Touches You

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Awesome Movie

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Don't expect outdated special effects - they are great! Just like with all the spy movies that I've seen, I have no idea what this one is about either, but I stay for the great action scenes, the hot actor and maybe some surprises along the way. And lo and behold, this movie doesn't let me down. The culmination is EVERYTHING! The flying scenes are better than Top Gun, released several years later. It's highly polished visual effects art.

I saw this at the movies in 1982 (I was 7 yrs old) and remember being exhilarated. I still think it's a good film (although biased due to nostalgia). But passing himself off as a Russian officer with an American accent is silly; Mitchell Gant (Clint Eastwood) knows Russian (evidenced by him activating the Firefox's weapons)...it would've been better if the Russian characters when speaking among themselves spoke Russian (with English subtitles). And the music could've been better (I don't like Maurice Jarre - admittedly I haven't heard all his music). Someone else's IMDb review criticized the special effects but I think they're okay. Firefox is well edited and nicely structured; it's got violence, suspense, aerial combat, cold war intrigue; a psychologically wounded protagonist, explosions, a cool underground train station, an awesome plane (or two); helicopters, a submarine, a battle ship and war rooms. It's like the James Bond film Octopussy (without sexuality) crossed with The Empire Strikes Back's air-to-air combat scenes on the planet Hoth. Is that good or bad? Let's just say that Firefox is a memorable film.

I have made it a mission almost to see every single film the leading actor and director of this has ever done, and I heard about this one, with a title not to be confused with the web browser, directed by Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby). Basically a highly advanced Soviet fighter aircraft, MiG-31, NATO code name "Firefox", has been developed, it is capable of Mach 6 speed, it is invisible to radar, and carries weapons controlled by thought. The British have heard rumours of a plot being devised to steal the jet and use it as a first- strike weapon, former United States Air Force Major Mitchell Gant (Clint Eastwood), a Vietnam veteran and former POW, is brought in and given the mission to locate and steal the Firefox, and bring it back to friendly territory for analysis. The KGB has got wind of the operation and in pursuit of Gant, he only remains a step ahead of them because of sympathisers, he reaches the air base at Bilyarsk, where the Firefox prototype is under heavy guard, Dr. Pyotr Baranovich (Nigel Hawthorne), one of the scientists, informs Gant that there is a second prototype that must be destroyed. Gant knocks out Soviet pilot Lieutenant Colonel Voskov (Kai Wulff), who was assigned to take the first prototype on its maiden flight, scientists attempt to destroy the second prototype to give Gant the chance to suit up and start the first fighter, but the scientists are killed by the guards and do not destroy the second prototype, but Gant manages to escape the hangar and lifts off. Evading attempts from the Soviets to stop him, Gant barely reaches the Arctic and lands to refuel, he makes a rendezvous with a U.S. submarine, however his refusal to kill Voskov means the Soviet pilot flies the second prototype to seek and destroy him. Gant and Voskov engage in an air battle, Gant barely manages to fire one of the rearward missiles, he destroys Voskov's plane, and satisfied no other Soviet forces chasing him, Gant begins his flight to safety. Also starring Freddie Jones as Kenneth Aubrey, David Huffman as Captain Buckholz, Warren Clarke as Pavel Upenskoy, Ronald Lacey as Semelovsky, Kenneth Colley as Colonel Kontarsky, Klaus Löwitsch as General Vladimirov, Stefan Schnabel as First Secretary, Thomas Hill as General Brown, Clive Merrison as Major Lanyev and Dimitra Arliss as Natalia. Eastwood is okay playing the disillusioned flier and the only man to do the job of stealing the new Russian jet, some the supporting cast are alright, I agree with critics, as director Clint's heart doesn't seem to be fully in it, the flying and attack sequences in the fighter are the most decent moments, but overall it is a boring thriller. Adequate!

Clint Eastwood plays Vietnam veteran Mitchel Grant, an expert pilot recruited for a top secret mission: to steal an experimental Soviet jet, that can evade radar, from the Soviet Union, and fly it back to American waters. The mission has many risks, though many allies in the Soviet Union help Grant, even at risk to their own lives.Though the film has many exciting aerial chase and dogfight scenes, and an interesting idea, it goes on too long, and only comes to life near the climax. Not to mention, the premise is highly unlikely in the first place, as it seems stupid to steal the plane, and not be worried about the consequences? At the very least, this would cause a huge international incident, possibly a war. Wouldn't American and British forces be better served by building their own Firefox, rather than undertaking such a risky mission? This problem is glossed over, harming its credibility, though it isn't bad really, but it does fall short.