Into the Sun (1991) User Reviews

A suprisingly ok film

[goya-4 · 6/10 · 9 September 2000]

Anthony Michael Hall plays an actor who gets into more than he bargained when he tries to learn how to fly fighter planes from Michael Pare for a new role. While the movie is predictable and not all that great it does have a few good comedic moments and does hold your interest..good lighthearted fare

on a scale of one to ten.. a 6

It's fun

[sveknu · 6/10 · 15 May 2005]

The way I feel it, "Into the Sun" consists of two partly separated parts. The first part is a drama/comedy-part, where we are introduced to the characters and where the plot starts. The unlucky Captain Paul Watkins has too take care of a rather self-loving actor called Tom Slade, who's going to learn about the life of military pilots. Even though this part of the movie is a bit entertaining, it's not what you're waiting for in a movie like this. Luckily, lots of action kicks in in the second part of the movie. That was what I had been waiting for. The action is surprisingly good for a movie like this, even if it's standard B-action with lots of explosions and evil bad guys getting asskicked.

The (intentional?) homo-eroticism makes up for the B standard plot

[Sinus_Felina · 4/10 · 2 May 2010]

The short version: "Story about a Hollywood actor and the relationship he forms with a top Air Force pilot in preparing for a role." Indeed.

Competing protagonists - looking like models - in sexy uniforms, plus double entendres in every second line? Reminds you of something? What might be unintentional in Top Gun, is almost certainly not so here. Or is it just the ambiguousness of the early 90's? It's actually lampshaded by Tom Slade (Hall) when he asks Shotgun (Paré) what's with all the entendres and penis talk at the military base (actual wording). Add a bit of unrealistic 90's action - things blow up very easily - and you know what you're in for. The villain further ups the ham factor.

Just watch it with your slash goggles on, and you'll have a great time with the cheesy lines, the manly groping, bonding, power struggle and abundance of subtext. Not to be taken seriously, but good fun.

"Move your damn leg!" "Move it!!!" "Is that it?!" "Ow." Quotes: Shotgun.

Stock footage aside, not bad.

[amesmonde · 18 November 2022]

A pilot and an actor are thrown into a life of death situation when they are shot down in enemy territory.

For the budget director Fritz Kiersch (Children of the Corn (1984) delivers some well staged and directed scenes, Steve Grass' cinematography give the real locations scope, aside from the shoehorned aerial stock footage (taken from Iron Eagle). The sets are well lit and offer some atmosphere. Writers John Brancato and Michael Ferris offer a Rambo III-like second act with the borrowed concept of The Hard Way (1991) , an actor gets thrown into a real dangerous situation with mixed results.

In amongst the bookend dogfights and compound explosions underrated Michael Paré does a good job with the paint by numbers screenplay along with likeable Anthony Michael Hall. A few familiar faces pop up including Terry Kiser, Linden Ashby, Deborah Moore and Brian Haley. Tonally it's up and down, a comedy one moment, then serious action in a flash in a bid to appease as wider audience as possible.

Ultimately, it's better than it should be, probably more rewarding than 80 percent of the films that are churned out these days, thanks to the even production and cast.

nifty planes didn't save this one.

[ctseeker · 3/10 · 6 August 2005]

Well this flick is just that a flick. The real stars are the f-16 and some nice air to air footage.

There are so many technical errors it's unreal. The whole premise for the shoot down I would say is inspired by the old 1980's airspace dispute with Lybia. There is no way a number of things that happen in this movie could or would happen. Because if it did Dr. Strangelove would have happened and we would be all dead.

1) No way would the USAF allow a civilian a flight in a Hot Zone area as they did just for a movie and PR. That could and would have been done in the US, just to dumb to be believed.

2) I firmly believe that NO USAF pilot would take a civilian into a combat area especially when ordered not to. The writers screwed up big time on that one would have made more sense to have them jumped over the Med. in international waters than a pilot running to the fight.

3) In the dog fight scenes you get great shots of F-16s but they are attacked by a different aircraft with each pass, from a Viggen, to a Mirage, to a A-4, gee unify how the enemy pilots can change aircraft in midair during a dogfight from 3 different countries.

4) Gee Libyan soldiers armed with M-16s another error.

5) The mercenary American pilot, gee a fighter pilot who needs corrected glasses, don't think so. especially thin dainty framed ones that could break apart in high G maneuvers of a dogfight.

The script is bearly passable. The only scene missing is the court martial and law suits.

John Waynes "Flying Tigers" with their lawnmower powered fake P-40s and campy script still beats this flick for overall enjoyment.

The only reason I have kept this flick in my collection is for the aerial shots of the planes and they are really the stars of the film.

Mostly waste of time

[zyllu · 3/10 · 3 February 2007]

Script is awful, screenplay ain't good... actors... well, everyone of us can scream and yell. And if you DO a movie and say that it is inspired by top films, then do it right. It's like early 80's when screenplay was lots and lots of explosions but non of realism. It's like when Watkins said that you feel a negative G, but in real world, in that situation, there you WILL feel positive G. Secondly, it made me wonder, how could one Arab country, enemy of US, use M16 in their forces. Unlogical. Thirdly, animated explosions of incoming missile and exploding planes. Well, if missile is shot behind you, why i see a incoming missile, not coming in behind, it's coming from the side. And right, combat aircraft, whatsoever, usually doesn't have bulletproof cockpit... In conclusion, if not to be so picky, if you want to see a movie that has lot of explosions and don't care that it has so many special effects that ignores rules of universe, then it may be a right movie for you. But if you want to see something realistic, then I think that it is a waste of time.

Dismal flick you really don't want to waste time on.

[gus1-2 · 1/10 · 15 December 2007]

This is a shockingly bad 'action adventure' with an almost entirely unknown cast, ludicrously conceived plot, and some of the worst ham acting I've ever seen. It starts badly, the middle part is very poor indeed, and it really tails off towards the end. 'Into the sun' seems to flit between attempting 'Top Gun' homage and 'Private Benjamin' military satire, although to mention it in the same breath as these movies is to lavish praise upon it and I really wouldn't want to do that. Willing suspension of disbelief aside, the plot is just too implausible to be either funny enough to qualify as comedy, or realistic and exciting enough to be an action adventure. Mixed together with some truly mediocre acting and a handful of stock footage (no doubt purchased cheaply from the US air force) this makes for some pretty tiresome viewing.

If I had to choose between watching this film again and eating a raw potato, I'd go for the potato - It'd be more fun and take less time.

Hot wings

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 2 April 2016]

In the early 1990s with movies like Hot Shots parodying Top Gun and The Hard Way parodying actors doing the method, Into the Sun is cheapo film aimed more for the video market, it uses out takes from the Iron Eagle film.

Paul Watkins (Michael Paré) is an American pilot somewhere in the Mediterranean who has to show action star Tom Slade (Anthony Michael Hall) how it is to be like a fighter pilot in order to prepare for his next film role.

Watkins is put out when Slade hits on his on/off girl at the base but is surprised to discover that Slade is very likable and competent. In fact there is hardly anything he is not good at and manages to do some simulation without any problems.

When Watkins takes Slade for a ride in a F-15 fighter they are shot down in the desert and must escape their captors.

The first half starts brightly as it rips off Top Gun, Hall is likable as Slade who plays the very competent actor when it would had been easier to make him an ego obsessed actor who is almost useless at everything for easy laughs.

Pare is more laid back and subtle here, then again he is reserved for the action/adventure later on. I was not sure whether the latter part of the story when the are hunted by various Arab factions quiet worked and was an uneasy shift in tone from the earlier part of the film.

The film looked cheap in places, but a watchable B movie.

A Fun Action-Comedy !

[BILLIII · 9/10 · 7 June 2003]

I rated this a "9" because my criteria in judging a movie are adjusted to its genre; and as an action-comedy I felt it approached a Harrison Ford type comedy, which I rate as "10"

Acting was realistic, photography great, and we even got a bid of sermonizing (how a fighter's discipline works against his ability to be confidential about his feelings).

Deborah Maria Moore was a nice bit of frosting on the cake.

If you're not jaded as a movie critic, and like light comedy and air force action see this one!

Well worth a watch

[reikun86 · 10/10 · 15 December 2009]

I thought this was better than Top Gun. One of Michael Pare's best performances. Although he gets a lot of flack for his Brooklyn accent, I thought he had a great comedic rapport with Anthony Michael Hall. And yes, if I was pilot, I would want a guy like Shotgun on my side. Someone complained that the script was horribly written. I'm sure there were better, but somehow the actors managed to make the story interesting. The villain was well played and in my opinion, was not stereotypically evil. Rather, he was someone who was opportunistic when he was previously denied. All in all, Into the Sun definitely had me in my seat. I highly recommend it.

A great film with plenty of action, charisma and emotion.

[docp · 10/10 · 4 September 1999]

This is an excellent film with two totally charismatic leading actors both exuding personality. The interplay between them is fascinating as it develops. The two characters are totally different and it is interesting to notice what common ground circumstances can cause between two such diverse personalities. The action sequences are exciting and realistic and the prison scenes duly horrific. It is good to see a film not being afraid to illustrate what has become an all-too-familiar real-life situation. The only unnecessary part of the film is the romance which does not, fortunately, spoil the film too much, but it does remain surplus to requirements and adds nothing of value to the movie.

Good, but see something better instead

[millennia-2 · 23 July 1999]

I rented this movie only because I like Michael Pare, and the box looked nice, and (though I could've easily found something better) it wasn't bad.

Anthony Michael Hall (Just as his career was going going down the drain) and Michael Pare are well cast for their roles and the sets were well done. Hall plays a successful Hollywood megastar sent to an air force base to research his upcoming role. Pare is a pilot assigned to show him around and teach him the ropes. Pare instantly dislikes Hall, but can't back out. The two get caught up in the middle of a battle and are forced to crash land in the desert. They are then taken hostage and the movie keeps going, and going , and going. Though it was short, it felt like it was three hours, and going nowhere.

+ (GOOD THINGS) 1.) Casting of Hall and Pare 2.) Aerial shots 3.) The sets

• (BAD THINGS) 1.) The bad guys 2.) The length 3.) The pacing

TOTAL: 5.5/10

Fun tongue in check Tom Cruise tribute...

[mikeferguson · 10/10 · 25 May 2022]

As of May 24th, 2022, Into the Sun is available in YouTube in 720p/HD (and maybe 1080p/HD; it's hard to be sure - but in either case, a big improvement to the 480p/SD max resolution previously available for digital purchase), and without commercials, if you're a Premium member. YouTube Premium has created a really impressive movie library that play without commercials, that along with Amazon Prime, will give any movie lover more than enough quality fare to keep them happy, and allow them to stop buying movies, and put that cash to better use!

Another amazing Anthony Michael Hall performance

[hera_ari · 8/10 · 14 July 2012]

loved it because i just love watching Hall act, he's absolutely amazing and natural.

plot wise, even though i'm not an action fan, i found it interesting. of course there is cinematic substitutions and allowances, it's not going to be a spot on representation of the army or war but it still managed to capture your interest. if nothing else you'll keep watching to see what Hall's character does or says.

it can get a little confusing at times but i guess that just might have been my problem at not fully understanding where the movie was set.

a great watch, i don't know why it didn't do better in the box office.

AMH is amazing as usual, very natural actor. I am going through all of his films and am completely captivated by him.

just watch the film, it really is great.

A film beside itself.

[Jammer-12 · 30 April 2001]

This film doesn't appear to want it's own identity. Instead it steals concepts from other, more successful films. The main theme is the turbulent relationship between Michael Pares character and Anthony Michael Halls which then evolves predictably into some sort of twisted buddy film.

If you are interested in this sort of comedy, see The Hard Way, which has a similar plot but is better paced, better scripted and better acted by James Woods and Michael J Fox.

at best, average

[mattkratz · 15 April 2001]

An air force pilot has to show a hotshot actor, who is preparing for an upcoming role, the ropes about life in the military. The former dislikes the latter intensely, but has to tolerate him, especially after they are shot down in hostile enemy territory.

The main highlights of this film are the aerial shots and the casting. See it if it grabs your attention.

** 1/2 out of ****

Entertaining pilots comedy

[lor_ · 1 July 2023]

My review was written in November 1991 after watching the film at a Manhattan screening room.

"Top Gun" meets "The Hard Way" in the oddball comedy-adventure "Into the Sun". Film proves there's still life in flyboy pictures despite the genre spoofing of this summer's hit "Hot Shots!".

Premise inevitably recalls John Badham's "The Hard Way", a high-concept box office disappointment with New York cop James Woods reluctantly showing Michael J. Fox the ropes. This time American pilot Michael Pare is assigned to show an action movie star (Anthony Michael Hall) how to portray the real thing.

Despite dialog too reminiscent of the prior film, the new version works better because Hall is portraying an egotistical, macho method actor, rather than simply poking fun at himself the way Fox did. Pare is solid as the real McCoy and even gets to laugh and unbend a bit, compared to his usually stiff roles, as the twosome become friends.

Pic goes over the top when real-life skirmishers with unspecified Arab enemies in the Middle East break out, and Pare disobeys orders in taking the civilian into combat. Their derring-do with Hall rising to the occasion, is fun if ridiculous. Pic is an important transition effort for Hall, whose comic timing is excellent.

Roger Moore's daughter Deborah (previously billed opposite Dad in "Bullseye!" as Deborah Barrymore due to a thesp with the same last name but here christened Deborah Maria Moore), is pert and attractive but overly reserved as the romantic interest of both heroes. Reliable comedian Terry Kiser earns some big laughs as a fast-talking agent.

Handsome Linden Ashby turns in a well-crafted but strange performance, not in tune with the rest of the picture, as an unctuous renegade Yank ariman working for the Arabs.

Aerial dogfight scenes are okay, but lack the thrills of a previous drama from the same producers Kevin Kallberg and Oliver Hess, "Flight of Black Angel".