Shotgun

The way I feel it, "Into the Sun" consists of two partly separated parts. The first part is a drama/comedy-part, where we are introduced to the characters and where the plot starts. The unlucky Captain Paul Watkins has too take care of a rather self-loving actor called Tom Slade, who's going to learn about the life of military pilots. Even though this part of the movie is a bit entertaining, it's not what you're waiting for in a movie like this. Luckily, lots of action kicks in in the second part of the movie. That was what I had been waiting for. The action is surprisingly good for a movie like this, even if it's standard B-action with lots of explosions and evil bad guys getting asskicked.

Well this flick is just that a flick. The real stars are the f-16 and some nice air to air footage.

There are so many technical errors it's unreal. The whole premise for the shoot down I would say is inspired by the old 1980's airspace dispute with Lybia. There is no way a number of things that happen in this movie could or would happen. Because if it did Dr. Strangelove would have happened and we would be all dead.

1) No way would the USAF allow a civilian a flight in a Hot Zone area as they did just for a movie and PR. That could and would have been done in the US, just to dumb to be believed.

2) I firmly believe that NO USAF pilot would take a civilian into a combat area especially when ordered not to. The writers screwed up big time on that one would have made more sense to have them jumped over the Med. in international waters than a pilot running to the fight.

3) In the dog fight scenes you get great shots of F-16s but they are attacked by a different aircraft with each pass, from a Viggen, to a Mirage, to a A-4, gee unify how the enemy pilots can change aircraft in midair during a dogfight from 3 different countries.

4) Gee Libyan soldiers armed with M-16s another error.

5) The mercenary American pilot, gee a fighter pilot who needs corrected glasses, don't think so. especially thin dainty framed ones that could break apart in high G maneuvers of a dogfight.

The script is bearly passable. The only scene missing is the court martial and law suits.

John Waynes "Flying Tigers" with their lawnmower powered fake P-40s and campy script still beats this flick for overall enjoyment.

The only reason I have kept this flick in my collection is for the aerial shots of the planes and they are really the stars of the film.

I rented this movie only because I like Michael Pare, and the box looked nice, and (though I could've easily found something better) it wasn't bad.

Anthony Michael Hall (Just as his career was going going down the drain) and Michael Pare are well cast for their roles and the sets were well done. Hall plays a successful Hollywood megastar sent to an air force base to research his upcoming role. Pare is a pilot assigned to show him around and teach him the ropes. Pare instantly dislikes Hall, but can't back out. The two get caught up in the middle of a battle and are forced to crash land in the desert. They are then taken hostage and the movie keeps going, and going , and going. Though it was short, it felt like it was three hours, and going nowhere.

+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Casting of Hall and Pare 2.) Aerial shots 3.) The sets

• (BAD THINGS) 1.) The bad guys 2.) The length 3.) The pacing

TOTAL: 5.5/10

My review was written in November 1991 after watching the film at a Manhattan screening room.

"Top Gun" meets "The Hard Way" in the oddball comedy-adventure "Into the Sun". Film proves there's still life in flyboy pictures despite the genre spoofing of this summer's hit "Hot Shots!".

Premise inevitably recalls John Badham's "The Hard Way", a high-concept box office disappointment with New York cop James Woods reluctantly showing Michael J. Fox the ropes. This time American pilot Michael Pare is assigned to show an action movie star (Anthony Michael Hall) how to portray the real thing.

Despite dialog too reminiscent of the prior film, the new version works better because Hall is portraying an egotistical, macho method actor, rather than simply poking fun at himself the way Fox did. Pare is solid as the real McCoy and even gets to laugh and unbend a bit, compared to his usually stiff roles, as the twosome become friends.

Pic goes over the top when real-life skirmishers with unspecified Arab enemies in the Middle East break out, and Pare disobeys orders in taking the civilian into combat. Their derring-do with Hall rising to the occasion, is fun if ridiculous. Pic is an important transition effort for Hall, whose comic timing is excellent.

Roger Moore's daughter Deborah (previously billed opposite Dad in "Bullseye!" as Deborah Barrymore due to a thesp with the same last name but here christened Deborah Maria Moore), is pert and attractive but overly reserved as the romantic interest of both heroes. Reliable comedian Terry Kiser earns some big laughs as a fast-talking agent.

Handsome Linden Ashby turns in a well-crafted but strange performance, not in tune with the rest of the picture, as an unctuous renegade Yank ariman working for the Arabs.

Aerial dogfight scenes are okay, but lack the thrills of a previous drama from the same producers Kevin Kallberg and Oliver Hess, "Flight of Black Angel".

This film doesn't appear to want it's own identity. Instead it steals concepts from other, more successful films. The main theme is the turbulent relationship between Michael Pares character and Anthony Michael Halls which then evolves predictably into some sort of twisted buddy film.

If you are interested in this sort of comedy, see The Hard Way, which has a similar plot but is better paced, better scripted and better acted by James Woods and Michael J Fox.