'Top Gun' vs. 'The Bourne Identity': Vote for the Greatest Summer Movie Ever
Summertime means summer movies, and this year could be one of the biggest season's ever. But which blockbuster of the past is truly the best? We've pitted 32 of the most successful and beloved summer movies against each other. And now you get to decide which is your favorite. After four rounds of voting, only one movie will be left standing. Which title will be declared the greatest summer movie of all time?
Top Gun
Release date: May 16, 1986
Everyone had a need for speed back in the summer of '86 thanks to director Tony Scott's shameless exploitation of Reagan-era militarism, a 110-minute Navy recruitment video in which Maverick (Tom Cruise) learns to be the greatest fighter pilot ever as Kenny Loggins sings about the Danger Zone. It made Cruise an international superstar, and launched the careers of Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, and Tim Robbins. The recent 3D remix unfortunately reveals a film which is very much of its time, but we'll always have those high-flying memories of playin' with the boys.
The Bourne Identity
Release date: June 14, 2002
Matt Damon made his debut as amnesiac rogue CIA agent Jason Bourne in director Doug Liman's thriller, running, punching, shooting and leaping his way through various international locales with a cute German gal (Franka Potente) in tow as he struggles to find out who he is and why seemingly everyone on the planet wants to kill him. Paul Greengrass would make the series his own with his love of handheld camerawork and chop-chop editing with later "Bourne" installments, but Liman's opening act is a solid, workmanlike round of spy games, with Damon showing everyone that he's a bona fide movie star in case they hadn't noticed yet.
