The Rocketeer (1991)

A young pilot stumbles onto a prototype jetpack that allows him to become a high-flying masked hero.

Director:

Joe Johnston

Writers:

Dave Stevens (graphic novel "The Rocketeer"), Danny Bilson (story)

Stars:

Billy Campbell, Jennifer Connelly, Alan Arkin

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Billy Campbell	...	Cliff (as Bill Campbell)
Jennifer Connelly	...	Jenny
Alan Arkin	...	Peevy
Timothy Dalton	...	Neville Sinclair
Paul Sorvino	...	Eddie Valentine
Terry O'Quinn	...	Howard Hughes
Ed Lauter	...	Fitch
James Handy	...	Wooly
Robert Miranda	...	Spanish Johnny (as Robert Guy Miranda)
John Lavachielli	...	Rusty
Jon Polito	...	Bigelow
Eddie Jones	...	Malcolm
William Sanderson	...	Skeets
Don Pugsley	...	Goose
Nada Despotovich	...	Irma

Storyline

Straight from the pages of a pulp comic from a past era, the Rocketeer recreates 1930's Hollywood, complete with gangsters, Nazi spies, and the growth of the Age of Aviation. Young pilot Cliff Secord stumbles on a top secret rocket-pack and with the help of his mechanic/mentor, Peevy, he attempts to save his girl and stop the Nazis as The Rocketeer.

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Plot Keywords:

1930s | dieselpunk | jet pack | nazi | based on comic book | 

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Taglines:

Three years before the United States declares war, Cliff Secord leads America's first battle against the Nazis.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Neville's comment about the rocket pack being just "like the comic books" could be a reference to the fact that the movie itself was based on a comic book by Dave Stevens. It could also be a reference to the popular, at the time the film is set, comic strip "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" which also featured rocket packs.

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Goofs

When the abandoned outlaw vehicle races across the airfield, the gasoline tanker blow up before being hit by the vehicle.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Peevy: [as they bring the Gee Bee out for its maiden flight] Keep her straight, keep her level. It's your first time up, so don't do anything interesting.
Cliff Secord: Who, me?
Peevy: And remember, she stalls out at about a hundred. So keep the air speed up. Otherwise, you're gonna be drifting around all over the sky. And if the ailerons start to shimmy...
Cliff Secord: Peevy, I have flown a plane or two in my life.
Peevy: Not like this one, you haven't. This one's... This one's a handful. You sneeze in this thing and you're gonna ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in James & Mike Mondays: Spirit of Speed 1937 LJN (Dreamcast) (2016)

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Soundtracks

ANY OLD TIME
Written by Artie Shaw
Performed by Artie Shaw and His Orchestra
Vocals by Billie Holiday
Courtesy of Bluebird / RCA / BMG record labels

User Reviews

A Delightful Adventure Like in the Old Times

In 1938, in Los Angeles, the pilot Cliff Secord (Bill Campbell) crashes his plane after being hit in the air in a shoot-out between gangsters and FBI agents in a car chase; completely broken, his best friend and mechanics A. 'Peevy' Peabody (Alan Arkin) tries to fix an old plane to raise some money in an exhibition show. However, Cliff finds a package hidden by one of the gangsters with a rocket with belts and they find that the device allows man to fly. Meanwhile, his beloved girlfriend and aspirant actress Jenny Blake (Jennifer Connelly) succeeds in an audition to make a small part in a movie of the great actor Neville Sinclair (Timothy Dalton) that is ranked the third in box-offices. During a flight exhibition, the mechanic Malcolm (Eddie Jones) has an accident, and Cliff uses the rocket to save him, being called Rocketeer by the public. With his picture in the front page of the newspaper, Cliff is chased by the FBI, the gangsters and German spies that abduct Jenny and forces Cliff to rescue her.

"Rocketeer" is a delightful adventure that recalls those classics from the old times of Hollywood. There is a handsome hero, a gorgeous heroine, gangsters, Nazi spies, betrayals, in a pace of cartoons with a magnificent art decoration, cars and costumes recreating Hollywood in the late 30's. The story has great lines and uses real characters, like Clark Gable and Howard Hughes, in fictional situations. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Rocketeer"

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

21 June 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Rocketeer

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,600,754, 23 June 1991

Gross USA:

$46,704,056

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$46,704,056

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1