traded fighter jets for stock cars? The answer: hazy golden-hour cinematography, Tom Cruise grinning his way around 200-mph ovals, Robert Duvall grumbling in the pits, and a Hans Zimmer score that’s still one of his best.

We both grew up on this film, and our memories of it are burned in just as deep as tire rubber on Daytona asphalt. For Coby, it was one of those VHS tapes you reached for when you had nothing else to watch. He rewound the infamous “bedroom” scene more times than he’ll admit, and he still can’t resist rewatching whenever it pops up on TV or streaming. For Cam, it hit even harder. His parents came back from seeing it in theaters and told him, “It’s basically Top Gun with race cars.” That was all it took—he dove in headfirst. He even picked up the movie as the very first DVD he ever bought, and still owns it to this day. Add in the toy car set, the Hardee’s collector cups, and the brutally difficult NES game, and you’ve got a childhood completely wrapped in NASCAR fumes.

Watching it again now, what still works is the cast. Tom Cruise was born to play cocky hotshots, but Robert Duvall as Harry Hogge is the soul of this movie. Every line he delivers feels authentic, equal parts funny, heartfelt, and gruff. Michael Rooker brings swagger as Rowdy Burns, and even young John C. Reilly shines in his very first major studio role, thanks to Cruise personally pushing for him to be cast. Nicole Kidman, in her first big role, steals every scene she’s in—even if it’s a little funny to remember Cruise originally thought her character was a stripper.

The racing sequences themselves are still jaw-dropping. Tony Scott’s trademark hazy golden light and long-lens shots create an atmosphere that feels bigger than life. The roar of the engines combined with Zimmer’s pounding score make moments like Cole’s “drop the hammer” lap feel legendary. This was the kind of film that made kids want to drive fast, talk in southern drawls, and repeat lines like “Rubbin’, son, is racing” until they became household catchphrases.

Behind the scenes, the production was just as wild as the film itself. The script was unfinished when cameras rolled, scenes were being rewritten on the fly, and the budget ballooned past $60 million. To capture authenticity, the crew built real NASCAR-spec cars, entered them in actual practice sessions, and wrecked so many vehicles they had to rent a warehouse to rebuild them every night. It was chaos—but the kind of chaos that makes a movie like this unforgettable.

At the end of the day, Days of Thunder might just hold up better than people give it credit for. Some critics wrote it off as Top Gun on wheels, but for us, it’s a movie that defined Tom Cruise’s “young hotshot” era and helped launch Nicole Kidman to stardom. It may not have reached Top Gun’s box office numbers, but culturally it left just as much of a skid mark.

Movie Memorabilia Inferno Gift

And we can’t forget one of our favorite segments on the podcast: the Raised by VHS Movie Memorabilia Inferno. For this episode, Cam surprised Coby with an original, still-in-the-packaging Days of Thunder Superflo car. The kind of piece that makes you instantly feel like you’re standing in the middle of a 1990 Hardee’s promotion line all over again.

So, what’s our final verdict? Coby said he’d gladly pay $88 in late fees to rewatch this one. Cam was even higher at $92. That averages out to a clean $90—enough to secure Days of Thunder a permanent spot on our Top-Tier VHS Shelf.

For us, this isn’t a movie you return early. This one stays checked out forever.