Firefox

Release date:June 18, 1982

Directed by:Clint Eastwood

Rated:

Runtime:136 minutes

Firefox is a 1982 American action film produced, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. It is based upon the 1977 novel of the same name written by Craig Thomas. Set in Russia, authentic filming locations were not possible due to the Cold War, forcing Eastwood and Fritz Manes's Malpaso Company to... rely on Vienna and other locations in Austria to double for many of the Eurasian story locations. The film was shot on a $21 million budget. A joint Anglo-American plot is devised to steal a highly advanced Soviet fighter aircraft which is capable of Mach 6, is invisible to radar, and carries weapons controlled by thought. Former United States Air Force Major Mitchell Gant, a Vietnam veteran—and former P.O.W.—infiltrates the Soviet Union, aided by his ability to speak Russian and a network of Jewish dissidents and sympathizers, three of whom are key scientists working on the fighter itself. His goal is to steal the Firefox and fly it back to friendly territory for analysis. However, the KGB has gotten wind of the extraction operation and is already hot on Gant's tail.
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Techno-thrillers are a hybrid genre, drawing subject matter generally from spy/action thrillers, fantasy/war novels, and science fiction. They... include a disproportionate amount of technical details on its subject matter ; only science fiction tends towards a comparable level of supporting detail on the technical side. The inner workings of technology and the mechanics of various disciplines are thoroughly explored, and the plot often turns on the particulars of that exploration. Techno-thrillers tend to have a broad scope in the narrative, and can often be regarded as contemporary speculative fiction; world wars are a common topic. Techno-thrillers often overlap, as far as the genre goes, with near-future science fiction. To the extent that technology is now a dominant aspect of modern global culture, most modern thrillers are 'techno-thrillers', and the genre is somewhat diffuse.
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