Top Gun
1986
**½
Director: Tony Scott
Cast: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins
Naval aviator Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and his co-pilot Nick “Goose” Bradshaw join the highly competitive TOPGUN program at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School. This iconic but shallow 1980s hit movie is very much a product of its time. It’s flashy, cheesy, jingoistic, and macho (albeit with strongly homoerotic undertones). Tony Scott is famous for his visual style, and occasionally this feels like an extended music video. Perhaps this is the right approach, because the dialogue is simply awful. The central romance feels unconvincing, thanks to lack of chemistry between the actors, but the movie is at its best during the flight scenes, although Scott attempts to make them needlessly confusing with his choppy editing. However, the excellent soundtrack has stood the test of time. Followed by Top Gun: Maverick 36 years later.