Hot Shots! Part Deux

From the team that created Airplane!, The Naked Gun and Police Squad comes this even funnier sequel to the Top Gun spoof Hot Shots!

The plot, what there is of one between the continual gags and movie takeoffs, is simple: Topper Harley (Sheen) is recalled to action to 'save the men who went in to get the men who went to get the men' after a hostage rescue fails 'somewhere in the Middle East'. With pumped-up muscles and bandanna, Charlie Sheen is perfect in the lead of this Rambo leg-pull receiving wonderful support from Lloyd Bridges as the gaga U.S. President.

The film is skilfully constructed to provide entertainment and laughs consistently from start to finish, and no prior knowledge of films plundered (including Star Wars, Terminateor 2, Basic Instinct, Lady and the Tramp and, showing not even great classics are sacred, nods to the Wizard of Oz, The Godfather and Casablanca) is needed: the jokes are funny in themselves, acquaintance with the appropriate movie only adds an extra dimension. Also events in the background of shots are often as funny as what's notionally happening immediately in front of the camera, look out especially for the scene where Topper is recruited from his monastery retreat.

Hot Shots! Part Deux may be no great art film but its consistent humour, delightful spoofs and wonderfully deadpan performances cannot fail to entertain any prepared to throw away their Barry Norman faculties for the night and enter into the silly and truly juvenile spirit in which the film is made, intended and best enjoyed. Am I joking, I hear you ask? Well if I was joking I would have said, "A man went into a bar..."

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