Top Gun (1986)

As students at the Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young flyer learns a few things from a civilian instructor that are not taught in the classroom.

Director:

Tony Scott

Writers:

Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.,

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Cruise	...	Maverick
Kelly McGillis	...	Charlie
Val Kilmer	...	Iceman
Anthony Edwards	...	Goose
Tom Skerritt	...	Viper
Michael Ironside	...	Jester
John Stockwell	...	Cougar
Barry Tubb	...	Wolfman
Rick Rossovich	...	Slider
Tim Robbins	...	Merlin
Clarence Gilyard Jr.	...	Sundown
Whip Hubley	...	Hollywood
James Tolkan	...	Stinger
Meg Ryan	...	Carole
Adrian Pasdar	...	Chipper

Storyline

Maverick is a hot pilot. When he encounters a pair of MiGs over the Persian Gulf, his wingman is clearly outflown and freaks. On almost no fuel, Maverick is able to talk him back down to the Carrier. When his wingman turns in his wings, Maverick is moved up in the standings and sent to the Top Gun Naval Flying School. There he fights the attitudes of the other pilots and an old story of his father's death in combat that killed others due to his father's error. Maverick struggles to be the best pilot, stepping on the toes of his other students and in a different way to Charlie, a civilian instructor to whom he is strongly attracted.

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Plot Keywords:

pilot | death | flying | mayday the call for help | opening action scene | 

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Taglines:

Up there with the best of the best.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

Top Gun

Filming Locations:

USS Carl Vinson, Pacific Ocean

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,965,737 (USA) (8 February 2013)

Gross:

$179,767,866 (USA) (15 February 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Judas Priest were asked to contribute the song "Reckless" to the soundtrack, but declined because they thought the movie would flop. Two years later, they contributed a cover of Johnny Be Good (1988) to the movie of the same name, which turned out to be a flop.

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Goofs

After dinner at Charlie's, Maverick and Charlie have a talk and in the background there's a parrot eating a peanut (sitting on one leg). The peanut disappears and reappears between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Flight Captain: Good morning, Scott.

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Crazy Credits

Dedicated to the memory of Art Scholl

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Connections

Referenced in Dance 'Til Dawn (1988)

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Soundtracks

Radar Radio
Written by Giorgio Moroder & Tom Whitlock
Performed by Giorgio Moroder featuring Joe Pizzulo
Produced by Giorgio Moroder

User Reviews

Beautifully fake

There is a school of thought that says all movies should be compared on an absolute scale. It would say that movies must have a high level of credibility or familiarity in order to be "good" movies. People who fall into this category simply should not watch Top Gun. They won't enjoy it. Other people take the opposite, but no more valid approach of looking a each movie individually, disregarding all else but the movie. For these people, no outside reality or credibility is important, because for them, a movie exists to entertain in whatever way it chooses to. These people would enjoy Top Gun very much. It is extremely doubtful that the producers ever even considered making Top Gun as a portrait of a fighter pilot's life, and this is why it is entertaining. It is a rare type of movie, one that no one dares to make today, one that not only transcends reality, but wears it as a mask into the world of fantasy. Everything from the wild dogfights to the fake love to the over the top glamorized (or should I say canonized) characters lets you know that this is a good old American hero drama. That is why it is a horrible and fraudulent portrait of reality, and that is why I love it.