Guns on Top

 

Somehow, in all my time studying film, I never actually saw Top Gun. I guess I just never felt much incentive to watch it. Now, I finally got talked into watching it on Paramount+ and it was an... interesting experience. 

Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is a US Navy pilot who is good at flying, but has a reputation for doing crazy things like flying upside-down over Soviet aircraft. Along with his co-pilot Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, he gets enrolled in "Top Gun"- an elite training program that takes the best naval pilots and teaches them how to dogfight like it's World War I. Under the training of Vietnam veteran Mike "Viper" Metcalf (Tom Skerritt), they take part in training exercises and develop a rivalry with fellow pilot Tom "Iceman" Kazansky. Maverick slowly learns to be a team player and also develops a romance with instructor Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). 

Let's get this out of the way. The romantic b-plot of this movie really hasn't aged well. Maverick's advances on Charlie range from weird and confusing at best (bombarding her out of nowhere with a "romantic serenade" performed by his whole flight squad) to unprofessional (asking her out after finding out he's her instructor) to potentially creepy (following her into the women's bathroom). While this behaviour does somewhat fit with Maverick's recklessness, it does feel a bit discomforting that the film tries to paint it as charming instead of a glaring character flaw. Or how readily Charlie accepts his advances.

Apparently, getting approached by a stranger accompanied by a dozen men singing out of nowhere is romantic. And here I was thinking it would be overwhelming and confusing at best.

To the film's credit, it does make an effort to portray Charlie as a strong female character. She is consistently shown to be intelligent and displays a knowledge of aviation that is easily on par with the guys. However, so much of her screentime is focused on her relationship with Maverick instead of highlighting her intelligence. Even her position isn't very clearly explained, beyond being a "civillian contractor" apparently hired for her knowledge on jet planes. It doesn't help that she conveniently disappears during the climax, when it might have been worthwhile to have her assisting from the ground.

And the thing is, I'm not totally convinced this movie needed a romance. If anything, the romance portions seem to just abruptly put the main plot on hold, and don't really add a lot. They probably could have made Charlie work just by focusing on her role as an instructor, maybe one whose respect is slowly earned by Maverick over the course of the film, more like how they treated Viper. The whole teacher-student thing is a bit offputting, and if they really wanted a romantic plotline, it might have been better to just have a separate character in the role.

That said, Top Gun's biggest strength is undoubtedly its aviation sequences. The best parts of the movie are when the focus is on the planes. Even just the shots of day-to-day operations are really engaging. The opening sequence takes its time to show in great detail just how much goes into take-off and landing with an aircraft carrier, all the people who have to co-ordinate and make sure they do their tasks perfectly so the planes don't slide into the ocean. It's really good at drawing you in. My five-year-old self would have gone crazy for this stuff.

And then, of course, there's the actual jet sequences. The training exercises that make up most of the main plot, and this is where Top Gun really shines. These sequences seem to take heavy inspiration from classic aviation films, and even have a bit of influence from the original Star Wars movies in their fast-paced editing that mixes shots of aerial maneuvers with close-ups on the pilots as they interact with each other. Although it can sometimes be hard to keep track of everything that's happening, it does give an idea of what it's like for the characters, who have to act fast and make quick decisions without much time to think.

Granted, some portions of the movie could benefit from clearer explanations of things. This is especially true during the climax, where everyone's called in to deal with a vague "crisis situation" that apparently requires them to shoot down planes of an unidentified enemy over the Indian Ocean for reasons that aren't very well explained. I think the "enemy" is supposed to be the Soviet Union, though the film seems to go out of its way to avoid actually stating this. 

And of course, there's the soundtrack. "Danger Zone" is a pretty great song. I didn't actually know going in that it was written specifically for Top Gun, but it does a pretty good job of setting the tone for the rest of the film. Although the song doesn't explicitly mention planes, it does seem like a good description of the everyday life of fighter jet pilots, who are constantly putting themselves into danger every time they take off regardless of circumstances. 

Overall, Top Gun makes for a (mostly) action-packed thrill ride even if it hasn't aged perfectly. Tony Scott clearly put a lot effort into making this and it can't have been easy to film. Is it perfect? Hardly. Does it do a decent job of showcasing the intense life of a fighter pilot? I would say so, even if it might have worked better without that plot occasionally getting put on hold for an unneccessary romance. Just be prepared for the parts that clearly mark it as a product of its time.

Free Action Movie Week: Deja Vu

It's Day Three of Free Action movie week, and now we're starting to get into the more popular choices. I'd never heard of this film before I picked it up at that pub night, but I got several votes from people saying they wanted me to see it. I was informed that it was an "underrated classic" which certainly caught my attention. It was a Tony Scott film so I knew I'd be in for some exciting action and explosions, always good for an action film. I would have to agree with those comments. Deja Vu is a very interesting movie filled with lots of unexpected twists and turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Also fun fact: Deja Vu is the first movie I've reviewed on this blog to feature a black protagonist.

In New Orleans, a mysterious domestic terrorist has just blown up a ferry, leaving hundreds of people dead, wounded, or traumatized. Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), a representative of ATF, is dispatched to investigate, finding very clear evidence that the bomb was deliberately placed, but virtually nothing about the person who set it up. Adding to the mystery is the body of a woman, Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton), that washes up on the shore nearby and seems to be connected even though she died before the bombing happened.

Failing to identify any leads, Carlin is invited to assist in a top-secret program which has developed the technology to create a literal window into the past. Being able to look precisely four days before the present, the race is on to identify the bomber and figure out how he planted the explosives on the ferry. Accomplishing this end involves following the final days of Claire's life, but the question is raised: can the past be changed? Is it possible to avert the ferry's destruction entirely? It's a bit of a Source Code-type situation, with plenty of paradoxes and disputes over the mechanics of time travel.

The whole idea behind this film is actually pretty cool. It's a bit like a reverse precrime (an idea explored in Philip K. Dick's story Minority Report and the Spielberg film adaptation), with the characters being able to see into the past. There is certainly an emotional strain to be found with this kind of technology, as the characters are all conflicted over how to respond to what they are seeing: being able to see into the past but unsure if you can do anything to change it. This whole setup also leads to some strange moments, such as the "car chase" where Carlin has to drive a Humvee through a busy street trying to record the movements of the bomber's car four days ago (with chaos inevitably ensuing.

The acting is really good. Denzel really gets into character here. At first I was a bit concerned about the treatment of Paula Patton, being worried that she wouldn't get to do a whole lot. Fortunately she gets her moments of action eventually, though it takes some time. The controllers who work with Denzel also offer a nice bit of comic relief. The story is a bit slow at first, but even before the spacetime-bending technology is introduced there is enough action to keep it moving forward. If I were to make any particular complaints, I'd argue that it does get confusing at certain points. There are moments when it took me a few minutes to figure out precisely what was happening.

I liked Deja Vu. It's certainly an exciting movie with lots of action, which is precisely what I was looking for. It's got some neat ideas and runs with them in some interesting directions, presenting a series of twists and turns I'll admit I never saw coming. It all builds up to a climax that forces you to think about the ethical situation faced by the protagonist, building on the questions raised throughout. It's certainly one worth checking out if you get the chance.