Top Secret! (1984)

TOP SECRET! is another hugely enjoyable movie spoof from David Zucker and Jim Abrahams, the guys who made AIRPLANE! and THE NAKED GUN; this nestles neatly between the two. It's a scattershot, laugh-a-minute gag fest that sees an unorthodox hero (Val Kilmer, amusing enough, and who'd have thought he could sing too?) battling against an evil Nazi organisation in East Germany. The film was made as a spoof of spy thrillers and war films, so expect lots of zany antics and cliches that play out with unexpected results. The film is full of slapstick humour and the kind of surreal sight gags that worked so well in these movies. Alongside Kilmer, such luminaries as Peter Cushing, Michael Gough, Jeremy Kemp and Omar Sharif are happy to play themselves up, and it's so much fun that the running time belts past.

I remember watching this film on some old cranky VHS somewhere in 1988- 1989, with some 'orrible Russian dubbing, but it was so hilarious, we split sides laughing and almost screaming with giggles. Young and handsome Val Kilmer seemed so cool and nonchalant there, that we all simply tried to imitate his gimmicks and we all dwelt on repeating some of the craziest and funniest routine of the movie. Years later, I finally watched this one in English. Yeah, much of fun is still there and cameo by Omar Shariff is excellent, but still, some of the older magic is gone. Some gags ran stale, some jokes look vapid, some routine seems banal and not good even for a parody spoof film. The ZAZ team did a fine job. Yeah, some films lose charm, some stay the test of time. This on is 50/50, as some of the jokes grew rotten. But still, it can be watched

This is a comedy-spoof from Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, featuring Val Kilmer in his film debut. It is an outrageously funny parody of World War II spy movies in which American rock singer Nick Rivers (Kilmer) visits East Germany to perform, but ended up getting caught in the middle of a communist German plot aimed at forcing scientist Dr. Paul Flammond (Michael Gough) in making ultimate super-weapon, the Polaris Mine. Rivers and Flammond's daughter Hillary (Lucy Gutteridge) join the French Resistance, whose members have the most clever and hilarious sounding names you've ever heard, to rescue the doctor and foil the plot.At only 90 minutes long, this movie is stuffed with non-stop laughs and outrageous gags one after the other, from the Resistance members doing the tap dance right in the middle of a gun fight, to the underwater fight in a saloon between Nick and the main villain. From start to finish, this spoof that will send tears to your eyes and have you horse laughing from all the surprise gags, film and cultural parodies and funny dialog.With all the jokes and comedy in abundance, you wouldn't want to treat this movie seriously. The characters, however, seem to treat their "mission" seriously, giving this movie a fast-paced plot, no unnecessary fillers, and a fun story nonetheless. Kilmer did a great job in his first motion picture acting performance, as well as the host of other actors, providing us a thoroughly entertaining movie with comedy that just flows naturally, for a spoof, rather than force, slapstick nonsensical stuff.Overall, it's some of Abraham and the Zuckers' best work. It'll lift your spirits and keep you laughing all day.Grade A

"Top Secret" makes a goofy parody on the popular spy movies of the 1940's combining with some of the humor of the 1980's, and it's so dated that can only cause one or two haha's in the audience. Won't even bother detailing the messy plot. Really. Not funny. Maybe two or three jokes. That's it.Charismatic as usual, Val Kilmer delivers some fun while his leading lady has some appeal but we never heard from her again, so who cares; Michael Gough is the coolest guy of the film playing a scientist while Peter Cushing, in one of his final roles, is outrageously reduced to a part that consists of speaking in another language pretending to be German and you don't have a clue of what's he saying (at least in the version I've watched, I don't know if there's something understandable about his character). One of the main reasons I didn't enjoyed this is probably my current dislike in brainless movies that makes parodies on another movies. There's so much of them now, like Aaron Seltzer's flicks (I don't even bother in watch them, but every time I'm bombarded with more and more trailers of their upcoming projects), they're not funny anymore, and this one was quite sleepy, tedious, with few good parts (only the sexual jokes work). The ZAZ trio (Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker) at one time was the greatest team to make such movies and they were very good, being "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun" their biggest comical efforts. "Top Secret" is a big disappointment that consists of giving objects random purposes, characters falling to pieces like a jar crashing on the floor and ruthless scenes that don't cause any kind of amuse on us.And please, answer me this: in what year the story takes place? Everything looks so 1940's, Nazi German, but then there's this rock idol (Kilmer) who sings surf rock from the 1960's and there's devices and cultural references of the 1980's. It's so bloody confusing. Why bother, anyway? Endure for one hour and a half into a pile of wasted things is something to be treasured here and I don't suggest you to look for this. Comedies must accomplish more than a dozen of cheap laughters. 3/10