As I indicated in my previous post, I’ve been scouring streaming channels for 80’s nostalgia, specifically cold war nostalgia. I wasn’t able to stream Clint Eastwood’s Firefox and had to actually purchase a digital copy from Apple TV.
Firefox (1982) is three movies in one: a Vietnam war veteran’s recovery story, a cold war spy story, and a heart-pounding Top Gun worthy dogfight finale. Despite his PTSD episodes, Clint Eastwood is chosen by the US government to sneak into the Soviet Union and steal an advanced prototype fighter jet called the MIG-31 (not to be confused with the actual MIG-31) that requires the pilot to “think in Russian” to operate its weapons.
Firefox does not make light of its subject matter, particularly the human costs of the Vietnam War and the undercover spies tasked with sneaking Clint Eastwood behind the Iron Curtain. Its dark subject matter is lightened occasionally with humor, especially when the stolen fighter jet lands in the Arctic to be refueled by a “weather balloon expedition”.
Aside from its star, the cast is largely unknown; however, Star Wars fans will recognize actor Kenneth Colley- Admirial Piett in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi- as the Soviet Colonel Kontarsky who leads the effort to prevent the prototype from being stolen.
I enjoyed Firefox as a teenager and enjoyed watching it again. Although the novelization of Firefox spawned a sequel, a second movie was never made.
What 1980’s movies do you enjoy re-watching?
