Firefox (1982)

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

I can see how some might think it becomes slow at times but I was so immersed in the suspense I did not notice it. The script, screen writing, and acting were all top notch. The action at the end is tough to beat. Better than any other spy thriller I have seen before. Highly recommend.

Continuing my plan to watch every Clint Eastwood movie in order, I come to Firefox (1982)Plot In A Paragraph: A former army pilot (Eastwood) is sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter that can be partially controlled by a neuralinkThis is, is a total snooze fest for me. I'm sure it may have its fans here, but it does nothing for me. I enjoy slow burning espionage thrillers, and I love Clint Eastwood, so it's some surprise that I don't enjoy this one. It's just so dull and dreary. I remember my Dad rented this and Blue Thunder (Roy Schieder) on video on the same day, when I was younger and his response was "What a waste of money that was!! They were both shi*t!!"The less said about Clint's characters post traumatic stress syndrome the better!! The CIA man who recruits him explains that the government isn't much worried, because you don't have the syndrome while you're in combat, you see, but only afterwards.Firefox grossed $46 million at the domestic box office to end the year as the 15th highest grossing movie of 1982.

Title: Firefox Condensed Storyline: An American pilot is sent into the USSR to steal a prototype of a jet which is controlled by a mental linkNotable Acting: This is in no way the best Clint Eastwood movie, but it isn't the worst movie he's done either. In the eyes of fans it leans towards the latter end of the spectrum. Everyone else feels like they are given secondary character syndrome, where I would like to see more of them to assess their acting, but the movie knows this and shows me less of them. Noticeable Camera work: I saw a couple of birds eye shots for when people are talking in their war rooms along with a quick worms eye when Gant is killing the KGB officer. There aren't all too many creative shots, they are mostly just your standard run of the mill shots, but I will let that go as this is an older movie. Incorrect Science: After the Firefox is stolen, General Vladimirov explains that "in order to maximize fuel, Gant would have to control his speed and fly low to conserve fuel". This is almost completely true. The controlling speed part is true, but flying low is completely incorrect as the air is denser closer to the ground, this is why all aircrafts fly high as the air is less dense the higher you go. This is why it is harder for climbers to breath the higher they climb. The altimeter in the Firefox shows the Mercury levels in inches, Russians didn't use inches, they used millimeters. The other reason the Americans want the Firefox is because it can reach speeds of Mach 5&6, whereas the American jets "melt" when they go past Mach3. The SR-71 Blackbird can go faster than Mach 3.4 and they were introduced in 1966. Looking at shape the Firefox it isn't aerodynamic enough to reach those speeds, it also runs using turbine engines, the maximum a turbine engine can reach is Mach 3.4. So the shape and engines of Firefox are what prevent it from going any faster. Seeing as its science fiction I will not touch upon the fact that the USSR has knowledge of neurotechnology in 1977 that bests that of knowledge in 2014. Overall Feel: One of your typical cold war USSR vs US movies, the premise of the movie is good, but the camera quality is sorely dated. I personally would love to see a modern remake of the movie set in the modern day. It would make the storyline more believable as in the 80's they were still using VCRs and massive cellphones. Today we have people working on neurotechnology for all sorts of applications, including military applications, we also have technology to build such feats of engineering that Firefox would require. But needless to say, this is a great classic action, sci-fi thriller that everyone should watch. The camera work isn't all too creative, but older movies didn't think that creative angles would make films better. This film may be older, but it is a great movie regardless of its age and most of it holds up great for today, sadly some parts of the camera quality do not hold up as good, but it is still a great viewing experience overall.