A parody of Top Gun (1986) in which a talented but unstable fighter pilot must overcome the ghosts of his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers.
Στραβοί πιλότοι σε F-16 (1991) Online
Topper Harley, a top gun fighter pilot, is recalled to serve on the SS Essess. Topper's mission is to destroy Saddam Hussein's nuclear plants. Unfortunately, Topper is psychologically imbalanced and is sure to crack under pressure.
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
 | Charlie Sheen | - | Topper Harley / Rhett Butler / Superman |
 | Cary Elwes | - | Kent Gregory |
 | Valeria Golino | - | Ramada Thompson / Scarlett O'Hara / Lois Lane |
 | Lloyd Bridges | - | Admiral Benson |
 | Kevin Dunn | - | Lt. Commander Block |
 | Jon Cryer | - | Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach |
 | William O'Leary | - | Pete 'Dead Meat' Thompson |
 | Kristy Swanson | - | Kowalski |
 | Efrem Zimbalist Jr. | - | Wilson |
 | Bill Irwin | - | Buzz Harley |
 | Heidi Swedberg | - | Mrs. 'Deat Meat' Thompson |
 | Bruce A. Young | - | 'Red' Herring |
 | Ryan Stiles | - | 'Mailman' Farnham |
 | Rino Thunder | - | Owatonna, 'The Old One' |
 | Mark Arnott | - | Rosener |
Valeria Golino claims the scene in which she catches an olive popped out of her bellybutton was accomplished without trick photography.
The aircraft carrier on which the movie takes place is actually a wooden deck built on the edge of a cliff at a deserted Marineland facility. The film was shot at an angle that made the deck look like a ship at sea.
Charlie Sheen remarks before a particularly energetic fight sequence, "I learned this one from Paula Abdul." Paula Abdul was married to Charlie Sheen's brother, Emilio Estevez, at the time of the film's release.
Topper Harley's name comes from Harley-Davidson's 1960's motor scooter, the Harley Topper.
Chosen for the UK's 1991 Royal Film Performance, attended by the Queen.
Several aircraft carrier scenes were taken from the movie Flight of the Intruder (1991), including the flyby of 4 planes when the pilots arrive at the aircraft carrier, when the bombs are loaded onto the planes, and when the planes launched for their final mission.
Topper's real first name is Sean. This can be seen on his ID badge in Ramada's office during their first meeting.
Some of the previews for the film jokingly claimed that Saddam Hussein's role was played by himself.
Lloyd Bridges replaced George C. Scott
The character of Admiral Benson was first offered to Leslie Neilson, but Leslie declined saying "I think I've done enough spoof movies with you" (Abraham/Director) the role was then offered to Lloyd Bridges whom also appeared with Neilson in Abrahams "Airplane" (1980). Leslie then accepted Abrahamsrole offer of Frank Drebin again in "The Naked Gun 3" (1994) and also went on to act in several more parody movies.
Charlie Sheen (Lt. Topper Harley), Jon Cryer (Jim 'Wash Out' Pfaffenbach) and Ryan Stiles ('Mailman' Farnham) would all later work together again in the television show Kaks ja pool meest (2003). The song 'The Man I Love', sang by Valeria Golino, was also sung by Charlie's mum in an episode of Two and a Half Men.
During the eulogy scene, Lloyd Bridges mentioned the deaths of Tataglia, Barzini, and the heads of five families. This is a reference to the movie The Godfather. In 1998 Bridges appeared on the film Jane Austen's Mafia, a direct spoof of this movie
A gag credit at the end of the film, "Things you can do after the movie", is the same as a gag credit at the end of the Bruce Lee send-up in The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977).
The opening crowd shot of the boxing match attended by Lt. Cmdr. Block and Wilson is reused footage of the final fight scene of Rocky II. In addition both of the fighters and their corner men that are used for more close up shots filmed for this movie are dressed in exactly the same colored robes and uniforms as worn by Sylvester Stallone, Carl Weathers, Burgess Meredith and Tony Burton in Rocky II, along with matching floor canvas and ring rope covers used to match both film footage together seamlessly.
Hot Shots (1991) is a parody of Top Gun (1986). Hot Shots II: Part Deux (1993) is a parody of Rambo III (1988).
The enemy are flying in the Northrop T-38 Talon, twin-jet trainer, airplanes built for the US Air Force as a supersonic training airplane for pilots and astronauts.
The film parodies the scene in The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989) in which Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer) sits atop on a piano and sings "Makin' Whoopee". That film starred Lloyd Bridges' sons Jeff Bridges and Beau Bridges as the title character, Jack and Frank Baker.
The shot of the "S.S. Esses" back lit by the rising sun is stock footage of the U.S.S. Nimitz from the movie The Final Countdown (1980). That movie starred Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen's Father.
The planes used were Folland Fo-145 Gnats, a British fighter/trainer used by the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatics team until 1979.
Some previews contain this scene, which was not in the movie: Ramada asks Kent Gregory if there's a cue ball in his pocket, or is he just glad to see her, and Kent produces a cue ball.
In the scene at the beginning of the movie where Topper is talking to the chief, the conversation is pure nonsense, being made up of such words as Itaska, Mini-Haha, Winnebago, dipthong, rickshaw, and names of some of the Jackson family: Latoya, Tito, and Jermaine.
William O'Leary also played fighter turned mad man pilot Captain Eddie Gordan in "Flight of the Black Angel" the same year.
Kristy Swanson (Kowalski) would star alongside Sheen again 3 years later in "The Chase"
The aircraft used in this movie, the Folland Gnat T.Mk.1 two seat trainer, were never used in American service, neither were they ever capable of operating from aircraft carriers although the Indian Air Force, which used the single seat fighter version, did do a feasibility study of operating the type from their aircraft carriers, mainly to due to lack of options for carrier based aviation at the time. This was the first evidence that the aircraft carrier used in the movie was not real, but actually a prop. Gnats were British-made aircraft used by the Red Arrows aerobatic team. Ironically, the Gnats in the Indian Air Force earned the nickname "Sabre Slayer" after an unblemished combat record of shooting down technically superior Pakistani Air Force Canadair (license-built) F-86 Sabres during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Bangladesh Liberation War 1971.
Charlie Sheen and John Cryer appear in this movie together. They would later go on to star as the main characters of "Two and a Half Men" (2003-2011)
During the helium peace pipe scene, much of the Native American dialog is actually just names of cities and towns in Minnesota (Owatonna, Mendota, Orono, etc...)
Lloyd Bridges refers to a fellow, saying that he, "used to scuba with that man." In the late fifties and early sixties Bridges was best known as the star of the scuba-diving detective series Sea Hunt (1958).
Charles Barkley, Bill Laimbeer: re-enacting their infamous on-court brawl.
Wilson ends up being strapped to a chair by a dentist asking, "Is it safe?" This is a reference to the torture scene from Marathon Man (1976).
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