Top Gun

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Tom Cruise as LT Pete “Maverick” Mitchell: A U.S
• Kelly McGillis as Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood
• Val Kilmer as LT Tom “Iceman” Kazansky
• Anthony Edwards as LTJG Nick “Goose” Bradshaw
• Tom Skerritt as CDR Mike “Viper” Metcalf
• Michael Ironside as LCDR Rick “Jester” Heatherly
• John Stockwell as LT Bill “Cougar” Cortell
• Barry Tubb as LTJG Leonard “Wolfman” Wolfe
• Rick Rossovich as LTJG Ron “Slider” Kerner
• Tim Robbins as LTJG Sam “Merlin” Wells
• Clarence Gilyard as LTJG Marcus “Sundown” Williams
• Whip Hubley as LT Rick “Hollywood” Neven
• James Tolkan as CDR Tom “Stinger” Jardian
• Meg Ryan as Carole Bradshaw
• Adrian Pasdar as LT Charles “Chipper” Piper
• Duke Stroud as Air Boss Johnson
• Aaron and Adam Weis as Bradley Bradshaw

Storyline:

US Navy Lieutenant Pete Mitchell, call sign Maverick–an impetuous, daredevil pilot ace–is accepted into Top Gun, Miramar’s elite Fighter School. But there, the impulsive young pilot will have to compete with the best of the best, including Iceman, a brilliant and highly competitive fellow student. Now, Mitchell must give his all; however, his father’s mysterious and untimely demise still haunts him. Can Maverick prove his worth to Charlie, the flying school’s no-nonsense astrophysics instructor? Will he be able to suppress his wild nature to win the prestigious Top Gun Trophy?

About Movie:

Top Gun is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with Paramount Pictures handling distribution. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. The film stars Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, and Tom Skerritt.

The inspiration for Top Gun came from Ehud Yonay’s article “Top Guns” in the May 1983 issue of California magazine, which detailed the lives of fighter pilots at Naval Air Station Miramar, known as “Fightertown USA.”

The producers were keen on casting Tom Cruise for the lead role after seeing him in Risky Business. Cruise, initially reluctant to take the role while filming Legend in London, was persuaded by Ridley Scott, Tony’s brother. Before Cruise was cast as Maverick, actors like Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze, Sean Penn, Rob Lowe, Charlie Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Ralph Macchio were considered for the role.

Filming commenced on June 26, 1985, in Oceanside, California, and later moved to Naval Air Station Miramar for aircraft scenes. The U.S. Navy provided aircraft and crew, including F-14 squadrons VF-51 “Screaming Eagles” and VF-111 “Sundowners.”

Paramount paid $7,800 per hour for fuel and operating costs when the planes were flown for filming. The air-to-air shots were mostly done using a Learjet, with cameras mounted inside and outside the F-14 jets. The film was shot in Super 35 format, as the anamorphic lenses were too large for the fighter jet cockpits.

Some reshoots conflicted with Kelly McGillis’s schedule for Made in Heaven, leading to creative adjustments like hiding her brown hair under a baseball cap in the elevator scene. McGillis also had to be shoeless in some scenes to match Cruise’s height.

Top Gun premiered in New York City on May 12, 1986, and in San Diego on May 15. It opened in 1,028 theaters across the U.S. and Canada on May 16, ahead of Memorial Day weekend, a risky move at the time. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film became a massive box office hit, grossing $357 million globally on a $15 million budget, making it the highest-grossing domestic and worldwide film of 1986. Its visual effects and soundtrack, particularly the song “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin, were widely praised, winning both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song.

Over the years, Top Gun maintained its popularity and received an IMAX 3D re-release in 2013. In 2015, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance. A highly successful sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, was released on May 27, 2022, with Cruise and Kilmer reprising their roles, surpassing the original both critically and commercially.

Budget & Box Office Collection: