Top Gun: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
The hit 1980s movie that made a megastar of Tom Cruise
Year: 1986
Certificate: 12
British director Tony Scott had an extensive background in commercials before he came to movies, notably one with a Saab fighter jet racing a car - a sequence that's echoed in the scene with the motorbike in Top Gun, and a sensibility that's reflected all through a film that's flashy, fun, and never fails to leave an impression. Mix in the megawatt charisma of Tom Cruise and it's little surprise that the film thundered to takings of more than $350 million at the box office worldwide.
The gung-ho attitude of the movie borders on the pantomime, and has led plenty to ponder its supposed homoerotic subtext, but that's all part of the fun - and the aerial sequences still look great, which you certainly couldn't say of all action movies filmed in the 1980s.
We had to wait 36 years for the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick - named after Cruise's maverick naval aviator, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell - but it was actually better, if anything. If, however, you prefer your war movies to more closely reflect actual war, you'd be better off seeking out the likes of Warfare or The Hurt Locker; Top Gun is just a good time, albeit one that probably inspired plenty of children to ponder a future career in the air force. (110 minutes)
