Top Gun (1986)
Director: Tom Scott
Director: Tom Scott
I never really had the chance to view this movie when it came around in the mid80s. My wife and her friends went gaga watching a topless and muscular Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer on that one. I think that was the reason they thought the film was darn good.
Viewing it now after acquiring the wisdom conferred by the School of Hard Knocks of Life, it is quite as plain as day. The movie is nothing more than a US propaganda tool deployed by Hollywood to showcase the might of the world's policeman to the rest of the capitalistic world. It was like Rambo singlehandedly ending the Afghan War in Rambo3. It was a time when the world was convinced that Americans were saviours with altruistic intentions.
There is not much of a story here. It is more like a prospectus to showcase how an elite select group of US Marines are handpicked to compete in a fighter jet dogfight tactical competition.
All through, I was squeezing my brain, trying to fathom the purpose of their whole exercise. It reminded me of 'Mortal Combat' and 'Street Fighter' or even 'Grand Theft Auto' where there were no rules and no holds barred. The idea of young elite fighter pilots competing all out, risking their lives for the coveted plaque, was diabolical.
A little background search reveals much more than meets the eye. During the Vietnam War, the US Army found that despite possessing primitive equipment, their enemy was a tough nut to crack. The Vietnamese had built an effective air-to-air missile and anti-aircraft gun-based defence system with their small number of modern jets. The Americans relied on missiles and technology. The Americans soon realised the importance of fighter vs fighter or dogfighting tactics. The US Navy Fighter Weapons School was later established. This movie was filmed at the Naval Air Station in Miramar, California.
We know who the intended villains are. Who else uses MiG fighter planes?
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
