Shotgun

Anthony Michael Hall plays an actor who gets into more than he bargained when he tries to learn how to fly fighter planes from Michael Pare for a new role. While the movie is predictable and not all that great it does have a few good comedic moments and does hold your interest..good lighthearted fare

on a scale of one to ten.. a 6

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".

A pilot and an actor are thrown into a life of death situation when they are shot down in enemy territory.

For the budget director Fritz Kiersch (Children of the Corn (1984) delivers some well staged and directed scenes, Steve Grass' cinematography give the real locations scope, aside from the shoehorned aerial stock footage (taken from Iron Eagle). The sets are well lit and offer some atmosphere. Writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris offer a Rambo III-like second act with the borrowed concept of The Hard Way (1991) , an actor gets thrown into a real dangerous situation with mixed results.

In amongst the bookend dogfights and compound explosions underrated Michael Paré does a good job with the paint by numbers screenplay along with likeable Anthony Michael Hall. A few familiar faces pop up including Terry Kiser, Linden Ashby, Deborah Moore and Brian Haley. Tonally it's up and down, a comedy one moment, then serious action in a flash in a bid to appease as wider audience as possible.

Ultimately, it's better than it should be, probably more rewarding than 80 percent of the films that are churned out these days, thanks to the even production and cast.

loved it because i just love watching Hall act, he's absolutely amazing and natural.

plot wise, even though i'm not an action fan, i found it interesting. of course there is cinematic substitutions and allowances, it's not going to be a spot on representation of the army or war but it still managed to capture your interest. if nothing else you'll keep watching to see what Hall's character does or says.

it can get a little confusing at times but i guess that just might have been my problem at not fully understanding where the movie was set.

a great watch, i don't know why it didn't do better in the box office.

AMH is amazing as usual, very natural actor. I am going through all of his films and am completely captivated by him.

just watch the film, it really is great.

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.