Born On the Fourth of July/Glory/Casualties of War

Triple bill featuring three popular war movies. 'Born On the Fourth of July' (1989) is based on the autobiographical book by Ron Kovic.

Tom Cruise plays Kovic, a man brought up in the God-fearing All-American tradition, the perfect material to fight for the US cause in Vietnam.

However, nothing could prepare the young Marine for the horrors of the frontline and he returns home paralysed from the chest down.

Embittered, Kovic goes into a self-destructive downward spiral, until he finds new direction by joining the anti-war movement.

In 'Glory' (1989), during the American Civil War, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), a white northern officer, is given the unpopular job of leading the first all-black unit: the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts.

The company, which includes Emerson scholar Searles (Andre Braugher), gravedigger Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and runaway slave Trip (Denzel Washington), are treated as inferiors by the white enlistees and other officers.

When the unit is offered less than standard pay, Shaw supports them in their refusal to accept on principal.

The 54th go on to prove themselves in the field of battle, making a suicidal attempt to penetrate Fort Wagner in South Carolina. 'Casualties of War' (1989) tells the story of one soldier's quest for truth and justice amidst the violence and moral incertitude of the Vietnam War.

On patrol with the hard-nosed Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn), US infantryman Private Eriksson (Michael J.

Fox) refuses to join in when Meserve and the other soldiers kidnap, rape and murder a Vietnamese girl (Thuy Thu Le).

Eriksson's stance then puts him in a dangerous position when the patrol returns to base, as the other soldiers get increasingly worried that he might report them.