Into the Sun

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".