Firefox (1982)

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Excellent, a Must See

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Like Burt Lancaster before him, veteran star Clint Eastwood would often subscribe to that "one for the studio, one for me" policy. The same year that he made the more low key and personal "Honkytonk Man", he made this fairly decent espionage thriller, based on the novel by Craig Thomas. Clint also directs & produces, and stars as Mitchell Gant, a burnt-out former soldier / P.O.W. haunted by his Vietnam War experiences. He's recruited for an extremely risky mission: go behind enemy lines in Moscow, and steal the Soviets' cutting-edge new fighting plane out from under their noses. Needless to say, the mission doesn't always go smoothly.The movie is overlong, and for a while it's just not as tense (or involving) as it could and should be. But it's still an entertaining story, reasonably well told, with Clint in fine form. It really picks up once the Firefox is in the air. Then it gets pretty exciting, despite the presence of some dodgy effects. The location shooting, widescreen photography (by frequent Clint collaborator Bruce Surtees), and music (by Maurice Jarre) are all first rate.The real value with "Firefox" lies in an exemplary supporting cast. Freddie Jones may be rather eccentric, but he's consistently amusing in the part of a key exposition provider. Familiar faces such as Ronald Lacey & Wolf Kahler (both from "Raiders of the Lost Ark"), Kenneth Colley (Admiral Piett in two of the "Star Wars" movies), Nigel Hawthorne ("The Madness of King George"), David Huffman ("Blood Beach"), Dimitra Arliss ("The Sting"), and Stefan Schnabel ("The 27th Day") help to make the material more engrossing than it might have been in less capable hands. Keep your eyes peeled for John "Cliff Clavin" Ratzenberger in a small role as one of the men from the submarine.This may not be a great film, by any means, but this viewer thinks that it shows its audience a good enough time.Seven out of 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.

For some reason I cannot quite put a finger on, this movie is a must-see, and a valuable addition to "movies of depth and character" that should be on your list.Clint Eastwood, far from his very apparent physical limitations, yet just as strong as his spirited good will, as seen by his role in "Gran Torino", manages to grip us to his side and pray for a good outcome, in FireFox.The movie seems slow-going, yet...it has that magic that will make you watch it at LEAST 10 times, if not more...simply because the climax and "dénouement" make it SO WORTH the while.You have to watch it through one time before you are hopelessly and helplessly hooked to watching it again, and again...and again.

I doubt that anyone under the age of 30 will be able to appreciate this film for a number of reasons: There isn't an action scene every five minutes to keep their ADD at bay. I give the average young adult ten minutes before they're checking their Facebook status.The Cold War setting will be utterly lost on them. "What was the Cold War?".No pop music. No CGI. No token tough-as-nails female. And most of all, no moral relativism.None of this is to say that 'Firefox' is a great movie. It's not. It's merely a good one. Though it clocks in at nearly 2 1/2 hours and lacks anything resembling a traditional action sequence until late in the third act, there's no wasted motion. It's constantly moving forward. Perhaps not at a sprint, but at a steady jog for sure.Suit up and take off with 'Firefox'. It's a flight worth taking.