Last episode, we talked about a military aviation film. It had some pretty great aerial scenes, the best Cessna vs motorcycle race we have ever seen, and a fun soundtrack! But not nearly as good as the one for the film we are covering today (although apparently some in the audience will debate this point).

This movie was released the same year as Iron Eagle, was WAY more successful, and ironically spawned fewer sequels. We are of course talking about Top Gun, and this time around we have a special guest; you have probably heard something that we learned from him on the show, our regular researcher Richard Stephens!

Released in the spring of 1986, Top Gun had a slump for the month after release but went on to be the box office champ for the year and gave Tom Cruise the boost he needed to become a bona fide star.

The story follows a group of exceptional Naval aviators focusing on hotshot Maverick and his quest to be the best. Given the chance to train at the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, a.k.a. Top Gun, Maverick and his radar intercept officer Goose (Anthony Edwards) do their best to beat out the competition under the command of Viper (Tom Skerritt). But when tragedy strikes, Maverick is shaken to his core and must find a way to overcome his doubts.

This episode has lots of nostalgia, some hot takes, and, well, you will just have to listen to see how we all feel about this classic 80s action film!

Next Episode: Veteran Interview

Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!
Our website: www.dangerclosepod.com
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If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
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Buckle up, Danger Close fans! We went way off the usual list this time and chose a Disney renaissance film that is also decidedly a war film. From the training scenes, to the battles, to a glorious last minute rescue of the emperor, Mulan fits most of the tropes for a war film.

It's also for kids and embraces that 90's Girl Power movement that was so prevalent at the time. You will get to hear us dish about our childhood Disney favorites, debate the quality of the songs and soundtrack, and dissect Disney's intentions with this story.

But don't worry, we also have our usual history section (with a hell of a forthcoming surplus ordnance thanks to Dave Feldmann and Mike Andrews), along with our usual nonsense.

Next Episode: Platoon (1986)

Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!
Our website: www.dangerclosepod.com
Join our Facebook group at: Danger Close - Podcast Discussion Group
If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
If you would like to support the show and get extra episodes where we discuss sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy war movies, join our Patreon for only $4 a month at:
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In this sprawling two-part biopic, director Steven Soderbergh shows us the experiences of Ernesto "Che" Guevara during the Cuban revolution in 1956, and Che’s subsequent failed attempt at revolution in Bolivia in 1967.

Approaching Gettysburghian lengths, the two parts relay in sometimes oppressive detail (drawing from Guevara’s own journals) the conditions these rebels were up against and the obstacles they faced.

The filmmaker knew that he was covering a controversial topic; Che is still simultaneously reviled as a mass murderer by some, and lauded as a hero by others. The film’s critical reception was just as polarized.

So what was Soderbergh trying to tell us about this larger-than-life figure? Did the writers have an opinion, or is this a mostly neutral depiction of the events?

Next Episode: Doctor Zhivago (1965)

Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!
Our website: www.dangerclosepod.com
Or join our Facebook group at: Danger Close - Podcast Discussion Group
If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
If you would like to support the show and get extra episodes where we discuss sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy war movies, go to our Patreon page at:
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What has not already been said about this monumental film?

The Omaha Beach landing sequence it opens with is one of the most gritty and violently realistic combat scenes ever put on film to this day, and it gave a new generation of viewers an idea of what their grandparents had gone through in that war while they were still around to see it themselves.

Critics and viewers alike have long praised it as one of the best war films ever made (despite the admittedly schmaltzy prologue and epilogue).

On this episode of Danger Close, we examine the groundbreaking film in all its glory, through a nuanced discussion about the impact it has had on our culture, the characters’ search for human decency in the midst of chaos, and what we really think Spielberg was trying to say.

Next Episode: The Imitation Game (2014)

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Our website: www.dangerclosepod.com
Join our Facebook group at: Danger Close - Podcast Discussion Group
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If you would like to support the show and get extra episodes where we discuss sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy war movies, join our Patreon for only $4 a month at:
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Hot on the heels of our Saving Private Ryan episode, we return to the beaches of Normandy (this time filmed in Corsica) with the WWII two-time Oscar winning classic, The Longest Day.

Clocking in at three hours, this is the longest film we have covered so far, and our first John Wayne flick!
It has a star-studded cast that includes Richard Burton, Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, and a few of our old favorites like Edmund O’Brien and Rod Steiger. They portray everyone from General Eisenhower to the junior Officers hitting the beach, with varying levels of historical accuracy.

Many in the cast were not only WWII Veterans, but actually took part in Operation Overlord less than twenty years prior to filming, and there is plenty of realism to go around, including a lot of subtitled foreign language.

But is all that enough to make a good film? How has this one aged over the years, and how does it compare to Spielberg’s film? Join us and find out!

Next Episode: Outlaw King (2021)

Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments!
Our website: www.dangerclosepod.com
Join our Facebook group at: Danger Close - Podcast Discussion Group
If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!
If you would like to support the show and get extra episodes where we discuss sci-fi, fantasy, and comedy war movies, join our Patreon for only $4 a month at:
www.dangerclosepod.com/support

warmovies #warfilms #war #film #films #movies #history #cinema #documentary #WWII