Firefox (1982)

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 | refueling | russia | jet fighter | fighter plane | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Thriller | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

18 June 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Firefox - tulikettu

Filming Locations:

Cut Bank, Montana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$21,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

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

Gross:

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

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

A new special effects technique for the shooting of the flying sequences called "Reverse Blue-Screen Photography" was developed by John Dykstra for this picture. Wikipedia states that the process involved "coating the model with phosphorus paint and photographing it first with strong lighting against a black background and then with ultraviolet light to create the necessary male and female mattes to separate the foreground model and the background footage. This enabled the shiny black model to be photographed flying against a clear blue sky and gleaming white snow; compare this with traditional blue-screen technique used in Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back".

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Goofs

When the Soviet "hotline" phone sounds in an extreme close-up, we see the GTE logo on the bottom of the phone...

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Quotes

Dr. Baronovich: Mr. Gant, you are an American. You are a free man. I am not. There is a difference. If I resent the men in London who are ordering my death, then it is a small thing when compared with my resentment of the KGB.

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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

Referenced in Back to the Future Part II (1989)

User Reviews

Clint flies a really cool plane

During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet military develops a super high-tech fighter aircraft - it flies fast, has deadly weapons, and has technology that allows the pilot to control guided missiles with his mind. Basically any army with this baby in its arsenal will have air superiority. Clint is assigned to steal it from the heart of Soviet territory for the USA.

The plot is fairly generic and in this day and age most Cold War thrillers have seem to have lost much of their edge, but this is nonetheless an entertaining film from Eastwood. It is not one of his best and not one that he will be remembered for, but no one can deny the slickness of the plane of the title. The final section of the film, which admittedly does take a while to get to, has Clint flying around and raising hell is a fun ride and on par with the final chase in "Where Eagles Dare" in terms of entertainment. However, the buildup has enough suspense to make the whole movie worth a watch. 7/10

Rated PG: violence