Top Gun
Year: 1986
Grade: C
Country: USA
Director: Scott
Reviewif one is able to look past the fact that the film is completely worthless from a tactical standpoint (dog fights are all but gone in today’s aerial warfare), and the fact that the soundtrack and acting are completely dated, and the fact that its a recruiting poster for the navy, and the homoeroticism (not that there’s anything wrong with that), then one might be able to enjoy the pure camp of the picture. i think that liking it now requires either a strong sentimental attachment or an affinity for camp.
the action sequences are well done. anthony edwards’s character is sympathetic (but useless as a sidekick – what did he do other than act as a rearview mirror?). “highway to the dangerzone” is dated, but decent. “take my breath away” was always a tad gayish for me. acting was fitting for the time and type of picture, but i wouldn’t rate it as “good.”
one last tidbit for anyone who thinks these guys are badass. at the beginning of the film tom skerritt brags about the top gun program and how it improved fighter kill counts during from 4:1 (our kills:their kills) to 12:1. the only real fight sequence in the film finds the top gun graduates right back at that 4:1 ratio.