How 'Top Gun: Maverick' upholds Tom Cruise as our last true action hero

“Top Gun: Maverick” is full of ghosts.

From a narrative perspective, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) return to the elite Navy academy to train a new generation of hotshot pilots features haunted images.

Goose, his lost colleague, is never far from our hero’s mind. Certainly the fact that Goose’s son, Rooster (Miles Teller), is part of this new squad makes the tormented regret from the past more pronounced. The specters of the past cannot escape our cocky protagonist.

I was taken aback momentarily when the opening credits announced the film was a “Jerry Bruckheimer/Don Simpson Production.” Simpson is given top billing despite dying of a drug overdose in 1996. But he and producing partner Bruckheimer were uniquely responsible for the slick actioneers from the tail end of the last century: “Beverly Hills Cop.” “Bad Boys.” “The Rock.”

These films weren’t the first to couple the whiz-bang visuals of music videos with ego-fueled star vehicles — but they certainly did it as well as anyone. Simpson’s films burned bright and fast. Seemingly the same way he lived his life.

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Plus, the producing duo frequently employed Tony Scott, a visually-masterful director who made every frame pulsate with fast editing, artsy lighting, and overbearing musical cues. Scott intended to helm the sequel early in its development. But he committed suicide nine years ago.

Certainly “Maverick” resuscitates the style of the era defined by Scott, Bruckheimer and Simpson. But it also brings the reckless self-confidence of the 1980s back with it. Maverick persuasively purrs lines like “Don’t think and go with your instinct” like Zen philosophy, not total nonsense.

Cruise plays Maverick older — but not wiser — than he was 36 years ago. The character’s professional trajectory also reflects this: He’s received no promotion but refuses to retire. He is in constant defiance of authority. Seemingly a career killer in the military, Maverick remains only because his constant boundary-pushing results in heroic outcomes.

In 1986, this character appealed to an audience who believed not only in rugged individualism, a resilient trope in American culture, but in the idea that one man following his gut could save the day. Such was the same image sold by President Reagan to the voting public; that swagger and tough words could topple Communism once and for all.

While the public was seduced for a number of years by “Yes, America Can!” and “It Takes a Village,” moviegoers swung back in 3 1/2 decades. Self-centeredness is a virtue unto itself. Just look at the popularity of Bruce Wayne, Tony Stark and President Trump. Now Maverick, tasked with defeating an unnamed “enemy,” is once again called upon to single-handedly save the day.

There are softer edges on display. For example, the title character’s previous nemesis, Iceman, is back not as a rival but a benevolent protector. Val Kilmer returns in the role. But there’s a melancholy brought on by watching the actor struggle to talk with his very real throat cancer. Seeing Kilmer — every bit as handsome a screen presence as Cruise — struggle physically and emotionally is tastefully handled but also thematically devastating. Kilmer may not be a ghost, but seeing him here is haunting.

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“Top Gun: Maverick” resurrects a bygone archetype, but that only works based on who fills its shoes. In a world where movie fans flock to intellectual properties, Cruise remains a marquee name who can get butts into seats. As an actor and producer, he has an unbidding faith in the theatrical experience. While the film’s release was delayed multiple times due to COVID, Cruise repeatedly said going straight to streaming was never an option.

“I make movies for a big screen,” he says with the same bravado as one of his characters. When I hear that, it makes me want to get out of my seat and cheer.

Based on the numbers from last weekend, where “Maverick” made $156 million in four days, Cruise proves the big screen is where he belongs. How many other actors can attract audiences on name alone?

Sandra Bullock seemingly can after scoring a $100-million grosser earlier in the year with the wonderfully ridiculous “The Lost City.” She is one of the few females over age 35 still allowed to star in big movies; even Meg Ryan’s character from the first “Top Gun” dies offscreen. Not to mention Kelly McGillis, who “retired” from acting not only when she got older but also came out of the closest.

This could be a whole other column. But who else can command an audience’s attention? Denzel? Sure. Will Smith? Maybe not now. All these performers have released star vehicles on a streaming service, something Cruise refuses to do.

“Maverick” feels like a meta-statement on Cruise’s stardom, which he clearly knows cannot last forever. “You are extinct,” a higher-up growls at Cruise/Maverick. “Your day has come.”

“It’s not today,” he smoothly retorts, and walks out of the room. The film is filled with proclamations that Cruise knows the film industry’s existence depends on his still-able shoulders. He is our Last Action Hero and seems to relish it.

Cruise seems content to literally give his life for his craft. He performs his own death-defying stunts here as well as in his “Mission: Impossible” films. You can admire it and fear it all at once. He’s a man who will entertain us, or die trying.

“Maverick” feels like a seance. The spirit is lifted up and we're delighted by this blast from the past. The film works on its own terms, but it works largely due to Cruise — who not only tries to save the day but is literally trying to survive until the break of dawn.

In real life, James Owen is a lawyer and executive director of energy policy group Renew Missouri. He created/wrote for Filmsnobs.com from 2001-2007 before an extended stint as an on-air film critic for KY3, the NBC affiliate in Springfield. He was named a Top 20 Artist under the Age of 30 by The Kansas City Star when he was much younger than he is now. 

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 'Top Gun: Maverick' upholds Tom Cruise as our last true action hero