Firefox (1982)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Craig Thomas (novel)
Alex Lasker (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

18 June 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Thriller | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

His job...Steal it.

Plot:

A pilot is sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter that can be partially controlled by a neuralink

Plot Keywords:

Soviet Union | Jet Fighter | Russia | Fighter Plane | Refueling

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Mitchell Gant
Freddie Jones	...	Kenneth Aubrey
David Huffman	...	Captain Buckholz
Warren Clarke	...	Pavel Upenskoy
Ronald Lacey	...	Semelovsky
Kenneth Colley	...	Colonel Kontarsky
Klaus Löwitsch	...	General Vladimirov
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Pyotr Baranovich
Stefan Schnabel	...	First Secretary
Thomas Hill	...	General Brown
Clive Merrison	...	Major Lanyev
Kai Wulff	...	Lt. Colonel Voskov
Dimitra Arliss	...	Natalia
Austin Willis	...	Walters
Michael Currie	...	Captain Seerbacker

Runtime:

136 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Spain:T | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | USA:PG (certificate #26725) | West Germany:16 | New Zealand:PG | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1982) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Cut Bank, Montana, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

Author Craig Thomas' sequel to "Firefox", the novel "Firefox Down", is dedicated to Clint Eastwood.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After one of the metro trains pulls out of the station in 'Moscow', the German word 'KURZZUG' (=short train) is clearly visible on the wall behind it - indicating that a German-speaking country (in fact Austria) was used to double for the USSR.

Quotes:

RAF operator: Sir! Radar tracking reports signs of a staggered sector scramble, Northern and Southern boarder squadrons, Red Air Force. Heavy coded trafic between Biliysk and the Red Banner Fleet. Predicted activity indicates a definite lift off!
Buckholz: He's up! Great mother of god, he's up!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Twisted (1986)

" Boy . . . . is this a machine! "

In the 1970's, when the Cold War was still something to be feared, a Russian pilot flew his new proto-type jet to an American base in Japan. By the time the story became the novel by Craig Thomas, the incident had become international memories. The fact it occurred became the basis for the film, " Fire Fox." In this movie we have Mitchell Gant, (Clint Eastwood) a troubled American Viet-Nam vet who's nightmarish dreams haunt his secluded life in the Alaskan wilderness. He is reluctantly recruited by Captain Buckholz (David Huffman) a fellow pilot from American's Agressor squadron and Professor Kenneth Aubrey (Freddie Jones) to secretly enter Russia and fly the new Mig-31 jet, which has so many new features, it could tilt the balance of world power. The insane catch? He has to steal it! The litany of stars such as Warren Clarke who plays Pavel Upenskoy and (Ronald Lacey; Raiders of the Lost Ark) who is Semelovsky, along with Kenneth Colley who is believable as Colonel Kontarsky and my favorite, Klaus Löwitsch who is the tactician General Vladimirov and Nigel Hawthorne who is surprisingly impressive as Pyotr Baranovich. Clint Eastwood stars and directs this dramatic spy thriller which should have garnered more attention than it did. Perhaps it's because the Cold War was waning and the audiences like the war weary world wanted a change of pace. Nevertheless, for all it's faults, it proves to be a good film. ****