Rating of
2/4
FireFox has a lot of smoke but little fire.
Indyfreak - wrote on 03/10/19
Based off the novel by Craig Thomas, this spy thriller depicts an aging pilot's effort to steal a top secret fighter jet from the Russians. If you've seen any number of 1980s espionage themed movies, you kind of know how it pans out. Hero infiltrates the Soviet Union, has allies on the inside, escapes several near-death encounters with pursuers. Rinse and repeat.
Clint Eastwood not directed but starred in the lead role as Mitchell Gant who's a resourceful and appropriately seasoned protagonist. The only other noteworthy performance that becomes slightly memorable is Freddie Jones as the plot requisite expert who stays behind the scenes.
The film is competently made and the flying scenes aren't bad. But it does play out like it was based off a spy novel a tad too much for its own good. It's very talky and the action is followed by long drawn out conversations that repeat information the audience doesn't really need reminders for.
If you like spy fiction or military aviation or movies where characters speak in a lot of techno-jargon, it is worth a look. Its low-key science fiction influence makes it slightly different from Clint Eastwood's other movies.
