TOP GUN: 4K UHD Blu-ray (Paramount, 1983) Paramount Home Video

The film that solidified Tom Cruise's super stardom and went on to become a mach-10 mega hit, launching the careers of producers, Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson into the super-helix stratosphere, director, Tony Scott's Top Gun (1986) effectively cemented the criteria by which all other big-budgeted summer blockbusters have since been compared. Inspired by Ehud Yonay's article in California Magazine, the screenplay by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. stayed close to the testosterone-infused male camaraderie involving cadets enlisted in the U.S. military's elite flight school at Miramar. With its eye squarely focused on ‘the best of the best,’ Yonay’s article also featured some breathtaking aerial photography by then-Lieutenant Commander Charles Heatley, putting ‘Fightertown USA’ on the map. Nevertheless, Bruckheimer and Simpson found it something of an uphill slog to get anyone in Hollywood interested in their fledgling project. No screenwriter bit. No studio, either.  In accepting the assignment, Epps attended several classes at Miramar to get a flavor for the men he would be re-creating for his fictional scenario. Yet, even his first draft failed to impress Bruckheimer and Simpson. Meanwhile, the producers decided on Tony Scott to direct – a definite ‘leg up’ for Scott who, thus far was best-known for his Saab TV commercials. Art house fav, Matthew Modine was the producers first choice, but refused to star as Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell on the grounds Top Gun was a piece of pro-military propaganda. Mercifully, a dark horse loomed on the horizon. Eager to break out of his already established screen persona, that of the somewhat aloof and goofy, troubled teen heartthrob with a killer smile, Tom Cruise petitioned heavily to step into Maverick’s shoes.

While Simpson and Bruckheimer mulled over Cruise’s credentials, they became heavily involved in pursuing the US Navy for its participation, hiring retired aviator, Rear Admiral Pete Viper Pettigrew, a veteran of the Vietnam War and current 'top gun' instructor to serve as technical advisor, and, also make a brief cameo appearance in the movie. The Navy’s complicity came at a price, necessitating revisions to the script to secure their approval. For starters, the initial dogfight was relocated to international waters as opposed to Cuba. Also, scrapped, some of the bluer language the Navy felt was unbecoming ‘officers and gentlemen’ of their ruling class, and, a planned sequence, depicting a perilous crash on the deck of an aircraft carrier. Maverick's love interest was also altered from a female enlistee to a civilian contractor, as the military strictly forbade fraternization between its enlisted personnel. The character of ‘Charlie’ – eventually filled out by sex bomb, Kelly McGillis (though originally conceived for Julianne Phillips), had already morphed from an aerobics instructor after Bruckheimer and Simpson met with Christine ‘Legs’ Fox, a civilian mathematician working as a specialist to develop tactics for aircraft carrier defense.

For authenticity, the Navy put its back into securing aircraft from F-14 fighter squadron VF-51 ‘Screaming Eagles’, reportedly with Paramount footing the hourly bill of $7,800 for re-fueling planes and other operating costs. The Navy also loaned Simpson and Bruckheimer the aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, along with VF-114 Aardvarks and VF-213 Black Lions. Rumor has it, director, Scott planned to shoot one of the planes taking off from the carrier, back lit by sunset. Unfortunately, in readying his shot, Scott suddenly became aware the carrier was sailing away, not toward the setting sun on the horizon. Inquiring the captain whether he might deign to turn his ship around to accommodate the shot, Scott was politely informed it would cost $25,000 to do simply that, at which point, Scott quietly wrote a check, instructing the captain he could proceed to rectify their course. It took a whole of 5-minutes to oblige. Much of the land-to-air sequences were photographed at Nevada’s Naval Air Station Fallon with cameras mounted onto a Learjet, piloted by Astrovision inventor, Clay Lacy. Alas, Top Gun must also be noted for the loss of legendary stunt pilot, Art Scholl, engaged to perform one of the more complex aerial maneuvers in the movie. In the original script, Scholl was earmarked to do a flat spin, the stunt observed through its recovery altitude when Scholl suddenly radioed, “I have a problem... I have a real problem.” As cast and crew looked on in horror, Scholl’s Pitts Special bi-plane nose-dived into the Pacific Ocean. Neither his body nor the plane were ever recovered, leaving the official cause of the accident as ‘unknown.’ In acknowledgement of his supreme sacrifice, Bruckheimer and Simpson had a special dedication to Scholl inserted into the movie.

At its core, Top Gun is the story of that heart-pounding/chest-thumping competition among a certain class of ego-driven daredevils, the sight of these daring hot shots, risking it all to be ranked number one in their class, giving rise to audiences' demands for all those adrenaline-infused and turbo-charged blockbusters yet to follow. Viewing Top Gun today, one is awe-struck by its efficiency. While Bruckheimer and Simpson would later oft be accused of promoting a certain kind of uber-glossy actioner, with oodles of improbability and stick-figure characterizations, Epps' screenplay at least attempts to fashion some sort of backstory to all this chiseled brawn on tap. And Tom Cruise fits so neatly into the role of Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell it is virtually impossible to imagine anyone else in the part. Herein, a moment’s pause to reconsider Cruise’s acting career, begun at age 18 in an inconsequential bit in Endless Love, followed by a major supporting role in Taps, both released in 1981. Risky Business (1983) was an early standout for Cruise, though, ironically, it did not pave the road for bigger and better things. Yet, something about Cruise stuck with casting directors. Despite having a good many of his performances ruthlessly savaged by the critics, Cruise was gaining real/reel ground where it mattered - with the public and a show of their box office dollars. 1983 could effectively be considered Cruise’s watershed year, as he appeared in a trifecta of hits: The Outsiders, All the Right Moves, and, Risky Business – the latter, in which he made his iconic debut, lip-syncing to Bob Seger in his tighty-whities, employing a candelabra and fireplace poker as his microphone and guitar respectively. Nevertheless, it remained until Top Gun, for Cruise’s screen image to fully crystalize from teen-horn-dog into bona fide stud, capable of carrying the heft in more adult roles.

And Top Gun effectively plays into Cruise’s star-rising confidence, as our Pete considers himself just too-too sexy for his leather bomber and knows it. He is also short on pleasantries when it comes to wooing the slinky sex kitten of the friendly skies, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). She finds him brash – at first, and feigns to be unimpressed by the size of his ego. Nevertheless, and rather predictably, their high-flying maneuvers quickly escalate from the school room into the bedroom. On training missions, Pete's risk-taking earns him the cautionary unease of his superiors, Cmdr. Mike 'Viper' Metcalfe (Tom Skerritt) and Lt. Cmdr. Rick 'Jester' Heatherly (Michael Ironside); also, the disdain of fellow pilots, Lt. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky (Val Kilmer at his slick and steely best) and Lt. Ron 'Slider' Kerner (Rich Rossovich, who puts the 'b' in butch), both of whom consider his grandstanding foolhardy. Besides, Tom and Ron are determined to win the coveted Top Gun trophy. Iceman flies objectively. But Maverick soars with a vengeance. Tragedy strikes during a routine training mission. Pete and his co-pilot and best friend, Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) experience a 'flame out' in both their engines, forcing them to abandon their plane in mid-air. Unfortunately, Goose is ejected into the detached cockpit, snapping his neck and is killed instantly. Pete loses his competitive edge, shuns Charlie and questions his future as a flyer. Recalled to the Enterprise for a crisis situation, Pete and Iceman fly toward hostile open waters to rescue a crippled communications vessel. In the ensuing dogfight, Iceman is forced to pull out, leaving Maverick to regain his nerve and see the mission through. Returning successfully to base, Maverick is offered his pick of assignments - choosing to return to Miramar as an instructor. Learning of Maverick's decision, Charlie arrives at the bar frequented during their romance - rekindling the sparks of their lovin' feelin', moments before the final fade out.

In retrospect, it's easy to see why Top Gun was such a colossal success. Fueled one of the greatest pop soundtracks of its generation, topped off by Harold Faltermeyer's Top Gun Anthem, the album is a splendid mix of past and present, effortlessly blended with at least 2 tunes destined to become standards: Berlin’s love ballad, ‘Take My Breath Away’ and, Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone, with honorable nods to Tina Marie’s Lead Me On, and a reprise of the Righteous Brothers’ classic, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.’ In retrospect, Top Gun is so transparently skewed to capitalize on Cruise's ‘pretty boy’ looks, the rest of the hunks on tap are never given much of an opportunity – outside of a shirtless volleyball match – to shine as bright as the star. Marking memorable break outs for Val Kilmer (previously wasted in drivel like 1984’s Top Secret, 1985’s Real Genius, One Too Many, and Eric – an ABC after-school special),  Kelly McGillis (to have made something of a splash in 1984’s Harrison Ford/Amish thriller, Witness, but not again to experience anything near her success in this movie, until 1988’s The Accused), Anthony Edwards (who, despite steadily working in pictures, never made inroads until his memorable run on TV’s ER from 1994-2008) and Meg Ryan (for whom better days were destined, with such smash hits as 1989’s When Harry Met Sally, 1993’s Sleepless in Seattle, 1995’s Restoration, 1997’s You’ve Got Mail, and, 2001’s Kate & Leopold among her memorable outings) Top Gun has since endured as a perennial favorite.  Given the movie’s whirlwind success and worldwide box office tally of $353,816,701, its instant impact on high fashion (Aviator sunglasses and bomber jackets immediately became the hot new trend) and its overwhelming success in the home video sell-thru market (to date, the best-selling VHS catalog release of all time) it is one of Hollywood’s blind-sided anomalies, no one ever considered reuniting the cast for a sequel - until 2020. Despite changing tastes and times, Top Gun today remains a major cornerstone in the legacy of Paramount Pictures, frequently cropping up on 100 best lists – the real/reel testament to Bruckheimer and Simpson's "need for speed."

Regrettably, the picture’s success went to Don Simpson’s head. Infamous for his moody and demanding personality, exacerbated by a ‘drug problem’, and, reportedly to have harbored personal demons over his dead aspirations to ever become a movie star like Tom Cruise, Top Gun effectively afforded Simpson the gold-plated lifestyle of instant celebrity to indulge his vices. In the resulting investigation into Simpson’s premature death in 1996, age 52, it was discovered he had  accrued a small pharmacological stockpile of 2,200 pills and tablets (everything from Dexedrine to Percodan, Lithium, Seconal, Xanax and morphine)stashed in his bedroom closet - and that, just a mere fraction of the over 15,000 sedatives, amphetamines, tranquilizers, anti-psychotics, narcotics and other prescription-based medications afforded by a small army of ‘doctors’ and 8 pharmacies. The insidious nature of Simpson’s addiction did not immediately manifest itself to Bruckheimer, with whom Simpson had previously teamed for 1983’s Flashdance. Indeed, immediately following Top Gun's runaway success, Bruckheimer and Simpson were deemed ‘the golden boys’, their creative fingers firmly on the pulse of the American movie goer, producing movies that not only broke box office records but also set a new standard by which all other producers roiling in Hollywood's creative cesspool aspired to emulate. After Top Gun, Bruckheimer, increasingly aware of his partner’s problem, began, first to appease, then distance himself from Simpson's looming crash and burn. Their partnership was dealt a considerable blow when the costly stock car racing movie, Days of Thunder (1990), also to reunite them with ‘good luck charm’ Tom Cruise, while financially successful, was eviscerated by the critics as formulaic tripe. As though foreshadowing his demise, Simpson was to give a cordial interview to the New York Times in 1995 where he jokingly suggested, “The days of drugs, sex and rock-and-roll are long over, at least they are for us old guys.” Tragically, this proved not to be the case.  

Top Gun was, and is, a movie that really gets the heart pumping. And despite the innumerable knock-offs to have since followed it, there is still something visceral and engaging about this show of men being manly.  Shot in Super 35 Panavision - 2.39:1, Paramount’s new 4K scan of Top Gun is derived from an original camera negative with marked improvements over the standard Blu-ray from 2008. The most noticeable difference here is the overly-processed look of the Blu is gone - replaced with film-like texturing, with fine detail taking a quantum leap ahead. Perhaps best of all, Super 35’s grain levels have been brought into line and are very indigenous to the source without appearing overly thick. Color saturation will positively blow you away, with refined flesh tones, superb reproduction of reds, plus - subtler nuances in all the tonal variations across the board, and, spectral highlights really coming to the forefront. Blacks are velvety deep, but never crush. What was once a merely passable image has now been elevated to reference quality 'wow' and 'thank you'! And whoa, Nellie! – prepare yourselves for an absolutely immersive 7.1 Dolby Atmos – high, wide and explosive during the aerial dogfights, but also, subtly subscribed during quiescent scenes, bringing out finer elements in dialogue and background sound. Faltermeyer’s underscore delivers deep sonic vibrations to really get the blood pumping, and the pop-tune-infused soundtrack has never sounded better. Again, a reference quality effort. Paramount has included the original audio commentary from Jerry Bruckheimer, Tony Scott, Jack Epps Jr, and, naval experts on the 4K disc, as well as two featurettes - The Legacy of Top Gun – in native 4K, and, On Your Six: Thirty Years of Top Gun, in full HD, produced for the 2016 30^th Anniversary Blu-ray, and, running just under a half-hour.  We also get a standard Blu-ray, remastered from these 4K elements (a class act - thanks, Paramount!), plus, the almost 2-hr. ‘Danger Zone: Making of Top Gun’ from 2004 – a fantastic documentary, along with story boards, another half-hour featurette from 2008 on the real ‘top guns’, music videos from Kenny Loggins, Berlin and Loverboy, and, the Faltermeyer/Steven’s Top Gun Anthem, a pair of junkets, designed to promote the movie at the time of its release, and TV spots. Bottom line: Top Gun remains an iconic piece of ‘80’s cinema. Finally, it has been given its due in UHD. An absolute ‘must have’!

FILM RATING (out of 5 – 5 being the best

4.5

VIDEO/AUDIO

4K – 5++

Blu-ray – 5

EXTRAS

5+