Firefox (1982) Reviews

• Chilling Atmospheric Espionage Thriller

  eworrall2004-11-01

  Clint Eastwood plays Michael Gant, a burnt out veteran sent into the Soviet Union on a desperate mission to steal the greatest warplane ever built. Minimal training, mental problems, murderous allies, constant danger. His only qualification - he speaks Russian, he knows how to fly and he fits the flight suit. What I like most about Firefox is how it really puts you in Clint Eastwood's shoes. His character Gant is no super spy - he's a war veteran suffering severe mental problems as a result of his POW experiences. At every twist and turn of the plot the movie captures his tension and fear. His inexperience and mistakes endanger him repeatedly. His only protection - a thin, unravelling web of deception and a fickle KGB desire to observe a little before pouncing. A must see for fans of atmospheric espionage films and Clint Eastwood.

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• Something different for Eastwood

  LuboLarsson2006-09-04

  Firefox isn't your usual Eastwood film, he's almost branching out into Star Wars territory here with this Sci-Fi heavy Cold War Spy thriller. The effects like every 80's film have dated badly but for a movie made in 1982 they are rather good. Eastwood directs himself in what is a pretty average performance by his own high standards. The majority of the cast is made up by British character actors. Warren Clarke is really good but Freddie Jones and Nigel Hawthorne are pretty hammy. Also Raiders of the Lost Ark fans can spot Ronald Lacey playing Semelovsky a Jewish scientist. The first half of the film is a spy thriller and can be pretty nail biting at times as Clint gets his papers checked at regular intervals. Also he's suffering from the same post Vietnam War disorder that John Rambo had in First Blood and that really adds to the tension. The second half is more like Star Wars and is really great stuff. So better ice up at a cold one and enjoy Firefox for what it is, Cold War entertainment at it's best.

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• Clint flies a really cool plane

  BroadswordCallinDannyBoy2006-02-15

  During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet military develops a super high-tech fighter aircraft - it flies fast, has deadly weapons, and has technology that allows the pilot to control guided missiles with his mind. Basically any army with this baby in its arsenal will have air superiority. Clint is assigned to steal it from the heart of Soviet territory for the USA. The plot is fairly generic and in this day and age most Cold War thrillers have seem to have lost much of their edge, but this is nonetheless an entertaining film from Eastwood. It is not one of his best and not one that he will be remembered for, but no one can deny the slickness of the plane of the title. The final section of the film, which admittedly does take a while to get to, has Clint flying around and raising hell is a fun ride and on par with the final chase in "Where Eagles Dare" in terms of entertainment. However, the buildup has enough suspense to make the whole movie worth a watch. 7/10 Rated PG: violence

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• Clint vs. The Evil Empire

  TOMASBBloodhound2004-09-12

  Every big star makes a few films like this one. Firefox is a film that many will declare is for "Eastwood fans only". That is probably an accurate statement. Looking at Firefox, you can see a film that suffers from awkward pacing, poor effects by today's standards, and some rather hammy performances by some of the supporting cast. Still, I find myself in the precarious position of having to recommend this film to all of you. Firefox is not by any means a classic. It is however a nice snap-shot of a society so paranoid that its very existence almost suffocated its citizens. I am of course talking about the most murderous regime in modern history. The USSR. If anyone doubts this, please keep in mind that Stalin alone is credited with nearly 3X as many murders during his watch as Hitler. The first hour or so of this film has Clint Eastwood sneaking around and being led around the Soviet Union by a network of underground spies. They are trying to get him out to a top-secret air base so he can steal a prototype of the most advanced fighter jet ever built before the Soviets can mass-produce it. Most viewers seem to find this first hour pretty boring, and maybe they are right. Other than Clint walking through parks, hastily jumping on trains, and hitching rides in delivery trucks, not much happens. I don't think the first hour is a total waste, though. In it, we get an incredible feel for just how oppressive the USSR was back then. At almost every turn there are slimy KGB agents in cheap leather jackets jumping out and demanding "papers" from anybody unlucky enough to be out in public at that time. I lost count of how many times people were forced to show their "papers" in that first hour. The paranoia of the Soviet government is well on display in these scenes. Once Clint gets to the plane, the movie takes off: literally. Clint is then forced to fly the plane out of Soviet air space and find a re-fueling spot in the Arctic Ocean where a US sub will be waiting for him. Even though this plane is impossible to detect on radar, it's still a difficult task to avoid all the other Soviet aircraft and ships. Clint also gets into a dogfight with another Firefox which is sent up after him. Since the effects involving these planes look dated, you have to suspend your disbelief and just sit back and enjoy it all as best you can. I liked most of the acting in this film. Freddie Jones was over-the-top, though. Clint was about as timid as I've ever seen him, but he was supposed to be. His character suffers from constant flashbacks of his Vietnam days where he had been shot down and held prisoner for a while. You have to wonder why such an unbalanced man would be chosen for such an important mission, but they at least try to explain that early on. It seems that the Air Force believes Clint's condition only occurs when he's on the ground, but we find that not to be the case once he's in the dogfight with a more experienced Soviet Col. Warren Clarke (who you might remember as the big dumb lug in Alex's gang in A Clockwork Orange) is outstanding as the primary underground spy who helps Clint get where he needs to go. I also loved that dirty old Soviet "First Secretary" who threatens Clint once he steals the plane. Those hapless individuals who played the Jewish scientists at the air base were very good in their roles, also. If you love Eastwood and haven't seen this film, please do. If you don't really care about him but want to take a closer look at the old USSR, this will work for you, too. I'll give it 8 of 10 stars. Clint, you should have killed that Soviet Col. when you had the chance in the locker room!!!! So sayeth the Hound.

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• Espionage story about a pilot who goes behind Iron Curtain to steal a fabulous jet fighter

  ma-cortes2011-10-01

  This thrilling and intriguing movie is set during Cold War , the URSS has developed a high-tech jet called MiG-31 that can be partially controlled by a neuralink . The Soviets have made a sophisticated aircraft , the latest aeronautic marvel that flies at 6 times the speed of sound, is invulnerable to radar, and worst of all it has a lethal technological weapons system that the pilot can control through cerebral waves and thought . As soon as the pilot detects a threat - either visually or a scope - his brain impulses will direct a missile to that threat , without so much as pushing a button . The American fighter pilot assigned by Secret Service (Freddie Jones) is the Vietnam veteran named Mitchell Gant (Clint Eastwood), a burned-out USAF ace pilot, is smuggled into the USSR to infiltrate the Russian airbase at Bilyarsk, where the supersonic fighting plane Firefox/MiG-31 is being terminated , he must rob it and avoid the mass production that would give the Russians a huge advance . Officer Mitchell Gant goes behind Russian lines and faces a dangerous assignment . In Russia is helped by various secret agents (Warren Clarke, Nigel Hawthorne , Ronald Lacey) against KGB (Hugh Frazer , David Gant) and Soviet officials ( Kenneth Colley ,Oliver Cotton , Klaus Lowitsch ) . Eastwood directs , produces and plays this exciting film about a pilot sent into the Soviet Union on a mission to steal a prototype jet fighter . This overlong picture takes a while to take off , but when it does , it's cool film . It contains suspense , thrills , intrigue , action-packed and is pretty entertaining . Spectacular aerial pursuits and dogfighting in ¨Star Wars¨ style created by FX expert John Dykstra who made special visual effects in several films such as ¨Galactica , Star Trek ,Batman , Spiderman , X men and Hanckock ¨. Ample support cast full of prestigious British actors who make good performances as as Freddie Young , Kenneth Colley , Stefan Schnabel , David Huffman , Nigel Hawthorne , Warren Clarke and Ronal Lacey , among them . Colorful and appropriate cinematography by Bruce Surtees ,son of great cameraman Robert Surtess and Eastwood's usual . Thrilling and suspenseful score by the maestro Maurice Jarre . Rating : Acceptable and passable but slow-moving and over lengthy .

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