Firefox, l'arme absolue (1982)
"Firefox" (original title)

A pilot is sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter that can be partially controlled by a neuralink

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Alex Lasker (screenplay), Wendell Wellman (screenplay),

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Freddie Jones, David Huffman

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Mitchell Gant
Freddie Jones	...	Kenneth Aubrey
David Huffman	...	Captain Buckholz
Warren Clarke	...	Pavel Upenskoy
Ronald Lacey	...	Semelovsky
Kenneth Colley	...	Colonel Kontarsky
Klaus Löwitsch	...	General Vladimirov (as Klaus Lowitsch)
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Pyotr Baranovich
Stefan Schnabel	...	First Secretary
Thomas Hill	...	General Brown
Clive Merrison	...	Major Lanyev
Kai Wulff	...	Lt. Colonel Voskov
Dimitra Arliss	...	Natalia
Austin Willis	...	Walters
Michael Currie	...	Captain Seerbacker

Storyline

The Soviets have developed a revolutionary new jet fighter, called "Firefox". Naturally, the British are worried that the jet will be used as a first-strike weapon, as rumours say that the jet is indetectable on radar. They send ex-Vietnam War pilot Mitchell Gant on a covert mission into the Soviet Union to steal Firefox.

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Plot Keywords:

soviet union | jet fighter | refueling | fighter plane | russia | 

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Taglines:

...the most devastating killing machine ever built... his job... steal it!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

U

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

15 December 1982 (France)

Also Known As:

Firefox, l'arme absolue

Filming Locations:

March AFB, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,152,948 (USA) (18 June 1982)

Gross:

$46,700,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Malpaso Company, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

136 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In "Firefox Down!", Craig Thomas' 1983 sequel to his "Firefox" novel, the MiG 31 is described as being like the one in this movie. A possible movie sequel, which perhaps would have been based on the book "Firefox Down!", was never made.

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Goofs

The shots of the altimeter in the Firefox show a different altimeter setting on every shot. This would not happen on any flight.

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Quotes

Priabin: [speaking of Mitchell Gant] Obviously, sir, he knows our planes, our aircraft, as well as anyone. He would be a good choice for sabotage or analysis of information. But, perhaps he intends a close inspection of the MiG-31!
Col. Kontarsky: [realizing Priabin is implying that Gant may steal the MiG-31] He *cannot* be here for *that*!
Priabin: [realizing he may be right] No sir. Surely not! He couldn't hope to get away with it!
Col. Kontarsky: Thank you, Dmitri, thank you. Well done.
[to his lieutenants]
Col. Kontarsky: Arrest Baronovich and the others now!...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits after the title has been shown. This has since become a trademark of all Eastwood-directed films.

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Connections

Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Inglourious Basterds/Post Grad/World's Greatest Dad (2009)

User Reviews

Cool Plane, Mediocre Cold War Film

"Firefox", while definitely dated, is a good Cold War spy thriller that falls far short of being great. Clint Eastwood plays Mitchell Gant, a burned-out Vietnam fighter pilot who's enlisted to steal a high-tech, heavily-armed, stealth Soviet fighter plane right out of its Siberian hangar. The first half of the film is a John le Carre type thriller – Clint sneaking into Moscow, assuming a Soviet pilot's identity, and making his way to the experimental Firefox fighter craft. The second half, when he climbs into the cockpit of the Firefox, is where the real fun begins.

While entertaining, the film isn't particularly great – apart from Clint's gritty performance as Mitchell Gant, none of the other actors manage to stand out in any way. The jet fighter sequences also haven't stood the test of time – they looked great in the Eighties, but now they just look dated and unrealistic. Certain scenes in the film are little more than padding, buying breathing room between action scenes and doing little else. There's enough tension and action scattered throughout the film to make `Firefox' fun, but there's much better Cold War movies than this (`The Russia House' and `The Hunt for Red October' easily come to mind), and there's certainly much better Clint Eastwood movies than this. B-/C+