Top Secret! (1984)
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An American rock star finds himself entangled in a bizarre Cold War espionage plot while performing in East Germany.
The story
Nick Rivers, an American rock star, travels to East Germany to perform at a cultural festival that secretly serves as a diversion for a military operation intended to reunite Germany under Communist rule. During a dinner, Nick encounters Hillary Flammond, a member of the local resistance movement. He pretends to be her date to get to know her, performing an impromptu song and dance that delights the diners but annoys the mastermind of the plot, General Streck. After Nick saves Hillary from the police, he turns himself in to ensure her escape, leading to his capture and subsequent interrogation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Nick Rivers, an American rock star, travels to East Germany to perform at a cultural festival, which secretly serves the East German government as a diversion for a military operation with the intent of reuniting Germany under Communist rule. At a dinner, Nick encounters Hillary Flammond, a member of the local resistance movement. He pretends to be her date, performing an impromptu song and dance that delights the diners but annoys General Streck. After Nick saves Hillary from the police, he turns himself in so she can escape. He is taken to a prison where he is questioned and tortured, but he knows nothing. During an escape attempt, he ends up in the secret prison laboratory of Dr. Paul Flammond, who is developing the "Polaris naval mine" to destroy the NATO submarine fleet. The East Germans force Nick to work by threatening to kill Hillary. Nick is recaptured and scheduled for execution but is forced to perform again to avoid an international incident. He is rescued by Hillary, and they spend the night in a Swedish bookstore. The next morning, they are moved to the "Potato Farm" where they meet members of the French Resistance, led by Nigel "The Torch". After fighting off an attack by the East Germans, they move to a pizza restaurant where Nick proves his identity. The resistance stages a rescue of Dr. Flammond; Nigel and Du Quois dress as a fake cow to disable defenses. Nigel reveals himself as a traitor, but his plans are ruined by an amorous bull. Dr. Flammond is rescued, but Nigel makes off with Hillary. Nick rescues her in an underwater bar fight, and they eventually flee to America.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 90
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English; German; Yiddish; Latin; French
- Directors
- Jim Abrahams; David Zucker; Jerry Zucker
- Writers
- Jim Abrahams · writer; David Zucker · writer; Jerry Zucker · writer; Martyn Burke · writer
- Cast and characters
- Val Kilmer · Nick Rivers; Lucy Gutteridge · Hillary Flammond; Omar Sharif · Agent Cedric; Peter Cushing · Swedish bookstore proprietor; Michael Gough; Jeremy Kemp
- Genres
- action comedy; spy comedy; parody
- Themes
- Cold War espionage; Resistance; Music and performance
- Tone and mood
- Loony; Reckless; Comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- Parody; Spy; Musical; WWII
- Reception
- The film was considered a box-office bomb but received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its loony abandon. It is noted for its lack of clear period sense and structure, but remains a cult favorite.
- Production trivia
- The Swedish bookshop scene was filmed in reverse order and played backward to sound like Swedish.; The film was test screened at colleges, leading to the length being cut from two hours to 90 minutes.; Val Kilmer turned up to the audition dressed like Elvis Presley.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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