On the 40th anniversary of its premiere, Hasitha Fernando looks at the story behind Top Gun…
Top Gun can best be described as the quintessential 80s summer blockbuster. Filled with high-octane aerial cinematography, an infectiously charming Tom Cruise and one of the most iconic movie soundtracks of all time, Top Gun simply redefined “popcorn cinema” all those years ago. As the movie celebrates its 40th anniversary we look back at its behind-the-scenes story and then some.
Many writers declined the opportunity to work on the project
The initial inspiration for the story of Top Gun was from an article titled “Top Gun” by Ehud Yonay, which was published in the May 1983 issue of California magazine. This article profiled the day-to-day life of real-life fighter pilots stationed at Naval Air Station Miramar, San Diego and also featured some stunning aerial photography courtesy of then- Lieutenant Commander Charles “Heater” Heatley. This article caught the attention of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, who envisioned a “sports movie in the sky” and started approaching various screenwriters to crank out a workable screenplay for a film.
At the outset many of these screenwriters turned down the opportunity, not seeing the inherent potential of the project, but eventually the producers came across a writer duo willing to commit to their initiative – they were Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. Unfamiliar with the subject they were tackling, Epps attended several declassified Top Gun training sessions at Miramar and even gained experience by being flown in an F-14. This research certainly assisted the duo in adding a layer of authenticity to the story they were hammering out, but in spite of the effort they put into the screenplay the first draft failed to impress Bruckheimer and Simpson.
Tony Scott was hired based on the strength of a commercial he directed
The late Tony Scott was renowned for shaping the modern action film genre with his highly stylized and visually kinetic approach that is seen in his efforts such as Beverly Hills Cop II, True Romance, Crimson Tide and Unstoppable. But back when the production of Top Gun was getting kicked-off Scott was mostly involved in the world of television commercials, and it was such a commercial that he’d done for Swedish automaker Saab – which showcased a Saab 900 turbo racing against a Saab 37 Viggen fighter jet – that caught the eye of Bruckheimer and Simpson and inspired them to hire Scott to helm their latest high-octane venture. Prior to Scott’s hiring, David Cronenberg and John Carpenter were approached to direct the gig, but both filmmakers declined.
Producers wanted Tom Cruise after seeing him in Risky Business
Tom Cruise is the quintessential blockbuster movie star. Period. The actor’s intense dedication as a performer and his commitment to performing death-defying stunts, purely for the sake of entertainment has made Cruise stand apart from his peers. Cruise was fresh off the success of coming-of-age teen comedy Risky Business, when he was approached by Bruckheimer and Simpson to play the lead role in their latest film. Initially Cruise was reluctant to take the role, but Tony’s brother Ridley Scott who was shooting the fantasy flick Legend with Cruise, convinced the young actor to take it.
Cruise was further convinced about the gig after he was flown around by The Blue Angels and Bruckheimer summed up that experience thusly, “So they take Tom up there, and they do five Gs. They do barrel rolls, they do everything. He’s heaving in the plane. He gets on the tarmac, runs to a pay phone … and he said, ‘I’m in. I’m doing the movie. I love it. This is great.’” Before Cruise was considered for his, now iconic, role a host of other actors including Matthew Modine, Emilio Estevez, Sean Penn, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Charlie Sheen, Rob Lowe, and Michael J. Fox were in contention for the part.
Kelly McGillis’ role was based on a real-life flight instructor who defied stereotypes
Kelly McGillis was cast as Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood in Top Gun, after her critically lauded, breakout role in 1985’s Witness. The role in Top Gun was based on a real-life civilian flight instructor by the name of Christine Fox, who was working at Miramar during the time the producers were doing research for the movie. She went on to have an illustrious military career eventually going on to become the Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense during President Barack Obama’s tenure, thus becoming the highest-ranking woman to serve in the US Department of Defense.
Like Fox, her movie counterpart played by McGillis also was tall, blonde and wore clacking high heels. However, during her scenes with Cruise, McGillis had to be shoeless to match the actor’s height. Charlie’s character, which was originally written as a love interest/accessory to the male lead, was rewritten substantially after Dawn Steel, then head of Paramount refused to greenlight the project. Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Brooke Shields and Julianne Phillips were considered for the role prior to McGillis’ casting.
Val Kilmer appeared in the movie only because he was contractually obligated to do so
It’s not hyperbole to state the late Val Kilmer was one of the greatest actors of his generation. Dishing out fine performances in efforts like The Doors, Tombstone and Heat, Kilmer was described by veteran film critic Roger Ebert as, “the most unsung leading man of his generation” and nothing could be further from the truth. When it came to Top Gun, Kilmer wasn’t too keen on being part of the project as he found the script derivative and was turned off due to the warmongering aspects of the story. In the end, Kilmer was forced to accept the role of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky since he was contractual obligated by the studio. In retrospect, however, many agree that Kilmer’s performance in Top Gun was truly one of his best and even the actor eventually took a liking to the film, saying, “All in all, [it] was both a blast and an education.”
Tom Cruise had never ridden a motorcycle until Top Gun
Much like Tom Cruise’s iconic run, which is pretty much featured in most of his movies, Cruise riding motorcycles has also become something of a staple in efforts the actor is involved in, especially with his work on the Mission: Impossible franchise. But would you believe that Cruise had never ridden a motorcycle until he was involved in Top Gun? Sounds hard to believe, but it is true. Cruise learned the basics of riding a motorcycle at the parking lot of House of Motorcycles in El Cajon, California. In the film, his character Maverick rides a Kawasaki Ninja 900/GPz900R, which was then the fastest production motorcycle in the world.
The US military & the Department of Defence had a big say in the film’s story
The U.S Military and the Department of Defense Entertainment Media Office worked closely on the production of Top Gun. So much so that they even had oversight over the script of the film as well. This was done as an agreement with the DOD and military in order to use some of the high-tech equipment they needed for production purposes. Considering the modest $15 million budget Top Gun had, this was a total win for Bruckheimer and Simpson, as they had access to the Miramar Naval Air Station, four aircraft carriers, two dozen F-14 Tomcats, A-4 Skyhawks as well as F-5 Tigers, which were incidentally flown by real-life Top Gun pilots. The Pentagon charged Paramount Pictures only a nominal fee of $1.8 million to use all the above equipment, which is just nuts! Some of the changes the Department of Defense and the military suggested for the script were having Charlie, who was Maverick’s love interest, go from being a service member to a civilian since Navy regulations forbid enlisted personnel from engaging in relationships and have Maverick’s buddy Goose not perish in a midair collision.
About the iconic score & soundtrack featured in Top Gun
To say Top Gun featured one of the most iconic film scores accompanied by an equally electrifying soundtrack would be quite an understatement. To be honest, one of the reasons the movie has that enduring quality is because of its score and soundtrack. The score composed by Harold Faltermeyer was very much an 80s synth-heavy product characterized by electronic percussion sections and dramatic electric guitar riffs. The unforgettable ‘Top Gun Anthem’ performed by Billy Idol’s lead guitarist Steve Stevens quickly became an instant hit, becoming an inextricable part of the movie’s popularity. Faltermeyer also seamlessly integrated the songs featured in the soundtrack – including the uber-popular “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin and “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins – into his score crafting a seamless music experience for listeners. The original motion picture soundtrack reached number one and stayed there for five nonconsecutive weeks, during the summer and autumn of 1986.
The Navy had recruitment booths attached to theaters to encourage applicants
Yep, you read the correctly. The US Navy actually had recruitment booths attached to some theaters which played Top Gun in order to attract potential applicants, who’d be hyper up after seeing the film, to sign up. Although rumors stated that recruitment rates skyrocketed to over 500% this number appeared to be a gross exaggeration, with modern analyses indicating somewhat of a modest rise of 8% in recruitment rates. Which is still an impressive number, nonetheless.
Box-office success, mixed reviews, award wins & a stunning legacy
Made on a production budget of $15 million Top Gun raked in a whopping $357.4 million at the worldwide box-office by the conclusion of its theatrical run. The film not only became the highest-grossing movie in America but also the entire world in 1986. Back when Top Gun was released the home video market was still in development. Backed by a strong marketing campaign which included a Top Gun themed Diet Pepsi commercial, the movie became the best-selling VHS in the industry’s history and this was on pre-orders alone.
However, in spite of its phenomenal box-office appeal the movie received mostly mixed reviews when it debuted back in 1986. Renowned film critic Roger Ebert gave the flick 2.5 out of 4 stars writing: “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.” As of writing the film holds an approval rating of 56% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on the cumulative reviews of 117 critics. Some critics who took issue with the story and accompanying themes explored in the film accused Top Gun of being blatantly propagandic and jingoistic in nature.
The soundtrack of Top Gun became one of the most popular soundtracks of its era achieving a 9x Platinum certification and being No.1 across five non-consecutive weeks in the Billboard 200 album charts. Come awards season the song “Take My Breath Away” performed by American new-wave Berlin and written by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, won Best Original Song at the following year’s Academy Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
Despite the mixed reception received by critics Top Gun continued to be popular amongst the general audience, which led it to being released in numerous home media formats such as LaserDisc, DVD and Blu-ray as well as being re-released in multiple theatrical formats. Top Gun’s popularity meant that it was parodied in various other movies such as Hot Shots! and Team America: World Police in addition to being an inspiration for the development of TV shows like Supercarrier, Pensacola: Wings of Gold and JAG.
A sequel to Top Gun was in development since the mid-2000s but the effort only finally materialized in 2022 in the form of Top Gun: Maverick directed by Tron: Legacy helmer Joseph Kosinski. Tom Cruise reprised his iconic lead role for the pulse pounding crowd-pleaser whilst Val Kilmer returned in a smaller capacity prior to his untimely demise, making the star’s appearance in the film his last movie role. The sequel film proved to be a hit with critics making a whopping $1.496 billion at the worldwide box-office by the conclusion of its theatrical run. The smashing success of Top Gun: Maverick obviously meant a third Top Gun film would be inevitable and the good news was finally confirmed at the CinemaCon presentation held in Las Vegas this year. So here’s hoping us fans will be able to enjoy more of Cruise’s high-flying, high-octane hijinks very soon.
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Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
