Sordid Cinema Podcast #555: Feel the Need, the Need for Speed

It’s been more than three decades since Tony Scott’s aerial action drama first flew into theaters and Tom Cruise took our breath away as Lt. Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell. It was May 16, 1986, to be exact when Top Gun was released and inspired moviegoers around the world to put on aviator shades, bomber jackets and try their best to walk and talk like Maverick! Say what you will about Top Gun —you can’t deny the movie was incredibly influential and helped reshape Hollywood action movies moving forward. It made Cruise a superstar and was the start of a hugely successful partnership between Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer. And despite its initial mixed critical reaction, the film was also a huge commercial hit grossing $356 million stateside against a production budget of only US$15 million. There’s plenty of reasons to love Top Gun and on this episode of the Sordid Cinema podcast, we’ll tell you why.