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It is certainly bizarre, in the current historical moment where the news reports the latest from the war in Ukraine, to go back and watch a film like "Firefox," dating back to the Cold War era. Moreover, it is not one of Clint Eastwood's best works. But it allows me to reconsider a typical action film and to make some technical and more general observations.
Released in 1982 during a less than idyllic phase in the relations between the USA and USSR (even then, a recurring leitmotif between the two nations), the film is characterized mainly by an insistent propagandistic tone that somewhat weighs down the rhythm and action of the work. Here Clint Eastwood, known for his liberal-conservative sentiments, plays Mitchell Gant, a U.S. Air Force major still shaken by unpleasant memories of his past service during the Vietnam War. He would therefore have every right to enjoy a well-deserved rest after such dedication, but unfortunately, something goes awry internationally. Specifically, the high command of the Yankee army is aware of the existence of a new Soviet aircraft model, named Firefox, which is ultra-sophisticated. It would not only be incredibly fast but also invisible to radar and so advanced that it could only be piloted by someone who speaks, thinks, and acts like a... Russian! Incredible but made true by cinematic fiction which, not satisfied with that, also presents us with the inevitability of having to bother poor Mitchell Gant because he is the son of a Russian mother (and to look at the good Clint, the somatic traits aren't exactly Slavic but rather typical of a Texan with icy eyes..).
After swallowing such a whopper (well, what we do in the name of cinematic art!), we watch Gant's dispatch under the guise of an American businessman already in dealings with the world beyond the Iron Curtain, no less than to the USSR, where, with the aid of some Soviet moles, he must enter the Bilyarsk airbase and seize the new Firefox fighter there. To get there, there will be no shortage of adventurous vicissitudes and dark plot twists (in the series of blatant obtuseness of Russian customs officials, savasansdire..) but our hero succeeds (of course..). And so the control at the airbase is worthless, with both simple-minded soldiers who speak their native Russian and Soviet officials who converse among themselves in Russian-accented English (a nice Tower of Babel..).
Mitchell Gant inevitably boards the coveted Firefox fighter, which resembles a sort of gray ironing board with wings and lacks the stylistic appeal typical of any Russian artifact, and begins a thrilling escape in the skies of the Northern Hemisphere. You can well imagine that, pursued by another Firefox prototype aircraft piloted by a Soviet aviator, Mitchell Gant will make quite a splash (how could it be otherwise?). And with these premises, the end is rather predictable, and the musical commentary is grandiose and befitting the customary happy ending.
As I hinted, this is not one of the best performances from the old Clint among the richly varied array of significant works in his long career as a director and actor. Certainly, without too many expectations, one can choose to watch this film on a lazy Saturday evening while sunk in an armchair at home and munching on some popcorn. However, some considerations can be sketched out.
Meanwhile, staying in the realm of action cinema, an actor who was already seasoned and mature like Eastwood is still a guarantee of good acting quality, unlike other actors who were in vogue in the '80s like Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Cruise, who could boast just greater physical vigor but not similar dramatic skill. Moreover, in this film, the plot is pure action just as one might find in any work of the James Bond 007 saga, and Clint Eastwood, in his best days, would have had the necessary physique du role for the part. But, and this is my impression, even though he is a dashing man, he never characterized himself as a serial seducer like all the actors (from Sean Connery onwards) engaged in being 007. After all, the old Clint has always seemed a bit like a handsome monogamous man (at least it seems so to me..).
Finally, a more general observation about this typical Cold War atmosphere film genre. If we stay within the cinematic realm, the war event is represented so intensely that it exerts an undeniable fascination on the viewer. One almost has the perception of being immersed in a gigantic video game, with hypnotic special effects. This is undeniably a quality of American cinematography, so rich in memorable war-themed titles. But this suggested a thought to my father (a young soldier in the Second World War, he had seen the war) whenever we left the cinema where we had watched some American war-themed film, and he would remind me how well the theme was handled by the Yankee director. But then (and I quote him verbatim), "in the real execution of a war event, everyone, even the American soldiers, suffers and can succumb in battle, because in war, there are no clear winners or losers." Words of great wisdom, still relevant today and not to be forgotten.
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