Top Gun

Top Gun (1986)

Director: Tony Scott

Writers: Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr., Ehud Yonay (magazine article "Top Guns"), Warren Skaaren (screenplay; uncredited)

Cast: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins, Meg Ryan, Whip Hubley, James Tolkan

Synopsis:

Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise), an impetuous and unpredictable fighter pilot, is selected to attend the the Navy's elite dogfighting school in Miramar, CA., known to pilots as Top Gun. During training, Maverick competes with Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kasansky (Kilmer) for the coveted Top Gun award, which is given to the best pilot during training. Its not all smooth sailing, however, as Maverick is dogged by his less-than-stellar reputation and that of his father, who died under mysterious circumstances during the Vietnam War. To complicate matter further, Maverick sparks up a romance with Charlie (McGillis), a civilian contractor assigned to the Top Gun school, who also happens to be one of Maverick's instructors. 

First Impressions:

I was 10 years old when this movie hit theaters and it wasn't really my cup of tea back then, so I didn't really see the film in full until my teens years. On first viewing, I thought the film was...okay. I thought the aerial combat sequences were quite cool but I thought there was a bit too much takedown romance for my taste at the time. I've seen it a few times since then, though prior to this review, I hadn't seen it in maybe 15 or 20 years. I've always thought it was a competent film but it never really blew me away. I likely wouldn't have even bothered buying it on Blu-Ray except that it's one of those iconic 80s movies and, as a collector, it feels as though it's one that should be on my movie shelf. Let's see how this classic holds up under a more critical eye.

Story/Direction: 

"I feel the need...the need for speed!"

As I mentioned, it had been a while since I last watched Top Gun and, I have to say, that on this most recent viewing I was a bit surprised. Normally, the stories in most 80s action movies, particularly ones about the military, tend to be somewhat devoid of an underlying theme and merely exist as a vehicle for blind patriotism and action sequences filled with gunfire an explosions. While Top Gun certainly has its share of the latter, I was surprised that it had a heart. Beyond all of the aerobatic spectacle and the rampant shirtless beach volleyball, the film tried to tell a more personal story. It's not the type of film where the audience needs to go digging around to find subtext and symbolism, there is something there that is a little more than the sum of its parts. 

At its core, I think Top Gun is a coming of age-type film, which is a bit unusual considering all of the primary characters are well into adulthood. Not unlike the young character you'd find in a standard coming of age flick, Maverick is trying to come out of his father's shadow and discover who he actually is as a person. His viewpoint on life is that it's him against the world and he trusts nobody but himself. His only family is his trusted weapons officer, and best friend, Goose (Edwards) and theirs is the core relationship that the film is centered around. He knows his father has a reputation in the Navy but he doesn't know why, so he tries to overcome that by being the best pilot in the fleet which leads him to undertake a number of reckless maneuvers. It's not until tragedy occurs during a training exercise that Maverick comes to understand that he can't keep going on the way he has been. But by that point his confidence has been shaken and he may not be able to come back. It's not exactly brimming with subtext and symbolism but there's a nice personal story here once you cut through all the other stuff.

That's not to say that I enjoyed everything about the movie's plot. Much like my first viewing all those years ago, I was not a fan of the romantic subplot. I just felt it didn't do anything to add to the story and was only there to fill in time. I'm also not a fan of the notorious beach volleyball scene, again because there doesn't really seem to be much point to it other than sex appeal (then again, I'm pretty sure the filmmakers were targeting my demographic with that scene). All-in-all, I thought the story was better than perhaps some might think, despite a couple of missteps. 

Acting/Characters:

For an 80s action movie, Top Gun has a might fine cast attached to it. Let's get things started with the film's star, Tom Cruise. Now, I think Tom is a pretty good actor when he's given the opportunity to branch out a little bit. The only problem is, he's not given that chance very often. People want to see Tom Cruise play likeable, charming characters, which is what Maverick is. It's kind of interesting, in that if most audience members met Maverick in real life, they'd probably loathe him because he's kind of an arrogant jackass. However, because Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise, we can't help but love Mav and sympathize with him. That being said, it's not my favorite Cruise performance but its solid for what it was.

The film doesn't really have an antagonist per se, but the closest thing it has is Val Kilmer's Iceman who is Maverick's primary competition in training. In hindsight, I thought the casting choice was an interesting move as Kilmer often plays similar characters to Cruise. However, Iceman is the opposite of Maverick. he's by-the-book and serious about his job. This is where the tension comes in as Ice doesn't like maverick because he thinks he's unsafe, reckless and is going to get someone killed. It's a bit of a tropey dynamic but in the context of the film, it works.

The rest of the cast is very solid, with highlights including Anthony Edwards as Maverick's long-suffering weapons officer, Goose. Kelly McGillis plays Charlie, the film's love interest but as is usual for these types of films, she's not given a hell of a lot to do. The great Tom Skerritt makes an appearance as Viper, the head instructor of the Top Gun school. The always cool Michael Ironside does yeoman's work as the school's other primary trainer, Jester and we even get an early film appearance from one Tim Robbins. Overall, it's a well-cast movie. 

Visuals/Action:

Because the film's action is tied in with its visuals, I'm going to combine these two categories. As some of you may have guessed, I chose to review this film because I recently saw it's sequel Top Gun: Maverick in theaters. While I quite enjoyed that film, it did ruin this one a bit for me because of the visuals. In 1986, Top Gun's aerobatic scenes were fantastic and shot using real F-14s on loan from the Navy. This gave the film an authenticity, which I appreciated. However, the action sequences from the sequel were so well done and looked so spectacular that anything less seems quaint in some way (thanks a lot, Eric). Still, director Tony Scott manages to keep the audience on the edge of its seat with action sequences and that ain't nothing. 

Score/Music:

When you talk about great soundtracks from the 80s, Top Gun is rarely mentioned, which is a shame, in my opinion. The movie's theme is, in a word, iconic. From the first few bars, you know immediately what your listening to and I've been whistling it all week since watching it. Aside from the solid score, the film also contains a number of contemporary (for the time) hits and some oldies. for my money, Kenny Loggins' Highway to the Danger Zone is a flat out classic and anybody that disagrees with me is clearly a Communist. 

Final Verdict:

I honestly enjoyed this film more than I have in the past. Perhaps that's because I recently saw the sequel, which brings a bit more closure to Maverick's arc. It may just be that it's a really fun movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Preferably just before watching Top Gun: Maverick.