Firefox (DVD, 2002, Widescreen)

When the Russians develope a Mach 5 jet with thought controlled
weaponry, the free world needs someone to go steal it from
them to maintain the balance of power. Despite suffering from
posttraumatic stress as a result of his Vietnam experiences. Mitch Gant
(Clint Eastwood), who was once a hotshot pilot and speaks fluent Russian
is given the assignment. Nigel Hawthorne plays a Jewish dissident who
aids Gant in his mission. If you like action thrillers and Espionage or
suspense thrillers you will enjoy this one and it will fill a nights
entertainment with a good movie for sure.

This is it – the original “Firefox”, the first and arguably best of the high-speed technothrillers. Though not greatly served by the 1982 Clint Eastwood movie, “Firefox” is still a must-read that elevates the techno-thriller to fine literature.

The Plot: deceptively simple. Some time between the end of the Viet Nam war and 1982 (when Yuri Andropov still heads the KGB) the Soviets perfect the ultimate warplane – the MiG-31, NATO codenamed “Firefox”. Invisible on radar, capable of attaining speeds five times faster than sound, and driven by a thought-controlled fire-control system, the new plane easily exceeds anything on Western drawing boards. As made clear in a flurry of memos between western intelligence sources, the Soviets have left the free-world one chance to even the gap: against all odds, steal Firefox!

Until that point, “Firefox” sounds like a conventional thriller – guys in suits with medals direct warplanes and other military toys. But “Firefox” excels in its characters – chiefly that of Mitchell Gant, the American chosen to snatch the MiG. Hardly the ideal hero of your typical novel, and not quite as you’d expect a fighter-pilot to look or sound – Gant inexplicably triumphs over every challenge, including himself. Burnt out after an horrific experience in Viet Nam, Gant seemed like a man who’d never fly again – until the CIA plucks him out of obscurity and readies him for a mission with very little chance for survival. In Thomas’s uncompromising prose, Gant is a mixture of cynicism, self-destruction and conceit – he harbors less hope than his superiors do of him ever getting out of Russia alive, but never fails to take pride for his accomplishments. Thomas excels in never letting his human characters (even the secondary, or tertiary ones) get sidelined by his props. Even so, the “Firefox” itself is amazing piece of hardware – and almost becomes a character in its own right. While many technothriller authors claim that their books put you in the pilot’s seat, few have achieved that to the same degree that Thomas does here – with his deft descriptions of whipping G-Forces, dropping few levels and the other challenges of air combat. With “Firefox Down” and “Winterhawk” Thomas fashioned a loose trilogy of books starring the character of Gant – each providing more than enough reason not to miss a single Thomas novel.

PLOT: from the Cold War PAST~ Fun thriller where a stealthy aircraft called the Firefox is stolen from INSIDE THE USSR ~ DATED BUT FUN~

CLINT EASTWOOD DIRECTED, PRODUCED AND STARS IN THIS GEM~ made in 1982 so before the fall of the Iron Curtain~ full of typical Messages Eastwood likes~ but this is fun from the begining~MITCHELL GANT is a PILOT suffering from flashbacks and stress discorders~ but ends up being the key to the PLOT to remove a stealthy aircraft the Russians have just invented NOT ONLY IS THE PLANE INVISIBLE TO RADAR IT HAS THOUGHT CONTROLLED GUIDANCE WHICH CAN GIVE THE RUSSIANS A MAJOR ADVANTAGE IN THE BALANCE OF POWER~ ~ As Gant is taken into Russia the fun is watching HIS switch with a DRUG DEALER and then is moved to another location where is will be taken into the ULTRA SECRET AND HEAVILY GUARDED center where the "FIREFOX" IS KEPT~ along the way we MEET some JEWISH scientiests who help the "cause" knowing they will die for their help in the plot but are DISGUST OF THE KGB is more than their fear of death~ clever plot twists as we see Gant end up "removing " the Firefox and the fun begins as he cleverly FLIES UP AND DOWN THE USSR on his way to get out~ I AM SURE THE SPECIAL EFFECTS WERE CUTTING EDGE IN 1982 but are now dated but the clever plot KEEP US GLUED~ ADDED TWIST IS THE UNEXPECTED **SECOND BACK UP FIREFOX** suddenly on Gants Tail~SO HE HAS TO DO A HIGH TECH DOG FIGHT IN THE AIR USING HIS BRAIN TO TELL THE PLANE IN *RUSSIAN* HOW TO FIGHT~ I GIVE IT A 9 OUT OF 10 for Eastwood Thrills and GREAT but dated plot~

IF YOU FOUND THIS REVIEW HELPFUL PLEASE REMEMBER TO VOTE~

This is, in my opinion, Eastwood's best role ever. He really makes his character believable. You will get caught up in his portrayal of a man haunted by his role in war. I saw this movie first in a theater when it came out years ago. I bought a VHS tape of it when it hit the market. After watching it several times, I lost the tape. Now I have bought a DVD so I can see it again! Believe me, you will want to see it again and again over the years. Besides Clint's excellent acting, there are the fantastic scenes where Eastwood's character is being pursued in his stolen Russian plane by a Russian fighter pilot in an identical super high-tech plane, intent on killing him. Watch it on a big screen tv for the best thrills. Awesome movie!

Exciting cold-war action flick pitting Clint Eastwood as a burned-out, Vietnam era fighter jockey against the entire armed forces of the Soviet Union. Clint must elude the KGB, penetrate a top security military base, steal the hottest new Mig ever and defeat Russian radar, SAM's, ships and security forces in a mad dash over the top of the Iron Curtain.

Some of the special effects are a little cheesy...but the drama is cutting edge and with Clint at the stick, you know he's going to make it...you're just not quite sure how.

Siskelovich and Ebertsky might give it two thumbs up but I'd rate it 4 1/2 bright red Russian stars.