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Tom Cruise shot to superstardom at just twenty-four years of age with Top Gun, a hyper-stylized action/drama about Naval fighter pilots jockeying for top position at an elite academy in San Diego. Cruise plays the skilled but cocky Maverick (characters go by their ‘call names’), who shows tremendous promise despite a streak of recklessness that concerns his fellow students and superiors. One of those students is his ‘wing man’ and best friend, Goose (Anthony Edwards). Another is the openly antagonistic Ice Man (Val Kilmer). Rounding out the principal cast is Kelly McGillis as a trainer who reluctantly enters into a clandestine relationship with Maverick. Top Gun reaches a turning point when a training exercise results in tragedy, forcing Maverick into self-imposed exile and soul searching.
If I had to pick a single film to represent a decade of filmmaking, no other film encapsulates the 1980s more than Top Gun. Director Tony Scott (The Hunger) shoots the film like a glossy car commercial, exalting the jets and treating the cast like fashion models in a way that threatens to unmoor the story from reality. It’s a contemporary drama shot like a fantasy movie, highly influenced by the then-burgeoning phenomenon of music videos and montage editing. A generous portion of the run-time is devoted to musical montages that exist to sustain a cool vibe more than further the narrative. On one hand, this approach is superficial. On the other, why do audiences return to a movie over and over again if not to enjoy a vibe? Either way, few can deny Top Gun is a remarkably sexy movie.
Cruise certainly demonstrates charisma and acting chops worthy of stardom, even if his chemistry with McGillis is shaky at best. The supporting cast is fun, with Edwards’ warm performance as Goose helping to ground Cruise’s character. Tom Skerritt and James Tolkan add a little gravitas as authority figures trying to guide Maverick. Perhaps the biggest supporting impression is made by Meg Ryan in her break-through performance as Goose’s fun-loving wife. Harold Faltermeyer’s synthesized, electric-guitar driven score layers a rock and roll sheen over the proceedings. The wildly successful soundtrack features the Oscar-winning best song “Take My Breath Away” performed by Berlin, as well as Kenny Loggins’ anthemic “Danger Zone”.
With Tim Robbins, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, and Adrian Pasdar.
Academy Award: Best Song (“Take My Breath Away”)
Oscar Nominations: Best Sound, Sound Effects Editing, Film Editing