When Top Gun was released on May 16, 1986,[3][4] although its visual effects and soundtrack were universally acclaimed, the film received mixed reviews from film critics. Despite this, four weeks after its release, the number of theaters showing it increased by 45 percent,[4] and it overcame initial critical resistance to become a huge commercial hit, grossing $357 million globally against a production budget of $15 million. Top Gun was the highest-grossing domestic film of 1986,[5][6] as well as the highest-grossing film of 1986 worldwide.
The film maintained its popularity over the years and earned an IMAX 3D re-release in 2013, while the retrospective critical reception became more positive. Additionally, the soundtrack to the film has since become one of the most popular film soundtracks to date, reaching 9× Platinum certification. The film won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for "Take My Breath Away" performed by Berlin.[7]
In 2015, the United States Library of Congress selected the film for preservation in the National Film Registry, finding it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[8] A sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, in which Cruise and Kilmer reprised their roles, was released 36 years later on May 27, 2022, and surpassed the original film both critically[9] and commercially.[10]
Plot
U.S. Navy Naval AviatorLieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and his Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) Lieutenant Junior Grade Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, stationed in the Indian Ocean aboard USSEnterprise, fly the F-14A Tomcat. During an interception with two hostile MiG-28s,[a] Maverick missile-locks on one, while the other hostile locks onto Maverick's wingman, Cougar. Maverick drives it off, but Cougar is so shaken that Maverick defies orders to land and shepherds him back to the carrier. As a result, Cougar resigns his commission, and loses his opportunity to attend Top Gun, the Naval Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar. Maverick and Goose are sent in his place by CAG "Stinger", not without getting a reprimand for disobeying landing order.
Before the first day of instruction, Maverick unsuccessfully approaches a woman at a bar. He learns the next day she is an astrophysicist and civilian Top Gun instructor, Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood. She becomes interested in Maverick upon learning of his inverted maneuver with a MiG-28. In Maverick's first training hop, he flies below 10,000 feet (3,000m), breaking a major rule of engagement, to defeat instructor Lieutenant Commander Rick "Jester" Heatherly. Maverick and Goose also buzz the control tower when specifically told not to do so. They are reprimanded by chief instructor Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf.
Privately, Jester tells Viper that while he admires Maverick's skill, he is not sure if he would trust him in combat. In class, Charlie objects to Maverick's aggressive tactics against the MiG-28, but privately tells him she admires his flying; they begin a romantic relationship.
On training Hop 19, Maverick abandons his wingman "Hollywood" to chase Viper. As a result, first Hollywood and then Maverick are defeated in a demonstration of the value of teamwork. Jester tells Maverick his flying is excellent, but criticizes him for leaving his wingman. Maverick's rival, Lieutenant Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, calls his behavior "foolish", "dangerous", and worse than the enemy, to which Maverick responds "I am dangerous".
Maverick and Iceman, the leading contenders for the Top Gun Trophy, chase an A-4 in Hop 31. As Iceman has trouble getting a lock on the A-4, Maverick pressures him to break off so that he can move into firing position. However, Maverick's F-14 flies through Iceman's jet wash and suffers a flameout of both engines, going into an unrecoverable flat spin. Maverick and Goose eject, but Goose slams into the jettisoned aircraft canopy and is killed.
The board of inquiry clears Maverick of any wrongdoing, but he is shaken and guilt-ridden, and considers quitting. He seeks advice from Viper, who flew with Maverick's father in the Vietnam War air battle where he was killed. Contrary to official reports faulting Mitchell, Viper says he died heroically. He tells Maverick he can succeed if he regains his self-confidence. Maverick chooses to graduate and congratulates Iceman, who has won the Top Gun Trophy. Iceman, Hollywood, and Maverick receive immediate deployment orders to deal with a crisis situation; they are sent to Enterprise to provide air support for the rescue of the SS Layton, a disabled communication ship that drifted into hostile waters.
Aboard Enterprise, Iceman and Hollywood are assigned to provide air cover, with Maverick and RIO Merlin on standby. Iceman expresses his concerns to Stinger about Maverick's mental state, but is told to just do his job. Iceman and Hollywood are pulled into a dogfight with what first appear to be two MiGs, but turn out to be six. After Hollywood is shot down, Maverick is scrambled alone due to catapult failure. He goes into a spin after encountering another jet wash, but recovers. Shaken, he breaks off temporarily, but then re-engages and shoots down three MiGs. Iceman destroys a fourth, and the remaining two MiGs withdraw. Upon their triumphant return to Enterprise, the pilots share their newfound respect for one another. Finally confident and able to let go of the guilt caused by the training accident, Maverick later throws Goose's dog tags overboard.
Offered the choice of any assignment, Maverick chooses to return to Top Gun as an instructor. He and Charlie reunite at a bar in Miramar.
Val Kilmer as LT Tom "Iceman" Kazansky: One of Top Gun's students and Maverick's rival turned wingman.
Anthony Edwards as LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw: Maverick's radar intercept officer and best friend.
Tom Skerritt as CDR Mike "Viper" Metcalf: Commanding officer and instructor of Top Gun. A veteran of the Vietnam War who served with Duke Mitchell, Maverick's father. The character was based on a real person: Rear Admiral Pete "Viper" Pettigrew, a former Navy aviator, Vietnam War veteran and Top Gun instructor, who served as a technical advisor on the film and also makes a cameo appearance in the film as a colleague of Charlie's.
Michael Ironside as LCDR Rick "Jester" Heatherly: A Naval Aviator, and Top Gun instructor
John Stockwell as LT Bill "Cougar" Cortell: Maverick's former wingman
Barry Tubb as LTJG Leonard "Wolfman" Wolfe: Hollywood's radar intercept officer
Rick Rossovich as LTJG Ron "Slider" Kerner: Iceman's radar intercept officer
Tim Robbins as LTJG Sam "Merlin" Wells: Cougar's radar intercept officer (later Maverick's during the climax)
Clarence Gilyard as LTJG Marcus "Sundown" Williams: Chipper's radar intercept officer (later Maverick's during the end of training)
Whip Hubley as LT Rick "Hollywood" Neven: A student from Top Gun and Iceman's wingman during the climax
Aaron and Adam Weis as Bradley Bradshaw: Goose and Carole's son (uncredited)
Production
Development
The primary inspiration for the film was the article "Top Guns" by Ehud Yonay, from the May 1983 issue of California magazine, which featured aerial photography by then-Lieutenant Commander Charles "Heater" Heatley.[13][14] The article detailed the life of fighter pilots at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, self-nicknamed "Fightertown USA".[15] Numerous screenwriters allegedly turned down the project.[13] Bruckheimer and Simpson went on to hire Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., to write the first draft. The research methods, by Epps, included attendance at several declassified Top Gun classes at Miramar and gaining experience by being flown in an F-14. The first draft failed to impress Bruckheimer and Simpson, and is considered to be very different from the final product in numerous ways.[16]David Cronenberg and John Carpenter were approached to direct the film, but both declined.[17][18] Tony Scott was hired to direct on the strength of a commercial he had done for Swedish automaker Saab in the early 1980s, where a Saab 900 turbo is shown racing a Saab 37 Viggen fighter jet.[19]
Val Kilmer was reluctant to play Kazansky as he found the script "silly" and disliked warmongering in films, but took the role as he was under contract with the studio.[25]
The producers wanted the assistance of the U.S. Navy in the production of the film. The Navy was influential in relation to script approval, which resulted in changes being made.[26] The opening dogfight was moved to international waters as opposed to Cuba, the language was toned down, and a scene that involved a crash on the deck of an aircraft carrier was also scrapped.[27] Maverick's love interest was also changed from a female enlisted member of the Navy to a civilian contractor with the Navy, due to the U.S. military's prohibition of fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel.[13] The "Charlie" character also replaced an aerobics instructor from an early draft as a love interest for Maverick after producers were introduced to Christine "Legs" Fox, a civilian mathematician employed by the Center for Naval Analyses as a specialist in Maritime Air Superiority (MAS), developing tactics for aircraft carrier defense.[12]
Filming
F-14A Tomcats of Fighter Squadrons VF-51 "Screaming Eagles" and VF-111 "Sundowners", and F-5E/F Tiger IIs of the Navy Fighter Weapons School, 1985
Filming began in Oceanside, California, on June 26, 1985, with it later moving to Miramar to begin shooting scenes on the aircraft.[28] The Navy made aircraft and crew from Carrier Air Wing Fifteen (CVW-15) available for the movie, which then consisted of F-14 squadrons VF-51 "Screaming Eagles" (which Mike "Viper" Metcalf mentions in the scene at his home) and VF-111 "Sundowners" (which was referenced by Marcus "Sundown" Williams' callsign and helmet design).[29] Paramount paid as much as US$7,800 per hour (equivalent to $22,100 in 2023) for fuel and other operating costs whenever aircraft were flown outside their normal duties. After filming wrapped up, one of the aircraft used (BuNo 160694) was sent to the USS Lexington Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, where it resides today.[30] Aside from the aircraft of CVW-15, F-14s of other squadrons made background appearances. Aircraft of VF-114 "Aardvarks" and VF-213 "Blacklions" appear in shots of the carrier sequences filmed aboard the Enterprise,[31] while the fleet of VF-1 "Wolfpack" is visible in shots taken at Miramar. The majority of the carrier flight deck shots were of normal aircraft operations and the film crew had to take what they could get, save for the occasional flyby which the film crew would request. During filming, director Tony Scott wanted to film aircraft landing and taking off, back-lit by the sun. During one particular filming sequence, the ship's commanding officer changed the ship's course, thus changing the light. When Scott asked if they could continue on their previous course and speed, he was informed by the commander that it cost US$25,000 (equivalent to $71,000 in 2023) to turn the ship, and to continue on course. Scott wrote the carrier's captain a check so that the ship could be turned and he could continue shooting for another five minutes.[32]
Filming and clapperboard of Top Gun on July 5, 1985
Future NASAastronautScott Altman was among the pilots of VF-51[33] who flew F-14 aircraft for many of the film's stunt sequences, having been recently stationed at NAS Miramar at time of filming. Altman was the pilot seen "flipping the bird" in the film's well-known opening sequence, as well as piloting the aircraft shown "buzzing the tower" throughout the film.[34][35] The infamous "buzzing the tower" sequence raised concern among residents who called the base and local news media to report a "berserk pilot".[36]
Most of the sequences of the aircraft maneuvering over land were shot at Naval Air Station Fallon, in Nevada, using ground-mounted cameras.[37][38] The majority of air-to-air filming was done using a Learjet.[37] The F-14s also had cameras mounted both inside the cockpit and on six external camera mounts, which were built by Grumman for filming The Final Countdown and modified for use on Top Gun.[37]
The fictitious MIG-28 enemy aircraft was depicted by the Northrop F-5.[39]
The film was shot in the Super 35 format, as anamorphic lenses were too large to fit inside the cockpits of the fighter jets.[40]
Reshoots after Top Gun's filming wrapped conflicted with Made in Heaven, in which McGillis starred with brown hair. Top Gun's filmmakers were forced to hide her hair color, which for example resulted that the scene shot in an elevator featured McGillis in a baseball cap.[41][42] While filming her scenes, McGillis had to be shoeless to match Cruise's height.[43]
Renowned aerobatic pilot Art Scholl was hired to do in-flight camera work for the film. The original script called for a flat spin, which Scholl was to perform and capture on a camera on the aircraft. The aircraft was observed to spin through its recovery altitude, at which time Scholl radioed "I have a problem... I have a real problem". He was unable to recover from the spin and crashed his Pitts Special biplane into the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast near Carlsbad on September 16, 1985. Neither Scholl's body nor his aircraft were recovered, leaving the official cause of the accident unknown.[44]Top Gun was dedicated to Scholl's memory.[45]
Locations
The San Diego restaurant and bar Kansas City Barbeque served as a filming location for two scenes shot in July 1985. The first scene features Goose and Maverick singing "Great Balls of Fire" while seated at the piano. The final scene, where "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" can be heard on the restaurant's Wurlitzer jukebox, was also filmed at the restaurant. Both scenes were filmed consecutively. After the release of the movie, the restaurant went on to collect a significant amount of memorabilia from the motion picture until a kitchen fire on June 26, 2008, destroyed much of the restaurant. Some memorabilia and props, including the original piano used in the film, survived the fire, and the restaurant re-opened in November 2008.[46]
In 1985, Paramount Pictures rented the Graves House, now commonly called the Top Gun House, a historic San Diego Folk Victorian/Queen Anne cottage located at 102 North Pacific Street, and used it as the home for Charlotte 'Charlie' Blackwood.[47] Charlie's backyard scenes were filmed at another house located at 112 First Street (Seagaze Drive) that was behind The Graves House.[48] In May 2020, The Graves House was relocated and later renovated into a pie shop called High Pie located at 250 North Pacific Street.[49]
Other artists were considered for the soundtrack project but did not participate. Bryan Adams was considered as a potential candidate but refused to participate because he felt the film glorified war.[52] The band Toto was originally meant to record "Danger Zone", and had also written and recorded a song "Only You" for the soundtrack. However, there was a dispute between Toto's lawyers and the producers of the film, paving the way for Loggins to record "Danger Zone" and "Only You" being omitted from the film entirely.[53]
In 2024, the specialized film music label La-La Land Records released a 2cd-set of the soundtrack. The second disc contains the same tracks that have been made available on previous editions. But the first disc contains the complete instrumental score by Harold Faltermeyer which is officially available for the first time (only the "Top Gun Anthem" ended on the first edition of the soundtrack album with the "Memories" track added years later on the expanded and deluxe editions).[54]
Release
Theatrical
The film's premiere was held in New York City on May 12, 1986,[55] with another held in San Diego on May 15.[56]
The film opened in the United States and Canada in 1,028 theaters on May 16, 1986, a week prior to the Memorial Day weekend, which was considered a gamble at the time.[1][57]
Home media
In addition to its box office success, Top Gun went on to break further records in the then still-developing home video market. It was the first new-release blockbuster on VHS to be priced as low as $26.95 and, backed by a massive $8 million marketing campaign, including a Top Gun-themed Diet Pepsi commercial,[58][59][60][61] the advance demand was such that the film became the best-selling VHS in the industry's history on pre-orders alone, with over 1.9 million units ordered before its launch on March 11, 1987.[62] It eventually sold a record 2.9 million units.[63] In 1995, the film premiered on a THX certified LaserDisc with a Dolby Digital AC-3 track.[64] A Widescreen VHS release was released on September 10, 1996.[65]
The film was first released in the U.S. on DVD under Paramount Pictures on October 20, 1998, and included the film in both Widescreen (non-anamorphic Univisium 2.00:1) and Full Screen (open matte) versions.[citation needed]Top Gun's home video success was again reflected by strong DVD sales, which were furthered by a Special Collector's Edition 2-disc DVD release on December 14, 2004, in both Widescreen (anamorphic 2.39:1) and Full Screen (open matte) versions, that include new bonus features. Special features comprise audio commentary by Bruckheimer, Tony Scott and naval experts, four music videos including the "Top Gun Anthem" and "Take My Breath Away", a six-part documentary on the making of Top Gun, and vintage gallery with interviews, behind-the-scenes and survival training featurettes.[66]
Subsequently, the film was first released on a Special Collector's Edition Blu-ray disc on July 29, 2008, with the same supplemental features as the previous 2004 DVD.[67] A 2-disc limited edition 3D copy was issued on February 19, 2013.[68] The remastered 4K Ultra HD version of the film was released in Digital format on May 13, 2020, with the Blu-ray following on May 19, 2020.[69] It included two new special features titled The Legacy of Top Gun and On Your Six: Thirty Years of Top Gun, with the remaining bonus features carrying over from previous versions.[70]
Top Gun reached number one on the U.K. Official Film Chart based on DVD, Blu-ray, and download sales on the week ending on May 31, 2022.[71]
Top Gun was re-released in Dolby Cinema and screened by AMC Theatres on 153 screens on May 13, 2021. On the first weekend it grossed a total of $248,000 ranking at number 10. It grossed a total of $433,000 in a ten-day period.[74]
Reception
Box office
The film quickly became a success and was the highest-grossing film of 1986. It would be six months before its theater count dropped below that of its opening week.[4] It was number one on its first weekend with a gross of $8.2 million, and went on to a total domestic gross of $176.8 million, and $177 million internationally, for a worldwide box office total of $353.8 million.[1] The film sold an estimated 47.65 million tickets in North America in its initial theatrical run.[75]
The film grossed an additional $3 million in its IMAX re-release in 2013, and an additional $471,982 in its 2021 re-release, bringing its domestic gross to $180.3 million and its worldwide gross to $357.3 million.[1]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 58% based on reviews from 76 critics, with an average rating of 6.0/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Though it features some of the most memorable and electrifying aerial footage shot with an expert eye for action, Top Gun offers too little for non-adolescent viewers to chew on when its characters aren't in the air."[76] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 50 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[77] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[78]
Movies like Top Gun are hard to review because the good parts are so good and the bad parts are so relentless. The dogfights are absolutely the best since Clint Eastwood's electrifying aerial scenes in Firefox. But look out for the scenes where the people talk to one another.[79]
Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, praising the action sequences but criticizing the romantic subplot, writing that "it belongs in a teenage sex-fantasy film and not in a movie that deserves the genuine romantic value of An Officer and a Gentleman".[80] American film critic Pauline Kael commented:
When McGillis is offscreen, the movie is a shiny homoerotic commercial: the pilots strut around the locker room, towels hanging precariously from their waists. It's as if masculinity had been redefined as how a young man looks with his clothes half off, and as if narcissism is what being a warrior is all about.[81]
Some critics have said that the film promotes American jingoism. Filmmaker Oliver Stone told Playboy that the film "sold the idea that war is clean, war can be won … nobody in the movie ever mentions that he just started World War Three!" In 1990, Tom Cruise, while promoting Stone's Born on the Fourth of July, said the film should be taken as a "fairy tale" instead of real depiction of wars and added that it would have been irresponsible to make a sequel because the film gave a misleading view of war.[82] Cruise reprised his role in the sequel 36 years later, this time to mostly positive reviews. Val Kilmer, who was critical of warmongering in the first film, also returned for the sequel.[83]
Journalist and former F-14 RIO Ward Carroll considered the movie iconic and culturally relevant, even jokingly referring to it as "the greatest movie ever made".[84]:02:18[85] But while conceding the need for narrative and cinematographic liberties, he felt that the film had several "cringe-worthy technical errors that cause it to be as much cartoon as tribute".[85] Carroll identified 79 departures from naval aviation procedure, technical mistakes, and continuity errors in a 2019 article for Military.com.[85] The YouTube creator LegalEagle posted a video called "Military Laws Broken: Top Gun (with real JAG)," in which the film is reviewed with a veteran Judge Advocate General lawyer, which discusses that the film takes considerable liberties concerning US Military and Naval regulations and laws that are violated. For instance, Maverick's buzzing the air control towers would in real life have likely resulted in his flight status being immediately revoked, while other offenses committed would likely have had the pilot being punished with the death penalty if committed during a time of war.[86]
Film producer John Davis said that Top Gun was a recruiting video for the Navy, and that people saw the movie and said, "Wow! I want to be a pilot."[93] The Navy had recruitment booths in some theaters to attract enthusiastic patrons.[94][95] After the film's release, a popular claim arose that the number of young men who joined the Navy wanting to be naval aviators went up by 500%;[96] however, its accuracy has since been disputed, with modern analyses indicating a more modest total Navy enlistment increase of 8%.[97][98] The film helped rehabilitate the military's image following the Vietnam War.[99]
In December 2024, Tom Cruise was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Award, which is the highest civilian honor given by the military, by the US Navy for his "outstanding contributions" to the military through his appearances in military-related film.[102]
In popular culture
The 1991 film Hot Shots! was a comedy spoof of Top Gun.[103]
Top Gun is one of many war and action films, especially those by Bruckheimer, parodied in the 2004 comedy Team America: World Police.[104]
Top Gun, along with A Few Good Men, is recognized for being an inspiration for the TV series JAG and the subsequent NCIS franchise in turn. JAG and NCIS are also owned by Paramount.[105]
The DisneyToon Studios film Planes (2013) pays homage to Top Gun with Kilmer and Edwards appearing in the film as part of the voice cast.[106]
Two Chinese war films, Sky Fighters[zh] (2011) and Sky Hunter (2017), were based on Top Gun.[107][108] On January 23, 2011, China's state broadcaster China Central Television published a TV news story about the alleged efficiency of Chinese fighter pilots which incorporated footage from the Top Gun action sequences.[109]Chinese internet users noticed the plagiarism, whereupon the broadcast was immediately withdrawn. The CCTV has declined comments on this incident.[109]
A sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, was released on May 27, 2022 to critical and commercial success.[110] The sequel had been in active development since at least 2010.[111] By September 2014, it was revealed that Justin Marks was in negotiations to write the screenplay,[112] which was confirmed in June 2015.[113] In May 2017, during the promotional tour for The Mummy, Cruise confirmed that a sequel to Top Gun would start filming in 2018.[114] In June 2017, Cruise revealed that the sequel's title would be Top Gun: Maverick, with Faltermeyer returning as composer for the film. Scott was originally intended to return to direct the sequel, but had died by suicide on August 19, 2012.[115] Also in June 2017, it was announced that Joseph Kosinski, who directed Cruise in 2013's Oblivion, was set to direct—with Maverick dedicated to Scott's memory[116]—and Kilmer was announced to reprise his role as Iceman.[117] McGillis was not asked to return for the sequel,[118] but appears in the film via archive footage. The Bradshaw family—Edwards, Ryan and the Weis twins—also appear via archive footage, while Miles Teller plays their now-grown-up son, LT Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw.
Top Gun also spawned a number of video games for various platforms. The original game was released in 1986 under the same title as the film. It was released on Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST. Another game, also titled Top Gun, was released in 1987 for Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Nintendo VS. System arcade cabinets. In the 1987 game, the player pilots an F-14 Tomcat fighter, and has to complete four missions. A sequel, Top Gun: The Second Mission, was released for the NES three years later.
Val Edward Kilmer is an American actor. Originally a stage actor, he found fame after appearances in comedy films, starting with Top Secret! (1984) and Real Genius (1985), as well as the military action film Top Gun (1986) and the fantasy film Willow (1988). Kilmer gained acclaim for his portrayal of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's The Doors (1991). He was cast as a main character in films such as the western Tombstone (1993), and the crime dramas True Romance (1993) and Heat (1995). He portrayed Batman in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995), and continued to star in films such as The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Alexander (2004), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), and The Snowman (2017). In 2022, Kilmer reprised his role as Iceman in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
Kelly Ann McGillis is an American actress. She is known for her film roles such as Rachel Lapp in Witness (1985), for which she received Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations; Charlie in Top Gun (1986); Made in Heaven (1987); The House on Carroll Street (1988); and as Katheryn Murphy in The Accused (1988). In her later career, she has starred in horror films such as Stake Land (2010), The Innkeepers (2011), and We Are What We Are (2013).
Jerome Leon Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has been active in the genres of action, drama, comedy, fantasy, horror and science fiction. After working in advertising out of college, Bruckheimer moved into film production in the 1970s. In the 1980s and 1990s, he partnered with fellow producer Don Simpson. Bruckheimer and Simpson's partnership continued until Simpson's death in 1996. Bruckheimer has produced films including Flashdance, The Rock, Crimson Tide, Dangerous Minds, Con Air, Armageddon, Enemy of the State, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, as well as the Beverly Hills Cop, Top Gun, Bad Boys, Pirates of the Caribbean and National Treasure franchises.
Anthony David Leighton Scott was an English filmmaker.
Days of Thunder is a 1990 American sports action drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, and Michael Rooker. It also features appearances by real life NASCAR racers, such as Richard Petty, Rusty Wallace, Neil Bonnett, and Harry Gant. Commentator Dr. Jerry Punch, of ESPN, has a cameo appearance, as does co-producer Don Simpson.
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, more popularly known as Top Gun, is a United States Navy training program that teaches air combat maneuvering tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators and naval flight officers, who return to their operating units as surrogate instructors.
Wingman is a role that a person may take when a friend needs support with approaching potential romantic partners. People who have a wingman can have more than one wingman. A wingman is someone who is on the "inside" and is used to help someone with intimate relationships. In general, one person's wingman will help them avoid attention from undesirable prospective partners or attract desirable ones, or both.
VF-51, Fighter Squadron 51 was an aviation unit of the United States Navy known as the "Screaming Eagles". It was originally established as VF-1 on 1 February 1943, redesignated as VF-5 on 15 July 1943, redesignated as VF-5A on 15 November 1946, redesignated VF-51 on 16 August 1948, and disestablished in March 1995. Until its disestablishment, VF-51 was the oldest fighter squadron in continuous service with the Pacific Fleet.
"Danger Zone" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins in 1986, with music composed by Giorgio Moroder and lyrics written by Tom Whitlock. The song was one of the hit singles from the soundtrack to the 1986 American film Top Gun. It was the best-selling soundtrack of 1986 and one of the best-selling of all time. According to Allmusic.com, the album "remains a quintessential artifact of the mid-'80s" and the album's hits "still define the bombastic, melodramatic sound that dominated the pop charts of the era". The song is also featured in the 2022 sequel film Top Gun: Maverick and its soundtrack, using the same original recording.
Tom Cruise is an American actor and producer who made his film debut with a minor role in the 1981 romantic drama Endless Love. Two years later, he made his breakthrough by starring in the romantic comedy Risky Business (1983), which garnered his first nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 1986, Cruise played a naval aviator in the Tony Scott-directed action drama Top Gun which was the highest-grossing film of the year, and also appeared with Paul Newman in the Martin Scorsese-directed drama The Color of Money. Two years later, he starred with Dustin Hoffman in the drama Rain Man (1988). His next role was as anti-war activist Ron Kovic in the film adaptation of Kovic's memoir of the same name, Born on the Fourth of July (1989), for which he received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.
Joseph Kosinski is an American film director, best known for his computer graphics and computer-generated imagery (CGI) work, and for his work in action films. He has directed the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Oblivion (2013), Only the Brave (2017), Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and Spiderhead (2022). His previous work has primarily been with CGI-related television commercials including the "Starry Night" commercial for Halo 3 and the award-winning "Mad World" commercial for Gears of War.
Peter "Maverick" Mitchell is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Top Gun franchise. He is portrayed by Tom Cruise. The character first appeared in the 1986 film Top Gun, followed by Top Gun: Maverick in 2022.
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 110 (VAW-110), nicknamed the "Firebirds", was an aviation unit of the United States Navy based at NAS Miramar. The Firebirds were a training squadron for the E-2 Hawkeyes. It was disestablished in September 1994.
Top Gun: Maverick is a 2022 American action drama film directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie from stories by Peter Craig and Justin Marks. A sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun, Tom Cruise reprises his starring role as the naval aviator Maverick. It also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer, who reprises his role as Iceman. The story involves Maverick confronting his past while training a group of younger Top Gun graduates, including the son of his deceased best friend, for a dangerous mission.
Top Gun: Maverick is the soundtrack to the 2022 action film Top Gun: Maverick by Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, and Hans Zimmer. It consists of the film's score as well as two original songs, "Hold My Hand" by Gaga and "I Ain't Worried" by OneRepublic, which were released as singles prior to the album. The soundtrack contains the song "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, which was also featured in the first film. The soundtrack was released on May 27, 2022, by Interscope Records and Paramount Music through digital and physical formats.
Top Gun is an American action drama multimedia franchise based on the 1983 article "Top Guns" by Ehud Yonay, which was adapted into the eponymous 1986 film, written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. The original film portrays Tom Cruise as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a young naval aviator aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, who with his radar intercept officer, LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, are given the chance to train at the US Navy's Fighter Weapons School at Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.
Aaron Weis and Adam Weis are American former child actors and school teachers. They are known for sharing the role of four-year-old Bradley Bradshaw in the 1986 film Top Gun. Scenes with them were reprised in the 2022 sequel Top Gun: Maverick, featuring Miles Teller in the role of grown-up Bradley Bradshaw.
Kenneth "Pete" Pettigrew was a retired United States Navy rear admiral.
↑ Ward Carroll (December 15, 2011), "Q&A: Ward Carroll", C-SPAN website, interviewed by Lamb, Brian, archived from the original on November 29, 2014, retrieved August 25, 2022, You remember the F-14, remember Top Gun, the greatest movie ever made? I know you would agree. Maverick and Goose, I was Goose.
1 2 3 Carroll, Ward (July 22, 2019), "79 Cringeworthy Errors in 'Top Gun'", Military.com website, archived from the original on August 26, 2022, retrieved August 25, 2022, Paramount had a huge challenge when they decided to make 'Top Gun.' Real-life air-to-air combat doesn't lend itself to the silver screen in that it's super technical, very chaotic, and generally takes place at ranges that would prevent two jets from being in the frame at the same time.
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