Why 'Top Gun'

[CommunityEditor]

By including “Top Gun” in our list of the greatest American military movies overlooked by American Film Institute voters, we have drawn more than our fair share of friendly fire. This was to be expected, considering that “best of” lists are ultimately a matter of personal preference.

But the unprovoked attacks on “Top Gun” have forced our hand. Since we’re responsible for placing the film in harm’s way, it’s only fitting that we launch a counterattack. Too close for missiles, so we’re switching to guns.

Let’s forget that it was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Film Editing, Best Sound and Best Original Song (Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away,” which brought home the coveted Oscar). And let’s even overlook that it is credited with causing a spike in Navy recruitment during the years between big conflicts.

“Top Gun” is essential because it sums up a decade of Cold War military buildup and training, and reflects the spirit of healing and nationalism in post-Vietnam America. While the 1970s are marked by great war movies such as “Apocalypse Now” and “The Deer Hunter,” those films are still wrestling with the demons of the last big conflict.

Only “Top Gun” manages to deliver the proper sentiment of the times. Huge military budgets. Big deck aircraft carriers deployed near and far. Training, constant training, to be the best of the best.

Unrealistic, you say? The death of Goose, Maverick’s beloved radar intercept officer, during a routine training hop is about as real as military life comes. That his pretty wife and cute kid lose him to a training accident is almost too hard to dwell on because we know, deep down, that it happens far too often.

Is it campy? Sure. That was the ‘80s, for anyone who remembers them. But no film short of “Rambo” had as much effect on shaping the image of the modern American military as “Top Gun.” And for that, it deserves its place on our list.



Article: http://www.armytimes.com/entertainme...topgun_070709/


Do you agree or disagree?

As a former F5 crew chief, Topgun was awful. They should have just challenged the Russians to a game of shirtless beach volleyball.

Top Gun is an American icon movie. That is a true statement, whetrher you love the movie or not. My son and his middleschool buddy watched the film over 100 times. That was in 1985. Both are today naval aviators and both served in the gulf.

As the Commandant of Cadets at the Duke AFROTC unit from 1985-87, we encoureaged our pilot wannabees especially to see the movie. Even then the independent attitudes expressed (fight pilot "stuff" if you will) by the characters in the film embodied the agressiveness we all know is required by combat personnel. Navy be dammed, it was a good aviation movie. The two PASs I worked for (one an RF-4 and F-106 driver, the other a Wild Weasel F-105 EWO) both endorsed it. Best, NedC (an airborne targets intel officer)

I appreciate Mark's efforts at compiling a list of top 10 military films but was dismayed at his inclusion of “Full Metal Jacket.” I am a 30-year Army veteran with a combat tour in Vietnam and have just finished my eight year as a high school history teacher. I teach a Military History course and tell my students that films like “Full Metal Jacket” (and “Platoon”) are fictionalized, artistic efforts and do not necessarily capture the realities of combat.

Although I thought it was a great movie, I would have dropped “Letters from Iwo Jima” because it focused almost exclusively on the Japanese side of the battle.

I would have replaced the above two films with “Saving Private Ryan” and “We Were Soldiers.”

Thanks and have a blessed day. Cheers, Russ Olson, former colonel of artillery.

Concerning "Top Gun" as a 'top ten' war movie, it begs the question "Which 'war'?" It has to be eithe a Cold War, a Gulf War, or a Global War on Terror movie. As such, it has to be ranked with all the 'James Bond' movies and spoofs. Most of those, and there are many, are better movies with better casts and actors than "Top Gun." That knocks "Top Gun" out of the top ten, unless you're weighting it. The aerial combat scenes in "Top Gun" and the strength of the supporting cast, are really great, and that's enough. "The Hunt For Red October" and "K19 The Widdowmaker" and "Behind Enemy Lines" and "Crimson Tide" and "A Few Good Men," "Gardens of Stone," "The Big Lift" and "GI Blues" are some good ones for the Cold War period of history, as well. "Flight of the Intruder" is also a favorite.
W1A

I would certainly have Top Gun in the Top Ten. Liked Cruise in the movie, but not so much now. Thats okay because the jet action in TG is awesome along with the sound affects.

I would have placed Patton as #1 though. And somewhere for honorable mention should be Col. Slades speach at the Baird School in Scent of a Woman.

Great movie. Great points!

[FINKD]

STRIPES with Bill Murrary. Now there was a war movie.

I like Top Gun for it's homoerotic subtext, not for anything military. My favorites are Dr. Strangelove,MASH and Europa Europa. The scene with Slim Pickens as B-52 pilot Major T. J. "King" Kong riding the bomb is a classicin Dr Strangelove. Also turned around his career. MASH I just like because I do.
My favorite though is Europa Europa, a German language WWII movie of the true story of Soloman Perel, a German Jewish teenager who escapes the death camps by pretending to be "Aryan". His story shows how strong the will to survive can be. Wiki the movie and Perel, the story is simply amazing and brilliantly shows the insanity of Nazism as Perel was considered a boy hero and sent to the elite Hitler Youth school. He was with the Hitler Youth sent to the front to defend Berlin, was captured but set free by the Americans because he was basically a boy. Of his immediate family only his brother escaped the camps. His dad starved in a ghetto, his mother was gassed in a gassing truck and his sister was shot on a death march. The movie takes some liberties with history towards the end but is mostly true to the autobiography. True stories of heroism always strike home better to me.