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Amazon.co.uk Review
In between the disaster movie satire Airplane! in 1980 and the hardboiled cop show parody The Naked Gun in 1988, the comedy crew of Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker put together a picture that's almost as funny as their better-known hits. Top Secret! sends up spy movies and cheesy teen rock 'n' roll musicals. Val Kilmer stars as swivel-hipped American rocker Nick Rivers, a sort of blonde Elvis whose secret weapon is Little Richard's tune "Tutti Fruitti." On tour behind the Iron Curtain, Nick strikes blows for democracy overtly and covertly, with his music as well as his espionage skills. In short, this is a very, very silly motion picture. Some great gags, including a subtitled scene in a Swedish book shop, and an inspired bit with a Ford Pinto that not everybody may get anymore. (The Pinto, you may or may not recall, was notoriously prone to gas tank explosions when rear-ended.) --Jim Emerson, Amazon.com
Special Features
English
Region 2
Region 2
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
The first time I saw this film was in a South African cinema in 1984 upon its initial release. I was 9 years old and laughed so much that I had to be excused to the bathroom midway through. This has never happened before or since I might add. As soon as I'd finished watching the film I wanted to see it again. I dragged all of my friends to go and see it - and each of them wanted to go and see it again too! In total we went to see this film 7 times at the cinema on its initial release, each time finding new gags to chuckle at.
Now, roll on 18 years and I've finally found this film on VHS. Is it still as funny as it was in 1984? Well, I suppose that I'm a little more discerning about comedy these days, but this film is just so full of gags that I was forced to laugh all the way through. I have not seen another comedy that manages to cram so much funny stuff into such a short space of time. And because the directors weren't satisfied with simply filling the length of the film with great gags, they also layered them deep into most scenes. So at any one time you will have a main foreground gag going on and one or more gags happening somewhere in the background that you'll probably only notice on the third of fourth viewing!
It's full of highly memorable imagery and brilliant comic performances throughout and is the definitive Zucker & Abrahams classic.
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
A 'cult classic' is what we're talking about here. At the time, and even now, some just won't get it.
It is interesting that Airplane!, which came before, and The Naked Gun, which followed, were huge successes and this is probably because they were more disciplined parodies of highly recognisable genres. Here, though, as in The Kentucky Fried Movie where they began, the team just let ideas run wild. Although more surreal, this is no less funny and at times is probably the best work they've done.
The songs are sublime, from a razor-sharp Beach Boys spoof to a reworded Are You Lonesome Tonight? turned into an advertising jingle. The dialogue sparkles, the jokes are terrific and the fact that Val Kilmer is taking it so seriously (he always does - and this actually makes the film funnier now that he is so well-known) just adds to the brilliance.
Who can forget the city map turning into a Pac-Man game, the giant pigeon statue or the scene with Peter Cushing, filmed entirely backwards - a scene which was ripped off by an advertising campaign for Tennants Pilsner which must have lasted a decade?
Of course, today many of the targets sent up will perhaps have been forgotten. Who now remembers Midnight Express, The Blue Lagoon, any number of cheesy Elvis, World War II and Cold War movies...perhaps even Pac Man itself?
The fact that it's so brimming with ideas will just be too much for some viewers, like a cake that's too rich. Others will be in comedy heaven.
It is interesting that Airplane!, which came before, and The Naked Gun, which followed, were huge successes and this is probably because they were more disciplined parodies of highly recognisable genres. Here, though, as in The Kentucky Fried Movie where they began, the team just let ideas run wild. Although more surreal, this is no less funny and at times is probably the best work they've done.
The songs are sublime, from a razor-sharp Beach Boys spoof to a reworded Are You Lonesome Tonight? turned into an advertising jingle. The dialogue sparkles, the jokes are terrific and the fact that Val Kilmer is taking it so seriously (he always does - and this actually makes the film funnier now that he is so well-known) just adds to the brilliance.
Who can forget the city map turning into a Pac-Man game, the giant pigeon statue or the scene with Peter Cushing, filmed entirely backwards - a scene which was ripped off by an advertising campaign for Tennants Pilsner which must have lasted a decade?
Of course, today many of the targets sent up will perhaps have been forgotten. Who now remembers Midnight Express, The Blue Lagoon, any number of cheesy Elvis, World War II and Cold War movies...perhaps even Pac Man itself?
The fact that it's so brimming with ideas will just be too much for some viewers, like a cake that's too rich. Others will be in comedy heaven.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Most people don't seem to know about Top Secret, but if you thought films such as 'Airplane!' and 'The Naked Gun' were funny then you should buy this film immediately - yes, it's made by the same guys, Jim Abrahams and the Zucker brothers and it's probably the best film that they've done together.
The jokes are incessant, frequently very funny and sometimes absolutely hilarious.
Even for an Airplane film the plot is completely loopy: Val Kilmer is an American rock star on tour in communist East Germany (although the germans all wear nazi uniforms) when he chances upon the daughter of a scientist who is being held against his will by the German army. They enlist the help of the French resistance (?), who are being led by the daughter's long-lost childhood sweetheart with whom she was stranded on a tropical island(a complete send-up of 'The Blue Lagoon').
The jokes are incessant, frequently very funny and sometimes absolutely hilarious.
Even for an Airplane film the plot is completely loopy: Val Kilmer is an American rock star on tour in communist East Germany (although the germans all wear nazi uniforms) when he chances upon the daughter of a scientist who is being held against his will by the German army. They enlist the help of the French resistance (?), who are being led by the daughter's long-lost childhood sweetheart with whom she was stranded on a tropical island(a complete send-up of 'The Blue Lagoon').
It's a completely stupid movie that never dares to take itself seriously and is one that you will watch over and over again. The dvd format makes it even more of a must buy, as you can jump straight to you favourites and watch them ad-infinitum.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Weird
I liked this movie when i was younger but now that im older i can see some horrible jokes in it now. I would not recommend this too anyone!
Published 1 month ago by Don
Funny
An old film from my teens, just as funny now. Amusing watching a very young Val Kilmer in this slapstick corny comedy.
Published 1 month ago by HD
Tio Secret
I bought Top Secret to use at my work as a teacher in English and German. It is fun and crazy and my pupils love it!!
Published 3 months ago by Regina
As good as I remembered!
I had fond memories of this film from way back in the mid 80's, and seeing as I have already got both Airplane! Read more
Published 22 months ago by Mr. W. Jackson
No 'Airplane!', but...
Good fun. Just - for me at least - not quite up to the lunatic genius level of `Airplane!' (which was created by the same team), with more dull patches, or jokes that don't quite... Read more
Published on 24 April 2010 by K. Gordon
Top marks
A great little cult flick that often gets overlooked due to being the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker film sandwiched between Airplane! and Naked Gun. Read more
Published on 24 Nov 2009 by Mr. S. S. Thomas
Cant be beaten!
When this film came out in the 80's i thought it was the funniest film i had ever seen.............. Read more
Published on 22 Nov 2009 by J. A. S.
Unbelievably corny and very funny
Very much in the Mel Brooks school of OTT comedy , it needs watching several times to get the movie references. Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2009 by J. Langman
A surreal masterpiece
Overshadowed by the success of Airplane! and The Naked Gun films, Top Secret! is in many ways the funniest and certainly the most inventive of the Zucker-Abrahms comedies. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2009 by Trevor Willsmer
irs good not as greeat as airplane
Top Secrits gretet [DVD] [1984] its good fun buut not as good airplane
Published on 9 Oct 2009 by george dobbie
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