Top Gun (1986)

Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt, Meg Ryan, Michael Ironside, and Tim Robbins
Grade: B-

Very rarely do you see so many characters and scenes with everyone visibly sweating. If there was ever an award for “Sweatiest Film Ever”, Top Gun would have to be up there.

Summary

We start with a caption explaining that on March 3rd, 1969, the United States Navy created a school for the top one percent of its pilots, teaching them aerial combat and making sure that the people that graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. The Navy calls it “Fighter Weapons School”, but the flyers call it a much cooler name: Top Gun.

In the present day in the Indian Ocean, pilots going by the callsigns of “Maverick” (Cruise) and his radar intercept officer “Goose” (Edwards) are in one plane, and “Cougar” (John Stockwell) and his RIO “Merlin” (Robbins) are in another. They are on some sort of mission. While they are being monitored in the inside of the Navy ship, with their Commander “Stinger” (James Tolkan) flipping out on almost everything they’re doing, an unknown pilot engages with Cougar and Merlin but doesn’t fire. To mess with him, Maverick flies his plane upside down to look straight at the guy, flipping him off, with Goose taking a picture to capture the moment. After this random pilot flies away, Cougar for some reason freaks out because of this whole ordeal and doesn’t respond when the two planes are told they have to go back to the ship for fuel. Seeing Cougar in panic mode, Maverick flies back and helps calm him enough to get back to the ship. Soon after, Cougar goes to Stinger’s office and tells him how scared he was because he could’ve potentially died, and he hasn’t even met his kid yet. He quits on the spot and thanks Maverick for helping him once he leaves. Following this, Stinger calls Maverick and Goose into his office. After criticizing Maverick’s bravery because the taxpayers own the plane and not him (I can’t argue that), and trashing Maverick’s refusal to follow the rules on numerous occasions, he still notes his talent. Because he has to send someone from this squadron to TOPGUN, he decides to send these two. Maverick was number two, but he moved to number one now that Cougar quit, bringing Goose into the top spot with him.

For the next five weeks, the team of Maverick and Goose will compete against the best fighter pilots in the world.

In a classroom in Miramar, California, Fightertown U.S.A, TOPGUN instructor “Jester” (Ironside) talks about the importance of Air Combat Maneuvering, also known as dogfighting. He then introduces the very first man to win the TOPGUN trophy, “Viper” (Skerritt). As Viper talks about the rigors of the class they’re in, Maverick and “Iceman” (Kilmer) share a glance, not so subtly indicating to us that these are the two to watch. At the end of his speech, Viper asks if anyone thinks their name will be on the plaque with the TOPGUN winners. Maverick responds affirmatively. Though Viper calls him arrogant, he does say he likes that in a pilot. That night, all the TOPGUN pilots go out to a bar. After Iceman and his RIO “Slider” (Rick Rossovich) talk shit to Maverick and Goose, Maverick plans on going after some girls, setting his eyes on Charlotte Blackwood (McGillis). After setting up a singing routine with Goose and the other pilots that he’s only done once before, she allows him to sit down next to her at the bar. After talking for a bit and her giving him shit at every turn, she spurns him to meet a friend at a table. He tries a last-ditch effort attempt by following her to the women’s bathroom and having a conversation (weird approach), but she once again turns him down, saying she has to be at work early in the morning and leaves. The next morning, Jester introduces the TOPGUN class to their newest instructor. She is one of the most qualified civilian specialists they have. She’s a civilian contractor and has a PhD in astrophysics. She goes by the callsign “Charlie”.

Turns out, it’s Charlotte Blackwood.

At first Maverick’s embarrassed but when she starts talking about the MiG-28 plane having a problem with its inverted flight tanks and how it won’t do a negative-G pushover, Maverick explains that she’s wrong, and he’s proved it because he inverted his own four-G plane above a MiG-28 in the opening of the film. Iceman calls bullshit but we know it’s true, and Charlie smiles because she’s heard of this incident recently, saying, “So, you’re the one?”. They talk a little bit after class, and the sparks are definitely flying. Sometime after, the pilots go through their first training hop. During this, Jester goes on the opposing side to test them. Maverick and Goose manage to beat Jester in the exercise, but they go below the hard deck of 10,000 feet, which breaks the rules for this hop. Iceman and Slider managed to win without doing this. Additionally, Maverick and Goose do a flyby and piss off a superior. In the locker room, following an argument between Iceman and Maverick over the fact that Maverick is a dangerous pilot, Jester shows up and demands they go to Viper’s office. Viper yells at him for not following the rules because they’re put in there for everyone’s safety. If Maverick does it again, he’ll be kicked out. Once the two leave, Jester talks with Viper about Maverick’s unpredictability as a pilot, but Viper seems to loosen up a bit, mentioning how he use to fly with Maverick’s father.

That night, Goose tells Maverick that he has his family to think about and how he just wants to graduate, never mind being the “Top Gun”. He acknowledges Maverick’s gripes about not being let into the Academy because he’s Duke Mitchell’s kid and how it’s tough having to live with that reputation. However, they won’t be able to go much further if Maverick pisses off everyone they come into contact with. Maverick, realizing how much Goose is depending on him to not fuck around, tells him that Goose is the only family he has and that he promises to not let him down. The next day in class, Maverick and Charlie flirt some more. Though Charlie insists she doesn’t date students, Maverick recovers in sly fashion. This leads to her writing down a time and a location for a date that night.

Well, it looks like Maverick may let Goose down in more ways than one.

My Thoughts:

Top Gun isn’t nearly as good as nostalgic fans would have you believe.

Almost every major plot point is clichéd, and every character is predictable in their actions. The dialogue and the turns the narrative takes aren’t going to shock or excite you. The character of Maverick does pretty much what you expect him to do from start to finish, and the main selling point of the film (the dogfighting) isn’t all that impressive either. It may have been cool for 1986, but now, it feels clunky and somewhat hard to follow. There is also a serious amount of awkwardness going on that not only feels unnatural in terms of how people act, but some contemporary critics argue that its downright homoerotic at times. It’s hard to argue the undertones that are felt. Some scenes get so uncomfortable, it’s hard to not react accordingly. First of all, why do all these pilots talk a foot from each other’s faces? Every “intense” conversation or argument involves the pilots in kissing distance, and it’s hard to ignore. The dialogue between Maverick and Iceman is strange at times too, like the whole argument about Maverick being dangerous. Something is off there, especially when Iceman acts as if he was going to bite him. Going along with the exasperating dialogue, this movie may have some of the worst trash talking ever put on film. It was either schoolyard shit that would get you made fun of in a real setting with adults, or it was just plain bizarre.

You may have heard of the infamous volleyball scene and how it was the definition of gay or whatever, but let’s acknowledge some other things for a moment. Why the fuck does Maverick play volleyball in jeans? Does he not own shorts? This is something he carries on to Top Gun: Maverick as well, and I feel like no one talks about this. Also, after this sweaty workout is over with, he puts on his signature leather jacket (This man lives in California mind you, so the fact that he doesn’t own shorts and wears this jacket everyday bothers me) and goes straight to his date with Charlie. Who plans a day out like that? How does he lose track of time like that considering how badly he wanted the date anyway? Why would you show up anywhere that sweaty? When he gets there, he asks to take a shower. Not only is this an odd request for your first time (and minute) in someone’s house, but what did he plan on doing afterwards? He didn’t bring a change of clothes. Was he, dare I say, going to put the same clothes back on? There’s consistently weird shit like this that happens throughout the film that distract you from the overall plot. Now, most of what I brought up is relatively unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but I cannot stress enough how many oddball things happen that take you out of the experience. Top Gun fans pass this goofy stuff off as part of the old action film’s charm, but there’s a difference between cheesy 80s goodness and abnormal behavior, dialogue, scenes, and characters.

People hate on Tom Cruise all the time, but you can’t deny that this was a role that solidified his stardom. Even with an average script, his charisma, underrated acting, and penchant for reeling us into big action roles with his charm, make him a very likable protagonist, despite my issues with the film as a whole. Maverick is the brash young kid who wants it all and will go down any avenue to get it. He’s exciting, cool, and has this arrogance about him that comes off as likable. Admittedly, most of our protagonists in these types of action movies have that likable swagger. If you want to make your main character cool and not a bland, unconfident pushover, this is usually the approach a writer takes. What’s interesting to me is that his rival in Iceman is just as arrogant, but for some reason we don’t like him. They’re very similar in this way and can’t handle the confidence that the other has, starting their rivalry with just a glance between the two. It’s an interesting dynamic when you consider how close they really are as people. There’s a thin line that one tiptoes in terms of cockiness and its relation to others hating you, and these two characters and their minor differences exemplify that very thin line and how to cross it.

The major difference between them is how they fly their respective planes. Maverick is exactly that – a maverick. When it comes to flying, he doesn’t play by anyone’s rules. His unpredictable behavior is seen both in his professional and personal life. He’s different, dangerous, thrilling, and because of all this, he’s automatically cool in the eyes of the viewer. You’re not going to cheer for the uptight pilot. It’s as simple as that. Iceman is the strait-laced pilot who’s cool under pressure. Goose says he’s known to not make mistakes, and he only pounces once someone else slips up. This is the stark contrast between the two best pilots of this TOPGUN class, with Maverick being the risk-taker willing to do whatever it takes and Iceman being the exact opposite while still getting the job done. The pros and cons of flying their respective ways are highlighted throughout, adding a lot of tension to the action and drama between the characters. Eventually, we see them fail (and succeed) on occasion because they need to borrow from each other’s mentalities to become the absolute best. We know it will be between these two, but the film makes us wonder who will be able to put it all together first, whether it be during class or in a real-life dangerous situation.

In a way, they both end up winning.

Iceman doesn’t have that many lines but as soon as he gets on the screen, you want to slap him. In all honesty, it might be the hair.

Val Kilmer can play an asshole with ease, making Iceman a very memorable villain. He’s got a picture-perfect look and a level of smugness thought to be unobtainable by most human beings. Iceman will give people shit. It’s not like he’s going out of his way to antagonize people by criticizing them, he’s just very blunt about his belief in being the best. Not once do you see him worry about rattling people’s cages. If he thinks you’re not cut out for this, he’ll tell you like he does to Maverick’s face. When we consider how things play out, I have no idea how these two characters respect each other or become friends by the end of the film. Not once do we get a vibe that there’s a burgeoning friendship trying to reach the surface. Even when Iceman gives Maverick his condolences, he later openly questions why Maverick is being involved in the big climactic mission because of his mental state. He could’ve asked privately, but he said it with Maverick in earshot. The “You can be my wingman anytime” line is one of those scenes that will live forever for movie fans. However, it felt so weird because even with the climax, I didn’t think this working relationship earned that line. It didn’t feel right even with the context.

Mind you, this is still my thought after multiple viewings.

The romance isn’t well-written, but it’s a nice subplot that adds a fun, extra bit of conflict to the movie. Even though we’ve seen it in films before, the teacher/student thing is always exciting no matter which way you slice it. The scene in which Charlie is introduced as the instructor, and Maverick is looking down like, “I fucked up”, was really funny. Their flirting was enjoyable but when they actually started seeing each other, none of the scenes had nearly as much fire as the chase that led to it. It felt like they were trying to create drama that wasn’t there. For example, there’s one scene where Maverick’s approach in taking down a MiG is criticized in front of the class, being referred to as “What not to do” by Charlie. Now, even though Maverick’s approach worked, and one of his fellow pilots gave him kudos for the ballsy move, he storms out after class was over. He gets super defensive and doesn’t want to hear Charlie’s reasoning, even though she can’t give him too much credit in front of the class. On top of that, she’s just doing her job anyway. Yes, Maverick pulled it off, but not every pilot has the capabilities to pull it off the wrong way. Why is he getting so mad? He should be happy that it worked for him! He should also be happy that his fellow pilots know what he did and thought it was cool! Isn’t that enough? It’s not like Charlie’s criticism matters. He already got the girl. Having to go to her class is basically role-playing at this point. Maverick knows the deal between them, and he’s been cool about almost everything else. It just seems weird for him to take something this trivial so personally. It also leads to nothing anyway because they kiss and forget about it, furthering my suspicion that they were just throwing unnecessary problems in the way to fill out the rest of the non-action sequences (the rest of the movie).

At the very least, I will say that Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” absolutely deserved that Oscar for Best Original Song.

To add depth to the story, they talk more and more about Maverick’s father, his past, and how it affected his career in the Navy. Not only does it feel like we hear this clichéd backstory too often, but the big “reveal” from Viper about what happened to his dad felt like a nonstory at best. He explained something that was considered classified in a sentence, and it didn’t feel special (or specific) whatsoever. Considering how badly Maverick was affected by this and how much he acts like it bothers him, I was expecting some crazy story to explain what happened to his father, but I more had the reaction of, “That was it?”. The whole scene with Viper came off as stupid as hell. Maverick comes to him to ask advice on how he should go about things now that Goose’s death has affected him as much as it has. After Viper tells him that insignificant story about his dad, he legitimately tells Maverick that he can quit TOPGUN, or graduate with the rest of his class. Thanks Viper, but I think he already knew that. We appreciate you bringing almost nothing to the table.

The only person who seems to handle grief correctly is Maverick, played very well by the young superstar in Tom Cruise. He gets it. He looks heavily affected by Goose’s death and having this happen in the middle of his class couldn’t be a worse situation. What is unsettling is everyone else’s reaction to it. After Maverick is cleared of any wrongdoing, Viper tells Jester to get him back in the air as soon as he can. Following a training exercise where Maverick is still visibly shaken up, Jester already starts doubting everything, with Viper acknowledging that it has “only been a few days”. Does he get time to grieve? How come even in private conversations, everyone seems to be baffled that he’s not over his best friend’s death in a heartbeat? Surely, they could maybe give him a week alone or something! I know these guys experience death in the military all the time, but everyone reacts differently to this sort of thing, especially if it’s their first time. How they handle Maverick’s situation seems bizarre. The same goes for Charlie. She leaves him alone after Goose’s death and then bothers him for moping around for an elongated period of time. Has she ever experienced death before?! It has literally been days! Give the man some fucking time! Somehow, she makes it about herself in their conversation and gets mad at him for not immediately listening to her. He retorts that she doesn’t understand, and he’s right. It may be a bit harsh, but he’s COMPLETELY RIGHT. This death completely changes his outlook on life and as we see in the well-handled sequel, it will forever change him. It’s even more frustrating for him to think about because this happened during an exercise! They weren’t even in actual combat! Plus, he was the one flying.

No Charlie, you don’t understand!

Can everyone just let the man cool down for a bit? Oddly enough, Iceman was the only one who approached Maverick in a realistic and careful fashion. Even though the two have their known differences with each other, hearing Iceman awkwardly tell him “Sorry” and how everyone liked Goose was better handled than everyone else’s “helpful” words. It added a lot seeing Maverick having his back turned throughout the exchange as well. Val Kilmer delivered the uncomfortable lines in authentic fashion. They are rivals, but death trumps all. With him reaching out like that, he does get redeemed a bit in the eyes of the audience. It’s a very underrated scene. Seeing Maverick’s unshakable confidence completely shaken with grief was powerfully performed by the teary-eyed Cruise, especially when he speaks to Goose’s wife (Ryan). The scenes following Goose’s death felt more emotional than the actual death scene, and it’s all because of Cruise’s performance saving the movie. You feel the trauma through him, even if you don’t have that connection with Goose like he does. Technically, what happened wasn’t his fault, but he will always live with the burden that his unnecessary and impatient movement in a training exercise indirectly caused his best friend’s death.

Top Gun is decent at best. Again, multiple viewings have gotten me to this point. When people talk about classic 80s movies that define the era, most people will bring up this movie. I get it. I do understand its popularity. It has a lot of memorable scenes, and the soundtrack can be argued as one of the best in film history. Even then, Top Gun is an overrated 80s popcorn flick and nothing else. It’s cheesy, formulaic, predicable, and at times, weird as all hell. I’m also not sure if I like the character of Maverick (since he has very basic “action hero” character development), or it’s more because Tom Cruise was great at doing all the leg work. Regardless, with his charismatic performance, he shows us the early signs of what made him a star in the film industry.

This film brings back a lot of memories for people that grew up in the 1980s, but I assure you it’s massively overrated by its fans. If you want to see something impressive, watch the sequel.

Fun Fact: Matthew Modine turned down the role of Maverick.