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:

dieselpunk | jet pack | nazi | 1930s | 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

Stuntman Jimmy Medearis suffered serious head injuries during a failed stunt. He and fellow Stuntman Michael J. Sarna hit a tree, when a truck, pulling their harness-rig, drove too far.

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Goofs

After the GeeBee is hit by the fleeing thieves, the long shot shows oil splattered on the windscreen. Then a close up shot shows the windscreen clean before it is sprayed with oil, then it switches back to the long shot with oil on the windscreen again.

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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

Featured in MsMojo: Top 10 '90s Movies that Haven't Aged Well (2019)

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Soundtracks

DER HOELLE RACHE
From Queen Of The Night's aria by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin
Courtesy of Laserlight Digital
By Arrangement with Sounds Of Film

User Reviews

Enjoyable action film

The Rocketeer is a great action movie and fun to watch. Since it is set in the 1930s, the movie doesn't fail to effectively give it a nice '30s throwback look and feel to it. Bill Campbell did a good job as Cliff, aka the Rocketeer. Timothy Dalton's performance as the villainous Neville Sinclair, a Nazi in disguise, was a far cry from his role as James Bond, but effective nonetheless.

I read that there had been plans to make The Rocketeer a trilogy. It's too bad it never happened. It's hard not to wonder what might have been if the film had successfully spawned any sequels. But I would hope that we would have been given stories just as good as the original film, if not better.

In my humble opinion, no only is The Rocketeer is an enjoyable movie, but it's one of the best action films of 1991.

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