After his bombardier is killed, Jake "Cool Hand" Grafton (<a href=">Brad Johnson)', a carrier-based Intruder pilot, questions the purpose of Navy bombing missions. He finds an ally for his cynicism in Virgil Cole, a bombardier on his third tour of duty, and together they ponder the notion of one unsanctioned mission "downtown", to "Sam City" in North Vietnam. During the air war over Vietnam, a U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder bomber pilot schemes with a hardened veteran to make an unauthorized air strike on Hanoi. Stephen Coonts is a rare breed of author. Some say similar to Tom Clancy but Stephen Coonts really "knows". You can tell he was there and back. The movie didn't bend his book and so it turns out as a very very accurate representation of Vietnam as well. Being an aviation buff, I like the aerial scenes a lot more than Top Gun. The triple-A fire and SAM explosions looks a little fake(poor effects), but the entire atmosphere, the camaraderie, the missions, are all faithful to the real thing. I find the story to be better developed than Top Gun as well. If you liked Top Gun, watch this, if you hated Top Gun, try this, if you like war movies, watch this. But if you only go for the sleazy Hollywood productions, re-watch TopGun instead. This is such a great book that I held high hopes for an equally great film. Alas, the film is far below the book. This thing just never gets off the carrier deck. I never developed any feelings for any of the characters. The special effects aren't particularly good. The only thing that kept my interest was the carrier launches and landings. Even Willem Dafoe, who normally does a super job, seemed almost bored in this one. I am lukewarm on this one at best.
Halrev replied
344 weeks ago