It's not often that Clint Eastwood serves up a boring film, but Firefox is certainly one of his few mis-steps. Clint the director seems excessively fussy about the complexities of the plot while Clint the actor seems so indifferent that one wonders if he wishes he were somewhere else. The original Craig Thomas novel on which the film is based is actually an exciting and well-crafted piece of fiction (I know because I've read it) but this big-screen adaptation sadly misfires on all cylinders.
Former American pilot Mitchell Gant (Eastwood) has moved to a secluded corner of Alaska following his traumatic ordeal in a Vietnamese prison camp. He is approached for a highly sensitive mission when the Western governments learn that the Russians have developed a new, incredibly advanced supersonic fighter jet. Gant's extraordinarily dangerous mission involves going behind the Iron Curtain and stealing the new super plane from its impregnable hangar.
The film trundles along for 136 minutes, but it actually feels much longer. The first 100 minutes of that running time is particularly hard to endure, with an interminable series of cloak-and-dagger exchanges, tediously repetitive flashbacks, and the usual murky plot build-up that goes with he territory in these ubiquitous spy thrillers. The final half an hour or so is slightly more tolerable as it shows Gant piloting the jet out of Russia, pursued by a duplicate jet across the Arctic skies. The aerial special effects are rather unconvincing during this climactic showdown, but at least there's a little excitement (something markedly lacking from the rest of the movie). Maurica Jarre provides a good music score which is probably the best thing about the film. Firefox is a failure on most levels and is strictly one for Clint's most die-hard fans.
Former American pilot Mitchell Gant (Eastwood) has moved to a secluded corner of Alaska following his traumatic ordeal in a Vietnamese prison camp. He is approached for a highly sensitive mission when the Western governments learn that the Russians have developed a new, incredibly advanced supersonic fighter jet. Gant's extraordinarily dangerous mission involves going behind the Iron Curtain and stealing the new super plane from its impregnable hangar.
The film trundles along for 136 minutes, but it actually feels much longer. The first 100 minutes of that running time is particularly hard to endure, with an interminable series of cloak-and-dagger exchanges, tediously repetitive flashbacks, and the usual murky plot build-up that goes with he territory in these ubiquitous spy thrillers. The final half an hour or so is slightly more tolerable as it shows Gant piloting the jet out of Russia, pursued by a duplicate jet across the Arctic skies. The aerial special effects are rather unconvincing during this climactic showdown, but at least there's a little excitement (something markedly lacking from the rest of the movie). Maurica Jarre provides a good music score which is probably the best thing about the film. Firefox is a failure on most levels and is strictly one for Clint's most die-hard fans.