Cheap Firefox (DVD) (Clint Eastwood, Freddie Jones) (Clint Eastwood) Price

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Customer Reviews of Firefox

FireFox - A true Eastwood classic!
Directing and starring in this classic spy thriller from the eighties is Clint Eastwood, more generally known as the gruff "Man With No Name" in several spaghetti westerns and American westerns of his own direction. In "FireFox," Eastwood takes on a more modern and quite different role for himself, playing a former Air Force pilot who is still suffering from some rather horrific personal demons. In the genre of spy/thriller films, Eastwood's name comes to the top in this classic that is arguably one of the best! Although the pacing of this film is slightly off, I believe that to be intentional and it adds to the suspense that is inherent to the plot and a sure sign of skill on the director's part.

The premise:

Clint Eastwood plays former Air Force pilot Mitchell Gant who was shot down over Viet Nam and captured. The American and British governments have learned of a new Soviet fighter plane that will ultimately tip the scales of balance to the hand of the Soviets and decide to steal the plane with the help of the Russian Jews who have been forced to design and build it. Given Gant's heritage, a Russian mother who taught him the language and the necessity of being able to speak Russian, the American government calls him back into service.

What follows from there is an extraordinarily intriguing and suspenseful plot that compels the viewer through the story as we see Gant make his way into the Soviet Union and on his way to the airbase in which he must infiltrate and steal this ultimate weapon of war. Of particular note is how well the characterizations of the Russians were played out and believable. I've never been to Russia and I don't pretend to know how things were there during the cold war and pre-glasnost but through Eastwood's direction and the actors efforts, they quite easily bring about a "suspension of disbelief" in the story.

One minor "gripe" would be in the beginning of the movie when Gant is going through a flashback and they show him flying an F-4 Phantom and then an F-105 Thud and then roll back to the Phantom, two very distinct and different aircraft. Simply because they both had the same camouflage scheme does not mean they're the same planes and directors "should" pay closer attention to these details. While this was a minor distraction for myself, it in no way detracts from the films overall plot.

Overall, "FireFox" is worth every penny and I highly recommend this DVD as an honored addition to your DVD collection! {ssintrepid}

Special Features:

- Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1 - The sound quality for this classic is perfect!
- Making of Documentary: Clint Eastwood: Director - This is an excellent addition to the DVD with an interview from around the time of release "FireFox," covering more than just this film.
- Eastwood Film Highlights
- Theatrical Trailer

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Awesome! Firefox takes off with suspense and excitement!
This movie is one of my favorite movies. Eastwood is absolutely fantastic in his role as Mitchell Gant, and the scenes for Russian locales are very much how I thought the USSR would be like. The first half of the movie, with Gant sneaking into Russia, and the base where the Firefox is, is very suspenseful. The sleek, black, Firefox aircraft itself is an incredibly cool looking design, and one of the most realistic looking movie aircraft I've ever seen, both when it's on the ground, and flying in the air. The aerial sequences are great, and the dogfight at the end of the movie between the two Firefoxes, Gant's and a pursuing, Russian pilot's, is incredible, and as realistic as the ones in Top Gun. With all these great qualities, Firefox is a great movie that deserves far more than 5 stars. I would recomend this movie to any aircraft, espionage, or Clint Eastwood fan, and anyone who likes great movies.

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An adequate, unusual techno-thriller from Clint Eastwood
This was Clint Eastwood's second dip into the waters of the espionage thriller (the first was the awful "Eiger Sanction" back in 1975), and one of the few films he directed which relies heavily on visual effects. As a director, Eastwood seems uneasy with both modes, which go against the grain of his realistic, tough, and often stoic & silent directorial style. Nonetheless, "Firefox" works better than it should. Eastwood brings understated realism to what might have been a hopelessly hokey Cold War techno thriller, and the visual effects-laden last third is fairly exciting. However, the mixture of elements ultimately produces only an adequate film, a strange entry in Eastwood's long string of hits.

The plot is a Tom Clancy story before there were Tom Clancy stories (this is based on a novel by Craig Thomas). The Soviets (remember them?) have developed a super fighter jet, the Firefox, with thought-controlled weapons system. The Firefox threatens the balance of power in the Cold War, so NATO needs to get their hands on it, pronto. The only man who can do it is pilot Mitchell Gant (Eastwood). He speaks fluent Russian, can infiltrate the base with the help of Russian Jewish dissenters (played by Ronald Lacey, Nigel Hawthorne, and Warren Clarke), and has the skill to fly the Firefox. Only problem: Gant is highly unstable from his Vietnam experience, is prone is nasty flashbacks (a problem if you're flying a though- controlled plane!), and has done no undercover work before.

"Firefox" is overlong at 136 minutes, and tends to drag with far too many scenes of Russian and NATO boardroom arguments. The film works best in the early parts during the scenes with Lacey, Hawthorne, and Clarke, who all give fine, sentimental performances as double agents who know they are doomed but struggle on for what they know is right. In a few place, Eastwood shows traces of the later themes of the consequences of violence that would mature in "Unforgiven" and "Mystic River." Eastwood himself is fairly good in the role, avoiding any "Dirty Harry" clichés or relying too much on his tough guy image, but he does look rather silly in his undercover disguise scenes.

Nonetheless, it does seem to take forever until the last third, where the Firefox tries to blaze an almost hopeless escape trail out of the Soviet Union, with another Firefox prototype on its tail. The effects (by John Dysktra of "Star Wars" fame) are zippy and fantastic, but any human element left in the film pretty much bails out at this point. Enjoy the planes, enjoy the speed, enjoy Clint just staring out the window and not moving much. It's fairly exciting, but when it's all over, you'll feel a bit let down.

The DVD, like most Warner Bros. discs in the Clint Eastwood Collection, looks very good, and the sound is 5.1. But also like most Warner Bros. discs in the Clint Eastwood Collection, there are no extras.