Firefox (1982)

Simply Perfect

Don't Believe the Hype

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

I remember going to see this at the cinema in the early 80's and really enjoying this movie, and watching it on TV for the first time in over 30's years my enjoyment has not diminished. Of course Clint Eastwood is his usual excellent self as the US pilot sent behind Russian enemy lines to steal an advanced Russian super jet. Eastwood is abley supported by a strong British support cast lead by Freddie Jones and Warren Clarke. By today's high quality CGI standards the aerial shots look it a bit naff, but that apart there is still plenty to enjoy in this movie. 7/10

... and by my count this line was spoken at least seven times here.This is a cold war thriller from Clint Eastwood about a Vietnam vet fighter pilot sent undercover and across the iron curtain to steal a new Soviet super-plane. The first two-thirds of the film are a treat, with a lot of tense scenes of Clint and his sympathetic Russian contacts narrowly escaping capture. The last section is where the film loses steam, with a lot of repetitious, dated fx shots of the jet in action.Warren Clarke is memorable as Clint's chief contact. Also featured are Freddie Jones, Ronald Lacey, Nigel Hawthorne, and Kenneth Colley. As you may have noticed, there are no women listed; this is the rare film with no substantial female presence at all. The real star, though, other than Clint, is the fictional MiG31 "Firefox" fighter jet, invisible to radar, capable of Mach 6 speeds as well as full nuclear armament. The film also borders on science fiction with the jet's thought-controlled weapon systems.It is a 50/50 proposition as to whether you will like this one. For me it was fun to see Eastwood stretch his directorial skills in a different direction, and even more fun if you actually remember the cold war...or were even alive during the cold war for that matter.

Don't expect outdated special effects - they are great! Just like with all the spy movies that I've seen, I have no idea what this one is about either, but I stay for the great action scenes, the hot actor and maybe some surprises along the way. And lo and behold, this movie doesn't let me down. The culmination is EVERYTHING! The flying scenes are better than Top Gun, released several years later. It's highly polished visual effects art.

Clint Eastwood plays Vietnam veteran Mitchel Grant, an expert pilot recruited for a top secret mission: to steal an experimental Soviet jet, that can evade radar, from the Soviet Union, and fly it back to American waters. The mission has many risks, though many allies in the Soviet Union help Grant, even at risk to their own lives.Though the film has many exciting aerial chase and dogfight scenes, and an interesting idea, it goes on too long, and only comes to life near the climax. Not to mention, the premise is highly unlikely in the first place, as it seems stupid to steal the plane, and not be worried about the consequences? At the very least, this would cause a huge international incident, possibly a war. Wouldn't American and British forces be better served by building their own Firefox, rather than undertaking such a risky mission? This problem is glossed over, harming its credibility, though it isn't bad really, but it does fall short.