Burning Blue

I certainly wouldn't consider this movie to be a great film but I liked it and am glad I got a chance to see it.

It has always seemed to me that a surprising number of the negative reviews that I read at IMDb fall into two categories. The first is that the movie was not a movie that the reviewer wanted to see, and the second that the movie wasn't made in the manner that the reviewer would have made it. Keeping that in mind I would caution anyone thinking of seeing this that it is NOT a feel good story of 'coming out' in the military. In fact I don't think that I would even characterize it as a gay movie. I would say that it is first and foremost about the military itself and more particularly about the anti-gay witch hunts that were commonplace in the military for decades. It clearly is made from the point of view that these witch hunts had a negative impact on everyone involved, including the military itself. Consequently, there are going to be people who dislike this movie because they despise the idea of gays in the military. In other words, this is not a movie they wanted to see..... ever..... and they don't want you to see it either.

This is a movie about a bunch of guys having a jolly old time flying, and incidentally crashing, very expensive fighter planes during a time of supposed 'peace'. It wouldn't appear that any of them have any doubts about the nature of their sexual orientation. They are the kind of straight dudes that can cavort around naked, even get raunchy and physical with each other without seeing it as really sexual at all. The investigation that becomes central to the film actually comes about because of how they are doing their job; their negligence and dishonesty. If there is one thing that unites them it is the necessity of covering up their screw-ups, and this attitude goes all the way up to the highest command level. To the reviewer who complained that more than 30 minutes at the beginning of the film were devoted to "exposition and character development" I would suggest that, no, this was the actual film. It just wasn't the film you wanted to see. (By the way, I also might mention to the reviewer who complained "It was so hard to follow. Couldn't tell if a day went by, a month, a year or many years" that, in the print I saw at least, the years and locations of each segment were clearly written on the screen. Perhaps you just were too lazy to read them. That could also be why you mistakenly thought it "represented the 1950's")

I have to say that I personally did not particularly enjoy the 'top gun' style antics of these guys. I have a low opinion of the movie "Top Gun" because it helped people get over sour memories of the Vietnam debacle, not a bad thing in itself, but unfortunately I believe it made it easier for us to be led us into the First Gulf War, which many people in this country found to be highly enjoyable and uplifting, but then, again, into the Second one which was 'fun' to watch on TV at first but then not nearly as much fun as it dragged on and on...... like Vietnam. On the plus side, it didn't seem to me that any of the main characters here were portrayed as heroes, except perhaps the one who walks away. Most are easy on the eyes, and I have to hand it to them, they were able to get stinking drunk in their studly white uniforms without spilling a drop.

I think it is fair to point out that "Burning Blue" has what might be considered to be problems with continuity and clarity but I recently saw "Breathless", a movie often found in critic's top ten all time lists, and it was considerably more incoherent and less clear than this film. "Breathless" jumps all over the place. But as one highly respected critic has said, that represents: "the meaninglessness of the time interval between moral decisions." Huh??? If a defining moment here in a crucial scene slips by us unnoticed could it be because the individuals involved initially would prefer to pretend it never happened? And then, for reasons both personal and legal, that turns out to be a rather difficult to accomplish.

This movie reminds me somewhat of Top Gun. Wanting to the best at flight, relying on your mates and trying to hide faults / deficiencies.

This movie was beautifully shot considering locations / sets. With the blessing of the USN it tackled a subject which is til this day still a source of anguish for many current and former service persons in all branches of our military and life in general. The development of the character relationships was just OK in that you get the connection but it was lacking a certain dynamic. The struggles of the main characters against the discriminatory system in the US Armed Forces, their families, friends and themselves is evident and well acted but again, something in the writing / development was lacking. Thankfully there wasn't many of the typical gay clichés in this movie.

On a completely selfish note, while many the gay themed movie has gratuitous nudity and one sex scene after another. I'm kind of disappointed at the one "nude" scene there was. Not what I would've wanted or expected considering the main characters and theme. Again, completely selfish observation on my part though...I'm allowed :)

It may be the time of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' but a whole lot in the Armed Services haven't got the message. They're still on a seek and eliminate mission as we see in Burning Blue.

Trent Ford and Morgan Spector are a pair of Top Gun type pilots who are also married and quite secretly gay. Assigned to the same unit they fall for each other. There seems to be so many in the Navy that are gay one wonders if they all disappeared tomorrow how that might effect the security of the nation.

But eliminate them is the mission of Michael Sirow of NCIS and don't kid yourself if you're a fan of the television series. NCIS in the bad old days did indeed conduct 'investigations' to find gays in the military. Sirow takes a pair of plane crashes among the pilots and turns it into a witch hunt.

Ford and Spector have a lot to lose, they're both from traditional military families, their fathers are admirals. It's beyond the pale and impossible that these All American fighter jocks are queer.

Burning Blue is a fine drama about days that are hopefully behind us. The mere fact that the military apparently cooperated in the making of this film indicates as much. A fine ensemble cast plays this one from the heart. Definitely try and see this one.

OK, gotta admit I was lured into this assuming there would be lots of skin and sex. Which there isn't.

On the other hand, the acting, story and music are better than I expected (some of the actors are MUCH better than expected). What keeps this film from being a 10 (for me) is the jarring editing: occasionally scenes jump around a lot and pacing seems uneven. Major plot points just happen and you're left momentarily bewildered as to what the hell just went down. Some of the characters and relationships should have either been flushed out more or else edited out completely, because they feel incomplete.

But the movie also gets 5 stars right out of the gate simply because Rob Mayes is delicious to look at. 😉

I've read all of the reviews on this official IMDb page of this film prior to choosing to watch. For the most part, I watch a film based on my own personal interests regardless of popular/professional reviews. Unfortunately, I was the only one in the theatre with a friend. I found it appalling that the movie theatre showing the film did not even have a one sheet much less any kind of promotional materials to at least help with the in-theatre promotion of this independent.

Let's get to the movie. The friend I went with read me a couple of bad reviews from folks who did not even show the film the courtesy of watching it but had judge the film based on its homosexual content. I had to promise her that if she did not like it we would both leave within the first 20 minutes. Well not only did this film not disappoint, but I found my friend and myself tearing up unexpectedly throughout the last quarter of the film. Yes, gay themed films have evolved pass the don't ask don't tell. However, as the story unfolds, you will find yourself immerse in it and also wondering what will happen next. The lead actors have a very engaging chemistry. They are so good together that whenever they are on screen they light it up with a very romantic glow. Lastly, I would like to advise anyone who's on the edge of whether to watch this film or not, give yourself the opportunity to enjoy this very entertaining treat. You will find yourself elated that you did. Specially towards the end of the film. You will even want to call a friend or two to recommend it. This is a film you will not soon forget. I came into this film with much trepidation and now after watching it all I can say is that you should bring some tissue because when you least expect it, this film will hit you like a ton of bricks and you will empathize with the plight of the character during some very devastating turn of events.