Since man learned to fly, we’ve been obsessed with the idea of what it would be like to be a pilot. We could zip around the sky with little to no barriers on where we could go. With Top Gun: Maverick hitting theaters we’re starting to get nostalgic about the original Top Gun and what it was like to see the POV from the cockpit that Tony Scott strategically staged to get the audience’s blood pumping. If you need another hit of that adrenaline after leaving the theater, here are more films to take you to the sky or put you in the fast lane to get your heart beating. What are some of the best movies like Top Gun?
If the Soviet Union in the 1980s has developed an experimental fighter jet that can be controlled by pure thought, who do you send in to steal it for the good ole US of A? Clint Eastwood of course. He is the best pilot in the world and luckily on our side. Clint Eastwood directed and starred in this high-flying action-adventure which boasted some cutting edge special effects and fun modern sci-fi concepts for two countries embroiled in the Cold War.
Coming out the same year as Top Gun, this fighter jet action film showcases a hotshot young pilot who defies all the rules. Seems weirdly familiar. Doug’s father is shot down behind enemy lines in the Middle East. When the U.S. government refuses to negotiate for his release he plans to steal a fighter jet and rescue himself. He befriends Chappy who helps turn Doug into a top-notch fighter pilot and becomes his partner in stealing government equipment. The film is a lot of fun and a great cheesy action film. It may look like a rip-off but since it was filming at the same time it just proves it’s one of the best movies like Top Gun.
Rumors were that Roy Scheider jumped into this film so that he would purposefully be unavailable to film Jaws 3D. Even if it’s not true he puts in a great performance as a helicopter pilot for the L.A. police department. He is selected as a test pilot for a brand-new experimental helicopter that is decked out with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment and deadly weapons. Scheider begins to suspect that the copter is just the beginning of militarizing the police force to be used on regular civilians. He has to decide which side of the law he wants to be on.
Oooohhhhhh Navy Seals! Thank you, Kevin Smith. While the film doesn’t deal with pilots in general it does have a lot of shots of soldiers jumping out of planes and fighting back across enemy lines. While rescuing some downed airmen the group discovers that the terrorist group has gotten their hands on some high-tech weapons that could be bad news for the U.S. It doesn’t have a lot of air combat but it does have a Navy Seal that plays by his own rules and doesn’t like being told what to do. Of course, that’s played by Charlie Sheen, who plays these characters so well because he lived his real life that way.
Tom Cruise once again got behind the flight stick in this film which is supposed to be based on a true story about Barry Seal. A pilot who would become a drug runner for the CIA and end up working with the one and only Pablo Escobar. There is not a lot of jet combat in the movie but there are a lot of tense situations as Barry tries to avoid South American armies, local law enforcement, and being killed by the drug cartel. Tom Cruise is known for doing his own stunts and he even does some of the actual flying in this film. Seeing Cruise in the cockpit again easily makes this one of the best movies like Top Gun.
How about a movie starring Nic Cage and Tommy Lee Jones as helicopter pilots from an Apache Air Combat school? After drug cartels hire one of the best combat helicopter pilots in the world to help them protect themselves against any foreign governments, they decide they need their own top-notch helicopter pilots to go on missions. The one problem is that while they are good pilots they lack real combat experience. Or course they have to learn to trust each other and fly for their lives. Who doesn’t want to see Nic Cage annoy the hell out of Tommy Lee Jones?
Pilot Chris Burnett is bored with his role in the military but on what is supposed to be a routine recon flight on Christmas Day he gets shot down. Having discovered a mass grave in war-torn Bosnia he now has to survive and escape with the information. Meanwhile, his commanding officer runs into political red tape as he tries to get a rescue mission put together to get Burnett back home. The film is a fun action movie that co-stars Gene Hackman in one of his last couple of roles before he retired from acting.
It doesn’t have anything to do with aerial combat but this re-teaming of Tom Cruise and Tony Scott once again produces a fast-paced thrill ride. Top Gun put you in the cockpit of fighter jets while this puts you in the driver’s seat of Nascar. Showing the quick thinking and white knuckle driving that takes place on the track the film keeps you engaged and the blood pumping. Tom Cruise once again plays a character that bucks the system and does things his own way while others try to reign him in to save him from himself. Even though it’s not set in the air this reteaming of Cruise and Scott makes this one of the best movies like Top Gun.
The film is set during Vietnam, pilot Jake Grafton begins to question the purpose of the bombing runs he is sent on. When his friend is killed it solidifies his beliefs. He finds an ally in this notion, and they begin to wonder if they can pull off an unsanctioned bombing run in the city of Hanoi. The cast for this one is star-studded with Danny Glover, William Dafoe, Rosanna Arquette, Tom Sizemore, and Ving Rhames. Directed by the always awesome John Milius this film questions the geopolitical issues that plagued the Vietnam war and those that fought in it.
Sometimes you just need a good spoof film to fully appreciate what you love about what the film is spoofing. Charlie Sheen shows off his comedic chops as he makes fun of Tom Cruise’s role in Top Gun. He is the best fighter pilot in the military but bucks the rules and gets himself in trouble. Other comedic talents like Cary Elwes, Jon Cryer, and comedy legend Lloyd Bridges round out the cast. It’s a lot of fun and shows that sometimes the films they are making fun of take themselves a little too seriously. If you enjoy the best movies like Top Gun but want some good laughs then this is the film for you.
What other films do you think should be on the list? Let us know in the comments below.