Kevin Costner’s Dark Version of ‘Top Gun’ Inspired the Best Quentin Tarantino Movie
Kevin Costner is presently experiencing immense popularity (and criticism, in a way) for his outstanding contribution to the Western genre, but he is also immensely well-known for his roles in some of the greatest action thrillers ever made. One of these was Tony Scott's 1990 thriller-action film Revenge, though some would contest that it is even remotely excellent.
The picture felt like a darker version of the 1986 masterpiece Top Gun, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics and fans alike. Outside of the eyes of its devoted fan base, it may not be considered one of Costner's best works to date. Not only that, but it also served as the inspiration for True Romance, a crime-romance released in 1993 and often considered to be Quentin Tarantino's best film.
A more somber rendition of Top Gun is Kevin Costner's Vengeance.
Although it wasn't Kevin Costner's typical kind of film, the one he embarked on back in 1990 was an intriguing piece of work. The action movie Revenge stars Costner as confident American fighter pilot Michael J. "Jay" Cochran, who falls in love with the wife of his Mexican crime lord friend (Madeleine Stowe), clearly getting into trouble.
Mixed reviews were given to this movie, and its box office performance didn't even allow it to recoup its budget. However, that didn't stop many from thinking of it as a more sinister take on Top Gun. This is due to the fact that Jay and the protagonist of Tony Scott's 1986 movie have a lot in common. The protagonist is described by one of his superiors in the movie's opening lines as follows.
Your ego, son, is writing cheques that your body is unable to cash.
Similar to Maverick, Jay comes off as an egocentric pilot in the backdrop of a film that has the feel of a sports picture in disguise. He pursues his love and passion relationship with his friend's wife in spite of loud warning signs that are screaming in his head.
Naturally, neither Costner's character nor Stowe's Miryea fare well when he ignores all of the warnings given to him.
However, there were also distinctions between them despite all of these personality similarities. In contrast to Maverick, who ultimately emerges from the film with a greater sense of personal accomplishment even though he does not win the Top Gun trophy, Jay is ultimately left for dead. This could be attributed to Scott's moral obligation to have permitted Maverick's recklessness to be justified in his previous film.
Having said all of this, the movie didn't think twice about casting its lead as a bold but ultimately tragic Maverick, whose tale only grows more tragic the closer he gets to the point at which he allows love and lust to control him. However, despite this film's negative reviews, Quentin Tarantino used it as inspiration for some of his best films.
How True Romance Was Inspired by This Darker Version of Top Gun.
The 1990 movie has a dismal 30% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes alone, and a 54% audience score on the Popcornmeter. Nevertheless, Tarantino belonged to the group of fans who genuinely enjoyed the film for its grim perspective. Not only that, but the director acknowledged that Scott was chosen to direct True Romance for precisely the same reason.
In a 2003 interview with the Tampa Bay Times, the filmmaker of Inglorious Basterds said as much:
I love that movie so much. To be more precise, that's why I encouraged Tony to direct True Romance and worked hard to make it happen. I said to myself, "I want the guy who did Revenge to direct my film."
After that, Tony Scott was brought in to temper Tarantino's 1993 crime-romance. The rest is history as the movie went on to become a huge critical hit, earning a stunning 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on both user and reviewer reviews. The masterwork is currently regarded as one of Tarantino and Scott's greatest creations ever.
