Top Gun

Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Michael Ironside, Tom Skerritt, Meg Ryan, Tim Robbins, John Stockwell, Barry Tubb, Rick Rossovich, Clarence Gilyard Jr., Adrian Pasdar
Directed by: Tony Scott
Rating: PG
Genre: Action, Drama
1986

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Awards:
The Movie Files Movie Championship I: Sweet Sixteen

Summary: The best fighter pilots in the Navy are recruited to Top Gun, an elite training ground where they'll push the limits to be the best.

Review:

Tim: I really do believe Top Gun is one of the best movies of all time. It's a quintessential 80s movie, expertly directed by Tony Scott. It features some of the greatest aerial combat ever filmed and the movie never places the action about character development. The end result is a thrilling, powerful movie filled with characters you grow to love. It's wildly entertaining and one of the most fun, most enjoyable movies I've ever seen.

I want to start with the characters because the movie would be nothing without them. Tom Cruise is obviously one of the all-time biggest movie stars now, and it's performances like this that got him there. Maverick is one of the coolest, most iconic characters- Cruise works hard to show layers to his character and add complexity to what could have been a two-dimensional character. Anthony Edwards is terrific as Goose, a continuous scene stealer. The relationship between Maverick and Goose is really the foundation of the entire movie. Their friendship is just so fun to watch and it felt believable. Their dynamic was just perfect together. Val Kilmer gives a strong performance as Iceman. I was actually surprised by how little screen time he gets- he makes a shockingly large impact for not having much to do on screen. That's a testament to Kilmer's performance- he uses every second of screen time to establish this character and set his rivalry up with Maverick. Kelly McGillis is solid as Charlie. She and Cruise work well together and have a number of the most memorable, iconic moments throughout the film. Tom Skerritt is always enjoyable and he and Michael Ironside add nice supporting performances. I love Meg Ryan and it was so fun seeing her show up for a few scenes. Like Kilmer, she makes a bigger impact than her screen time would suggest. I don't think I even recognized Tim Robbins, but it was cool that he was here, too. The cast really works well and Scott wisely dedicates a good deal of screen time to character development. That's so key to this movie- when you understand and care about the characters, all the action and suspense feels that much more powerful.

I love the structure of the film. We're introduced to Maverick and Goose with a memorable, showstopping introduction with the MiGs. That sets up one of the great scenes (and the later classic line, "I was inverted"). From there, we see our protagonists go to Top Gun and the bulk of the movie involves them training. This gives us ample time to build emotional connections with the characters, to see love begin and to have our hearts broken. It all builds towards an intense and incredible climax, featuring jaw-dropping dogfighting in one of the more thrilling conclusions I've seen. Every piece of this puzzle fits so beautifully together. It's a testament to the amazing script, the direction of Tony Scott, and the producing support of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.

The music in this film is simply one of the best I've ever seen. The use of "Danger Zone" is so perfect, it's forever connected with this film. You hear that song and you immediately think of Top Gun. "Take My Breath Away", "Great Balls of Fire", "You've Lost That Loving Feeling"- the movie uses music in a way that few have ever been able to do. Each of those songs connects perfectly to a scene that remains imprinted on our minds.

Top Gun is truly a masterpiece of action filmmaking. It won an Academy Award for Best Original Song- the aforementioned "Take My Breath Away". It was also the top grossing movie of 1986, and it made $60M more than the 2nd place film. This movie belongs in the upper echelon of great movies.

Note: I very much want to delete my original review of this movie, which I wrote when I was probably 19-20 years old. It was one of the earlier movies I'd reviewed, likely in the first 100. My review was so bad that I felt like I needed to just rewrite it. The one good thing about saving it is clear proof of how much I've changed in the last 18-19 years. Here's my original (embarrassing) review-

This film is a classic, and little needs to be said about it, because nearly everyone is familiar with this movie. Of course, it features the famous scene where the guys sing, "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." Can anyone hear that song today and not immediately think of Top Gun?

This film was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and he always does an excellent job, so that should be another indicator that this movie is great. It also has a number of widely-quoted lines, like, "I feel the need... the need for speed."

In addition, it features some of the best fighter pilot aerial photography ever captured on film. Also, it has one of the best casts assembled in recent decades. Tom Cruise really launched his career with this film, and everyone remembers Anthony Edwards as Goose- he is amazing. Val Kilmer and Meg Ryan also give good performances.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 9



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Risky Business, Mission: Impossible, Iron Eagle, Behind Enemy Lines, Cocktail