For several reasons, ‘Top Gun’ has managed to rank among the biggest cult films of all time. If you take away the fact that the Himmelstürmer spectacle from 1986 simply struck a chord at the time, its success can be determined by three clear points: impressive images, a downright iconic soundtrack and Tom Cruise.
That ‘Top Gun 2: Maverick’ also went through the roof is surprising at first sight, but don’t underestimate the star power of Tom Cruise and the unbridled power of nostalgia. In addition, the belated sequel could also count on phenomenal word of mouth, because the action scenes in particular blew even non-fans of the original out of their cinema seats.
While 2006’s “Every Second Counts – The Guardian” doesn’t even come close to playing in the cult league of a “Top Gun” and clearly went swimming at the box office, fans of the two Tom Cruise hits should watch the movie Andrew Davis You should not miss (“On the Run”) tonight at 8.15 pm on Kabel 1. Because here too all elements of “Top Gun” and “Top Gun 2” are discussed.
That’s what ‘Every second counts – The Guardian’ is about
Lifeguard legend Ben Randall (Kevin Costner) is shocked by a traumatic experience: not only has his wife Helen (Sela Ward) run off, but he also loses his entire crew in a catastrophic operation. His boss and friend Frank Larson (John Heard) forces him to take time off and teach at “A” School, the Coast Guard’s premier training school for juniors.
Although Randall doesn’t like it at all, he has no choice and leaves for Kodiac, Alaska to start his new job. His teaching methods are unconventional and exclusively hands-on, which does not necessarily make him popular with his associates. Out of the group of 22 young men and women, top swimmer Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) stands out, but Randall is extremely skeptical about the young man…
“Top Gun 2” with Kevin Costner and Ashton Kutcher?!
Although ‘Top Gun 2’ obviously came out only 16 years after ‘Every Second Counts – The Guardian’, you can see the similarity of the two films from the premise at first glance. While Maverick (Tom Cruise) receives a disciplinary transfer and must work as a teacher at his old training school, Randall is not happy to return to the place where his meteoric career began. Like Maverick, Randall is at the top of his game, setting record after record and saving countless lives, though his methods are often questionable.
Ashton Kutcher’s Jake Fischer takes on the role of Rooster (Miles Teller), with whom Randall often takes a harder line simply because he sees the boy’s potential (thereby paving the way for his rightful successor – similar to what happens with Maverick and Rooster). The focus of the story isn’t just on the interpersonal mentor-apprentice dynamic between the two alpha males.
A song of heroism
Although the training here is considerably tougher than in the first “Top Gun”, director Andrew Davis constantly gives the viewer the feeling that nothing could be more honorable and awesome than serving in the US Coast Guard. After all, this is only used when all others have failed!
Those who were already bothered by the sugary paean in ‘Top Gun’, which was not only attuned to militarism but also to the classic image of the unbreakable hero, will also have problems with ‘Every Second Counts – The Guardian’. . Especially the last 15 minutes pure, unfiltered, dripping pathosthat unnecessarily rolls out a truly gripping finale.
But in addition, genre veteran Andrew Davis proves that he is a talented craftsman. The high seas rescue sequences are powerful and almost create a kind of humility in the face of the elemental forces of nature. As usual, Kevin Costner can score with a lot of charisma, while Ashton Kutcher unfortunately remains interchangeable and pale. The dynamic between Tom Cruise and Miles Teller erupts on a whole other level, if only because of the acting skills.