25 Years Later: Top Gun

An absolutely monumental moment in cinema history is about to descend upon us; one that I hope every single one of you has marked on your calendars. Of course, I’m talking about the 25th anniversary of the release of Top Gun. And what better way to conclude speed week here on Screened by talking about a film that shoves it into overdrive every chance it gets.

Obviously Top Gun isn't going to make any “Greatest Films of All Time” lists. It’s loud, cheesy at times, and completely over-the-top. But, it’s also one of the most fun movies ever made and, in my humble opinion, the perfect definition of a summer popcorn flick. I love Top Gun and I’m not ashamed to say it. And I may or may not be listening to “Take My Breath Away” as I write this.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here’s some basic info. Top Gun was released on May 16th, 1986 and became the highest grossing film of the year. It ended up taking in over $176 million domestically and over $353 million worldwide. The film was produced by the powerhouse duo of Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, written by Ehud Yonay, Jim Cash, and Jack Epps Jr., and directed by the one and only Tony Scott. It was distributed by Paramount and stars Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Tom Skerritt, and Michael Ironside. And since I can’t do any better than the intro to the film itself, here it is for your viewing pleasure:

The idea for Top Gun came from a magazine article by Ehud Yonay entitled “Top Guns” that took a look at TOPGUN pilots at Miramar Naval Air Station (Fightertown USA for all of us Top Gun fanatics). To shoot a film like this, you absolutely need the cooperation of the military. The US Navy agreed to help, but their involvement came with a price, as they required numerous changes to be made to the original script. The biggest of which was perhaps changing Maverick’s love interest from an enlisted woman to a civilian contractor. Fraternization between enlisted personnel and officers is strictly prohibited in the military, which is the reason why the switch was made. The character of Pete Mitchell was supposedly based on real life pilot Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a charge the producers have dismissed. Cunningham and his RIO were the only Navy flying aces from the Vietnam War. One of his famous encounters involved him hitting the brakes and letting a North Vietnamese MiG fly by so he could move in for the kill. Sound familiar?


Filming Top Gun was no easy task. The cost of fuel for each F-14 was $7,800 per hour, a sum that had to be paid if the planes were used outside of their normal activities. The USS Enterprise was used for all the aircraft carrier scenes. A famous story involves Tony Scott wanting to shoot jets landing and taking off from the Enterprise at sunset. The carrier changed course and Scott asked the commanding officer to turn the ship back around. The officer told him he couldn’t do that, because it would cost them about $25,000 dollars to go back to their original course. Scott handed him a personal check for that amount so he could shoot for another five minutes. Another production note is that since there’s no way the crew could have filmed actual MiGs, Northrop F-5Es and F Tiger IIs were used as doubles as seen here:


Like the film or not, one thing that can’t be argued is that the aerial photography seen here is simply stunning. The footage they were able to capture was on a level that narrative films really had never seen before. And if you’ve never witnessed Top Gun on the big screen, I promise you it’s even more exhilarating there. Famed aerobatic pilot Art Scholl did in-flight camera work for Top Gun. During filming of a flat spin, Scholl radioed, “I have a problem… I have a real problem.” His aircraft went down over the Pacific Ocean and was never recovered. The film was dedicated to his memory.

I was at the AFI tribute to Jerry Bruckheimer last year and they had a screening of Top Gun with the cast and crew. What struck me then, and has always been something I've noticed, is that this film has one of the most dedicated fanbases around. How many times have you heard someone quote a line from the movie? Or seen someone dressed in a flightsuit for Halloween? The reason for this, and bear in my mind I’ve always lived in a world where Top Gun has existed, is that nearly every young boy has a becoming a fighter pilot fantasy at some point in their lives. It hits at our need for adrenaline, destruction, and being just so damn cool. It’s kind of like girls wanting a pony, which is an absolutely ridiculous fantasy. At least ours could potentially do the world some good. Top Gun tapped into this fantasy so much, in fact, that Navy and Air Force recruitment numbers went up after the film came out. That’s a pretty heavy influence.

Really quickly, the thing I might miss the most about the 80s is how the bad guys were always Nazis or Russians. Can we bring that back? Watching Top Gun is like a rite of passage for young men. Yes, people make fun of the volleyball scene, but that was a direct result of the craziness of the 80s. As was the amazing drenched in blue sex scene. Seriously, who didn't have a crush on Charlie? The chemistry between McGillis and Cruise was absolutely electric. “I feel the need… the need for speed!” made AFI’s Top 100 Movie Quotes list.  Bomber jacket sales went through the roof once the film came out and Ray Ban reported that their aviator sales increased 40%. The soundtrack was number one on the charts for five weeks and featured hits like “Danger Zone” and “Take My Breath Away”.

Top Gun is one of those rare films that was able to capture the imagination of millions. It's a reminder of just how much fun you can have at a movie. And if you don't like Top Gun, it's probably because you're a communist (just kidding... but not really). I'll end this by leaving you with one of the most famous clips in the film. A tactic I'm not ashamed to have used more than once in my life: