As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.
When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent with the only athlete who stays with him.
Director:
Cameron Crowe
Stars:
Tom Cruise,
Cuba Gooding Jr.,
Renée Zellweger
A young man leaves Ireland with his landlord's daughter after some trouble with her father, and they dream of owning land at the big give-away in Oklahoma ca. 1893. When they get to the new... See full summary »
Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is an expert United States Naval Aviator. When he encounters a pair of MiGs over the Persian Gulf, his wingman is clearly outflown and freaks. On almost no fuel, Maverick is able to talk him back down to the carrier. When his wingman turns in his wings, Maverick is moved up in the standings and sent to the Top Gun Naval Flying School. There he fights the attitudes of the other pilots and an old story of his father's death in combat that killed others due to his father's error. Maverick struggles to be the best pilot, stepping on the toes of his other students and in another way to Charlie Blackwood, a civilian instructor to whom he is strongly attracted. Written by
John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
While Navy squadrons do stencil crew names onto aircraft, the airplanes are not assigned for missions on this basis. They are simply rotated in a pool, and at any given time some number of planes are out of rotation for maintenance purposes. Each airwing flew two squadrons of F-14s numbered in the 100s and 200s. Other aircraft types had planes in higher ranges. The lowest numbered airplane in each squadron is nicknamed "nuts", and these are all stenciled with the airwing commander's name. Each squadron has its own commanding officer, and his (or her) crew's names would be on the plane numbered -01. The executive officer is on aircraft -02, followed by senior officers in descending order. There are more crews than airplanes, so junior officers are only on airplanes if they are crewed with a senior aircraft commander. In the case of the F-14, radar intercept officers ("backseaters") are in the line of command all the way up to squadron CO, so it is possible to find an F-14 with a senior RIO in the rear seat and a more junior pilot in the front. See more »
Goofs
Before and during the "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" scene at the bar where Maverick and Goose (et al) serenade Charlie, Maverick's nametag clearly reads "Peter Mitchell," with an "r." Afterwards, when he follows Charlie into the women's room, you can now clearly see his nametag reads "Pete Mitchell," sans the "r." See more »
Top Gun it can be argued is the perfect Reagan Era film and is is definitely the film that cemented Tom Cruise's stardom. It's probably now the film that most people will identify him with.
Cruise plays Pete Mitchell aka Maverick who gets recommended for the Navy's elite Top Gun fighter pilot school. The best of the best train here at what they euphemistically call Fightertown, USA. The problem Tom has is he's the best and he knows it. That doesn't near and endear him to his fellow pilots.
You can add Top Gun to a list of films that goes all the way back to Task Force where the story of the development of the aircraft carrier was told, to The Bridges at Toko-Ri which was a film that told about the first jet air war in Korea. What Gary Cooper flew in Task Force and what William Holden piloted in The Bridges at Toko-Ri are as ancient to Cruise's generation as what Eddie Rickenbacker flew in the first World War was to Holden and Cooper.
One thing that has not left is that war in the air still is the glamor service because it allows a record of individual achievement. And with flying combat at the speeds they do, one has to make less than split second decisions. The men are better now than they were in the previous wars simply because they have to be.
Cruise is ably assisted by such folks as Tim Rossovich, Barry Tubb, Clarence Gilyard, Whip Hubley, and Adrian Pasdar as fellow pilots at the Top Gun school. Val Kilmer turns in a nice performance as Cruise's number one rival to be number one in the class.
Best in the film besides Tom is Anthony Edwards as his co-pilot and best friend. His death scene with Cruise is particularly poignant as is Edwards's wife Meg Ryan's scene with Tom as he breaks the news.
Romance for Cruise is provided by Kelly McGillis who certainly had her choice of hunks to fall for, but this film doe seem to make a point that women like confidence in their men even if it can be overbearing at times to those around. McGillis is a civilian instructor so the romance does not bring Tom or her under military fraternization infractions.
Top Gun is a film every bit as good as the ones I mentioned before. Tom Cruise was never more appealing on the screen. And this review is dedicated to the fighter pilots of the United States Navy, some of the best and brightest of the younger generation who are defending freedom for old codgers like me.
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Top Gun it can be argued is the perfect Reagan Era film and is is definitely the film that cemented Tom Cruise's stardom. It's probably now the film that most people will identify him with.
Cruise plays Pete Mitchell aka Maverick who gets recommended for the Navy's elite Top Gun fighter pilot school. The best of the best train here at what they euphemistically call Fightertown, USA. The problem Tom has is he's the best and he knows it. That doesn't near and endear him to his fellow pilots.
You can add Top Gun to a list of films that goes all the way back to Task Force where the story of the development of the aircraft carrier was told, to The Bridges at Toko-Ri which was a film that told about the first jet air war in Korea. What Gary Cooper flew in Task Force and what William Holden piloted in The Bridges at Toko-Ri are as ancient to Cruise's generation as what Eddie Rickenbacker flew in the first World War was to Holden and Cooper.
One thing that has not left is that war in the air still is the glamor service because it allows a record of individual achievement. And with flying combat at the speeds they do, one has to make less than split second decisions. The men are better now than they were in the previous wars simply because they have to be.
Cruise is ably assisted by such folks as Tim Rossovich, Barry Tubb, Clarence Gilyard, Whip Hubley, and Adrian Pasdar as fellow pilots at the Top Gun school. Val Kilmer turns in a nice performance as Cruise's number one rival to be number one in the class.
Best in the film besides Tom is Anthony Edwards as his co-pilot and best friend. His death scene with Cruise is particularly poignant as is Edwards's wife Meg Ryan's scene with Tom as he breaks the news.
Romance for Cruise is provided by Kelly McGillis who certainly had her choice of hunks to fall for, but this film doe seem to make a point that women like confidence in their men even if it can be overbearing at times to those around. McGillis is a civilian instructor so the romance does not bring Tom or her under military fraternization infractions.
Top Gun is a film every bit as good as the ones I mentioned before. Tom Cruise was never more appealing on the screen. And this review is dedicated to the fighter pilots of the United States Navy, some of the best and brightest of the younger generation who are defending freedom for old codgers like me.