For the role of the "villain" in "The Best Shooter 2", the Pentagon chose the Su-57: what does it mean? (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
The 1986 blockbuster "The Best Shooter" was filmed with the participation of the US Navy and became not only a box office film, but raised the recruitment to naval aviation by 500%, writes Military Watch. And the appearance of the Su-57 in the second part suggests that the main opponent of the United States is Russia, not China.
Cinema and mass media largely shape the public perception of both international politics and military issues. And in this respect, it is hardly possible to give an example more successful than the 1986 blockbuster "The Best Shooter" (Top Gun). The film was shot with the participation of the US Navy, which only benefited from its popularity: there was no end of volunteers. Navy recruiters opened their points right in the cinemas where the film was being shown, and, according to their data, after the release of the "Best Shooter", recruitment to naval aviation jumped by 500%.
At that time, most did not yet know that the Pentagon had a hand in the film: without the equipment and personnel of the Navy, the film would simply not have taken place. In return, the Pentagon received the right to delete scenes and rewrite dialogues unfavorable to its image. So, the military demanded to rework the storyline about the collision in the air, and the main character Charlotte (Kelly McGillis) was "fired" to a civilian so that the main character, the naval pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise), would take care of her.
And this was the case not only with "The Best Shooter", but also with all high–budget war films from "Transformers" to "Sea Battle" - they simply cannot be filmed without the support of the Pentagon, and in return he gets the right to rewrite the script. This is not only the case in the United States, but because of the unrivaled popularity of the American film industry, the Pentagon also influences the perception of America in other countries. At the same time, films made with the support of the Pentagon carry a hidden message of the military – both to the American public and to foreign viewers.
The release of the sequel "The Best Shooter 2" was originally announced for 2019, but was postponed. Since then, the plot has been reworked – especially the aerial combat scenes. The tape, where Tom Cruise will play the Maverick naval pilot again 36 years later, will surely also reflect the political atmosphere of his time. In the original "Best Shooter", American pilots fought Soviet fighters of an unnamed enemy state in the Indian Ocean. Then the villains flew on fictional MiG-28 fighters – on the screen they were represented by American F-5Es in bright black with red communist stars to match the color scheme of the North Korean Air Force.
In the sequel film, we will also see realistic images of the modern arsenal of a possible enemy. These will be not only Soviet S-125 air defense systems, widely used around the world from North Korea to Syria and Venezuela, but also, as it appears from the latest announcement on March 29, the Russian Su-57 new generation fighter.
The opportunity to use real Russian weapons systems on the set is largely the result of technological progress. In addition, many of them have become much more accessible to the United States through security partners – in particular, former Warsaw Pact members in Eastern Europe – as well as through direct purchases and other acquisitions. So, the US armed forces have for testing the main Russian fighter of the Flanker family (according to the NATO codification – the Su-27 family with all its derivatives – Approx. InoSMI): in the 1990s, two cars were purchased in Belarus. Another important point is that the Russian military is not as secretive about their weapons as the Soviet ones, and photos and videos are available so that producers can create a screen image based on them.
The appearance of the Su-57 in the film suggests that Russia, not China, is considered the main enemy of the United States – this is more appropriate for 2022 than for 2019. Despite the fact that China has a much more mature stealth fighter program compared to the Su-57, the J-20 is not offered for export. The Su-57, on the contrary, is designed for widespread use abroad. In addition, various representatives of the Flanker family are in service with countries that are much more likely to attack the United States than Russia or China itself. Finally, the rejection of the Chinese plane in the role of the "villain" guarantees the film greater success at the Chinese box office.
The choice in favor of the Su-57, although there are only five of them in service, and not its predecessor based on the original Su-27, of which more than a thousand are deployed around the world, will allow the main characters to challenge the threat of the next generation, which currently barely exists, but symbolizes all the best that is in Russia. And because they themselves will sit at the helm of an old F-14 – this fighter first took to the air in 1970 and was decommissioned in 2006 – the feat of Maverick and his co-pilot will make an even greater impression, confirming the elite status of Navy pilots, as in the original 1986 production.
The F-14 is perhaps the most iconic fighter in the history of the US Armed Forces and the star of the original "Best Shooter". The choice in his favor for the sequel was largely predetermined by the people's love for the original tape. Thanks to the new and unusual design, the Su-57 will become a much more interesting opponent than the Flanker family fighters or the old [fictional] MiG-28. On the one hand, this raises the stakes, and on the other hand, it preserves some realism, since this aircraft is already being exported.
What kind of enemy will fly on the Su-57 is still unknown, but there is a significant probability that the enemy state will remain unnamed, as it was in the original film. "The Best Shooter" became one of the most successful films of the Cold War – both for the interests of the navy and at the box office. However, whether the continuation will repeat its success remains to be seen.
