Reviews on movie Top Secret! (3)

26 August 2022 8 The level of absurdity in "Top Secret" is off the scale even for comedy-absurd. East Germany, the Third Reich, the French Resistance and the 80s are intertwined here. Surprisingly, such a degree of insanity at some point even begins to amuse. There are many simple and predictable gags in the film. They're not fun. There are some good jokes that you can laugh at. What is a priest worth in prison? I also liked the spies' code phrases. It is a pity that this fertile topic was not developed. A lot of 80s humor in movies. For example, a reference to Leroy Neumann and a joke about an actor who could become president. After viewing it became clear where Sacha Baron Cohen plagiarized his Brothers from Grimsby, so outraged the public. Since comedy is generally funny, it justifies its existence and is worth watching.
	openspaceman

05 September 2018 9 Great comedy! The review will be enthusiastic, because a comedy with elements of absurdity and rock and roll is exactly what the doctor ordered. I liked almost everything in this film: the plot, the actors and their play, the style of shooting, jokes. It is worth saying that jokes are sometimes so skillfully inserted into the scene that at first you do not understand or notice it, and then you laugh from the heart. The only drawback is the compaction of vulgar jokes by the end of the film. The banality of this humor is saved by the fact that it is a 1984 comedy, and accordingly, these jokes, which seem boring and not original, at the time of the release of the film were probably very new and funny. The plot twist is also not shining originality and, frankly, even lost against the background of all the happening absurdity, but it does not matter. I wanted to have fun and relax watching this movie and my wishes came true. I recommend it. 9 out of 10
	Nastya Bondarchuk

25 August 2013 8 Any taste. I have a friend who claims he only laughed real loud on five occasions during "Top Secret!" I laughed that much in the first ten minutes. It all depends on your sense of humor. (R. Ebert) Eight out of ten people, when asked about best comedy, the ZAZ trio says, “Airplane!” but I’m not one of them. Of course, "Aeroplane!" is good, as well as "Rightless People", but the stars have risen so much that of all the works of Zuckers and Abrahams, I most adore "Top Secret!" - by design this is a parody of spy films (but you can find a link even to the classic "Casablanca" and "The Wizard of Oz"), and in general - just a great independent comedy. It is not so much specific paintings that are ridiculed as stamps characteristic of the genre. Surfers shooting at plates, Pacman, the East German women's Olympic team - from the start, the density of funny moments is just huge. And what about the anthem of a hospitable country that is building insidious plans against NATO? Heil, Heil, East Germany, Land of wine and grapes, A land where you will regret it, If you risk running. Dig the tunnel or jump over the wall - You'll still roast on the electric fence, And if you don't have time, You'll be killed by security. The jokes only get bigger. Some are simpler (like flying people who shit on a monument with a pigeon), some are more complex (like the one where the authors tease Leroy Neumann - by the way, his paintings are not so bad, in my opinion). There are scenes that are frankly amazing for "just" a parody comedy - so, a fight in a bar under water is perfectly filmed. In general, if over the "Airplane" I restrainedly smiled, then I laughed from the heart. Another significant plus is balanced musical numbers. Like the Marx brothers, they're funny enough that comedy doesn't roll into a musical, but they're musical numbers per se, not just a base for gags. Listening to the good old “Tutti frutti” is already a holiday in itself, and if you remember how the symphony orchestra burns off... All in all, Elvis is forever. Beginner Val Kilmer, portraying a rock star of the level of Presley - it's like Justin Bieber, declaring himself Kurt Cobain of the new generation, but Val turns out so fervent and life-affirming that one can only admire. It doesn't even stutter on "wop-bop-a-loo-bop, a lop-bam-boom," you think! Well, this angelic appearance, the dream of young maidens. Against such a brilliant background, Lucy Gatherage is somewhat lost, and I think how great it must have looked in the role of Hillary, the future wife of Val Joanna. But Omar Sharif in a tiny role just burns napalm. So, I told you why I love “Top Secret!”, but still from my heart I advise you not to take my word for it and see this funny thing. Yes, at times it is simple and vulgar, but if you are an intellectual, you can at least appreciate the political background of history or the dialogue in Swedish with English subtitles. If not, then laugh at the very generously gifted nature "balleroons". But if you understand any humor, regardless of its intellectual level, you will get a double pleasure.
	Dara Goldberg

Choose movie

Rate the movies you've seen