A hip, heart-pounding combination of action, music and incredible aerial photography helped make "Top Gun" the blockbuster hit of the '80s.
This month, the film industry lost one of its most underrated directors. Tony Scott, who died on 19 August, was responsible for directing a host of well-loved pictures - including Days of Thunder, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance and Crimson Tide, as well as more recent fare such as Enemy of the State, Man on Fire, and Déjà Vu - and producing countless others. It's fair to say that Scott's dynamic, action-oriented films were successful with audiences in spite of the critics' reactions rather than because of them, and it's also true that his career was to some extent overshadowed by that of his brother, Ridley. However, one of his films in particular still stands as one of the best-loved and most influential action movies of all time: 1986's Top Gun.
For anyone who isn't aware, Top Gun - directed by Scott and produced by the powerhouse team of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer - revolves around a group of hot-headed US Air Force aviators at a training school for top-level fighter pilots. It's perhaps best known as being one of the breakout films for Tom Cruise, but on rewatching the film it's interesting to note just how important the supporting cast is to the movie, too. The reckless, devil-may-care attitude of Cruise's character wouldn't be as meaningful if he didn't have the icy reservedness of Val Kilmer's performance to bounce off, or the honest, tragic character of Anthony Edwards' Goose to give him a genuine emotional grounding. And the film's love interest, Charlie, is played to seductive perfection by Kelly McGillis in all her 1980s, big-haired glory.
As well as the great cast, the other element that makes the film such a joy to watch is its relentless, unapologetic action scenes that don't so much serve the story as they provide a reason for the story to exist in the first place. As much as the characters, it's the high-octane fighter-jet sequences that provide the most attractive and exciting part of the movie. As you'd expect from a seasoned action director and editor like Tony Scott was, they're handled pretty perfectly, ratcheting up the tension and stakes for the characters whilst also providing some dazzling visuals, all set to heart-pumping music. It's not surprising that US Air Force recruitment saw such a huge spike in applications after this movie was released: I can't think of a better advert, or a better way of making the vocation look more glamorous and appealing.
Yes, some of the film's characters and situations may look cliché today - but this is the movie that invented those clichés, quickly becoming shorthand for the kind of gung-ho, slick, MTV-era action movies that would soon become ten-a-penny. But Top Gun was the original - and arguably the best - and it still stands up today. It might not be subtle (as you'd expect for a film that actually has the gumption to nickname its characters "Maverick" and "Iceman" - just in case you were having trouble keeping track of their personalities), and it might not be particularly intelligent, but as a pure blast of 1980s action, emotion, spectacle and power-pop, there's nothing else that can match it.
Even when the movie has become so over-familiar through its popularity, inspiring countless imitators (as well as a host of parodies, chief among them 1991's "Hot Shots"), you can't escape the fact that all of these elements come together and work perfectly. (And it's interesting to note that the homoerotic-subtext theories popularised by such luminaries as Quentin Tarantino remain just that: subtext. When you actually watch the movie, it's certainly not as blatant as some people like to make out, although it's arguably still there).
And on Blu-Ray, the film looks and sounds better than ever, with an incredibly clear transfer and hi-def audio tracks that sound fantastic. It's worth remembering that Top Gun is responsible for not one but two classic pieces of movie-soundtrack history (as well as Berlin's "Take My Breath Away", there's also the bombastic, anthemic 1980s pomp of the movie's unforgettable main theme), alongside secondary stuff like Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone - which could easily be the lead song in a lesser action movie.
It might be as cheesy as a block of cheddar, and it's arguably as interesting today from a historical point of view as it is as a movie in its own right, but it's still a pretty flawless piece of hyper-dynamic action-movie filmmaking that stands as a fitting tribute to the talent of Tony Scott.
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Please note this is a region B Blu-Ray and will require a region B or region free blu-ray player in order to play. A hip, heart-pounding combination of action, music, and incredible aerial photography helped make Top Gun the blockbuster hit of 1986. Top Gun takes a look at the danger and excitement that awaits every pilot at the Navy's prestigious fighter weapons school. Tom Cruise is superb as Maverick Mitchell, a daring young fighter who's out to become the best. And Kelly McGillis sizzles as the civilian instructor who teaches Maverick a few things you can't learn in a classroom. Actors Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, Rick Rossovich & Duke Stroud Director Tony Scott Certificate 12 years and over Year 1986 Screen Widescreen 2.35:1 Languages English - DTS-HD Master Audio (6.1) ; Dolby True HD (5.1) Additional Languages French ; Spanish Subtitles English ; English for the hearing impaired ; Danish ; Dutch ; Finnish ; French ; German ; Hebrew ; Italian ; Norwegian ; Spanish ; Swedish Duration 1 hour and 50 minutes (approx)
One of the definitive films of the 1980s, 'Top Gun' is a high-octane, high-concept mixture of slick images, hard action and non-stop music. Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young fighter pilot enrolled at Naval college, training with the most gifted flyers of his generation, and competing for the prestigious Top Gun award. Maverick soon establishes himself as one of the best in his class, but his insistence on doing things his own way soon brings him into conflict with his superiors and his main student rival: the Iceman (Val Kilmer). Celebrated for its vividly realised flight sequences, its keen sense of style, and featuring the Oscar-winning song 'Take My Breath Away', 'Top Gun' was one of the most popular films of its day.
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