Top Secret! (1984)

76% of critics liked it
(34 reviews)
76% of users liked it
(39,182 ratings)

The second of Zucker-Abraham-Zucker's theatrical-feature spoofs (Airplane was the first, discounting the patchwork Kentucky Fried Movie), Top Secret! lampoons practically every film genre. Specifically, however, this is a hybrid of an "Elvis" movie and a World War II "underground resistance"… More The second of Zucker-Abraham-Zucker's theatrical-feature spoofs (Airplane was the first, discounting the patchwork Kentucky Fried Movie), Top Secret! lampoons practically every film genre. Specifically, however, this is a hybrid of an "Elvis" movie and a World War II "underground resistance" thriller. In his film debut, Val Kilmer plays Nick Rivers, a Presley-like American rock idol sent behind the Iron Curtain on a goodwill tour. Before long, he is involved in a complex espionage scheme thanks to beautiful Lucy Gutteridge, the daughter of a scientist (Michael Gough) held captive by the Communists. Also essential to the action is flamboyant resistance leader Christopher Villiers, who behaves like Victor Mature in Betrayed (1954) and talks like James Mason. Adhering to Z-A-Z's cheerful disregard for people, places and events, the East Germans are depicted as Nazis, while the Underground is comprised of Frenchmen. The plot is mainly an excuse for the Z-A-Z team's fondness for joke-a-minute lampoonery, skewering cinematic targets ranging from The Blue Lagoon (1980) to The Wizard of Oz (1939). As in Z-A-Z's other efforts, Top Secret! scores its biggest yocks when invoking cliches that we never realized were cliches-and falls on its face whenever attempting a too-obvious gag (the biggest clinker: that pigeon statue in the park). Everyone has his or her favorite bits in this film: our faves include the resistance fighter named Deja Vu ("Haven't we met somewhere before?"), Kilmer's horrible nightmare while being tortured (he arrives too late to take final exams), the army-booted cow, the sensitive Pinto, and the East German National Anthem, sung to the tune of the Shorewood (Wisconsin) High School marching song. But let's say no more: comedy of this nature is designed to be seen, not written or read about. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker
Written By: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Martyn Burke
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 8, 1984 Wide
On DVD: Jul 16, 2002
Studio: Paramount Home Video

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
The plot combines the rock musical with the spy thriller (not to mention assorted other genres), and the comic invention is fairly constant.
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
This time, though, the creative group has neglected to build to the kind of giddy, everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink climax that made Airplane! such a memorable exercise in anarchy.
Variety Staff, Variety
Secret! shares the same wonderful wacky attitude that allows just about any kind of gag to come flowing in and out of the picture at the strangest times.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
This movie will cheerfully go for a laugh wherever one is even remotely likely to be found.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
Top Secret! comes nowhere near Airplane! but in its own cheerful, low-pressure way, it's about as amiable an entertainment as you will find this summer.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker present a narrative that is hopelessly convoluted, but that, of course, is exactly their intention as they pile joke upon joke, filling their film with inventive sight gags.
, Film4
Featuring cows wearing boots, a scene involving skeet surfin' (filmed in Cornwall of all places), and French characters named 'Déjà Vu' and 'Avant Garde', this is an absurd comedy that hits far more times than it misses.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Jokes so stupid as to seem almost surreal, an amazing range of cultural referents and a smattering of genuinely witty conceits.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
The story has almost no momentum and runs out of gas, ending abruptly, but how can you knock a movie with so many gut-busting jokes?
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
I found its spirited irreverence to be refreshing.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Extras on the disc are a bit more extensive than you'd usually get with a movie well over two decades old that's not generally viewed as a classic.
Brian Webster, Apollo Guide
Memorable both for its spoofing of a wacky combination of Elvis movies, spy movies and Second World War intrigue films and for the fact that it's Val Kilmer's film debut.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
I could never figure out why this comedy-packed gem bombed during its day until I saw it again and realized how juvenile it is. Nevertheless, my memories of it helped me enjoy it once again.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Signs of desperation have begun to creep in some time before the end.

Read all 14 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Wahida K

Wow I dont believe I was so bored with a Movie which was directed by Zucker/Abrahams. There was only one and really one scene that I laughed my socks off, but I saw it coming. I think they were on Pot when the script for the Movie was written.
AJ V

Another spoof movie from the makers of Airplane, but this one is no where near as good. It's okay, but unfunny for the most part.
Thomas B

Absolutely genius. Laugh after stomach hurting laugh.
Tim S

Funny at times, but not a real classic in my book.
Jens S

The Zucker / Abrahams / Zucker team that brought us The Naked Gun and Airplane showed their talent in this early work, a hilariously funny espionage thriller parody. I wished I could go back and relive the experience of watching this film for the first time, and how I almost fell off… More
The Zucker / Abrahams / Zucker team that brought us The Naked Gun and Airplane showed their talent in this early work, a hilariously funny espionage thriller parody. I wished I could go back and relive the experience of watching this film for the first time, and how I almost fell off the couch from laughing. Surely, it didn't age as well as other films but it's still pretty damn funny. Odd that it didn't get the recognition of the other films, especially since it introduced a young Val Kilmer. Full of unbelievably silly, stupid and funny ideas that will still make you laugh days later just thinking about them. A comedy classic.
Cassandra M

An American rock and roll idol goes behind the iron curtain (while there was one!) for a culture fest but instead becomes involved in the resistance movement. Forget about the film itself, the very idea of an Elvis Presley movie being mixed with a French resistance film and produced… More
An American rock and roll idol goes behind the iron curtain (while there was one!) for a culture fest but instead becomes involved in the resistance movement. Forget about the film itself, the very idea of an Elvis Presley movie being mixed with a French resistance film and produced by the Airplane! crew is enough for laugh number one. Not only is this a bizarre world but seems to be playing games with time and history, the communist East Germany being portrayed as a kind of war time Nazi set-up! Kilmer does well with an impossible role to the point where you wonder if he didn't miss his vocation. He can sing and dance better than many real singers and he proved in The Doors that he is really a major musical force. Strangely it is rumoured that he didn't realise this was a satire! The stupidity of many Elvis movies and those Saturday morning children's reels (scientist and beautiful daughter) are taken to the cleaners and you have fantastic sight gags. The "falling guard" gag is one of the best sight gags in the history of movies - I challenge anyone not to laugh at it. I enjoy a stupid movie every now and then and admit I enjoyed this one. Clearly the authors know little about German history or European culture and the little they do know seems cribbed from watching bad B movies on the subject, but what the hell. This is too stupid for anyone to get seriously uptight about. "How silly can you get?" sings Kilmer at one point in the film: Maybe a little, but not that much!
Mike S

1984 sure was a good year. Not only was I born then but it was also the year that gifted us great comedies such as Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop and Police Academy. Among said classics was also this one, Top Secret, a spoof flick by the creators of Airplane, that truly puts… More
1984 sure was a good year. Not only was I born then but it was also the year that gifted us great comedies such as Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop and Police Academy. Among said classics was also this one, Top Secret, a spoof flick by the creators of Airplane, that truly puts today's parody films to shame (yes, I'm looking at you Epic Movie, Date Movie and Meet the Spartans). I mean, call me crazy, but it seems all good comedy writers either died off or retired during the 90's, and thus left their thrones to lesser talents, whom now has come to plague us with an overexcessive use of slapstick, cheap under-the-belt humor and poorly written jokes. I wonder if we'll ever see the glory of old restored.
Tim S

Kilmer should do more comedies. The guy is fucking hilarious.
Dean !

A great spoof film from the same team behind The Naked Gun and Airplane! films. Very funny!
Lady D

I kind of remembered this film being funnier in it's day, but there are still some very funny parts.
Tim B

As with most people my age, this movie has been near the top of my favorite comedy list since I was a kid. If it was made today, would I love it as much? I like to think so.
xGary X

Slightly lame scattershot spoof from the makers of Airplane! that throws in every joke they can think of without any sense of form or structure...probably single-handedly responsible for the seemingly endless slew of dreadful Scary Movie films and their ilk.
Jason S

Funny spoof of spy flicks and pop music. It's wierd to see Val Kilmer being all kooky.
Stuart B

I love this film!!!!
Michael G

How silly can you get?
Mike

Val Kilmer Elvis
Jim W

Nick Rivers (Val Kilmer) a rock and roll star finds himself against Nazis in Germany in this strange but very funny spoof by David Zucker (Naked Gun).
Doctor S

Pretty funny Abrahams/Zucker, rates with Hot Shots and Naked Gun as easily their best efforts behind Airplane!
Marcus W

Aww, imagine if Airplane (one of the funniest films ever) had a younger brother who wasn't as cool, or as popular or as funny (and wasn't friends with Leslie Neilsen), but still tried really hard to impress and was funnier than most "comedies" of the last ten years… More
Aww, imagine if Airplane (one of the funniest films ever) had a younger brother who wasn't as cool, or as popular or as funny (and wasn't friends with Leslie Neilsen), but still tried really hard to impress and was funnier than most "comedies" of the last ten years or so. Recommended!
Dimitris S

It doesn't appeal to recent viewers and I can't disagree on that statement.But it would be an insult to rate it altogether with a weak Mel Brooks film,this keeps a low profile at first and then erupts as a trick-or-treat flavor.Pity for the famous trio who split after Naked… More
It doesn't appeal to recent viewers and I can't disagree on that statement.But it would be an insult to rate it altogether with a weak Mel Brooks film,this keeps a low profile at first and then erupts as a trick-or-treat flavor.Pity for the famous trio who split after Naked Gun and we all know the dumb films such as Scary Movies and Rat "Clumsy" Races they were involved with...

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Val Kilmer as Nick Rivers

            Lucy Gutteridge as Hillary

            Christopher Villiers as Nigel

            Omar Sharif as Cedric

            Peter Cushing as Bookstore Owner

            Jeremy Kemp as Gen. Streck

            Billy Mitchell as Martin

            Michael Gough as Dr. Flammond

            Harry Ditson as Du Quois

            Jim Carter as Deja Vu

            Nancy Abrahams as Pregnant Woman

            David Adams as Back-Up Singer

            Sydney Arnold as Albert Potato

            Susan Breslau as Cafe Diner

            John Carney as Klaus

            Warren Clarke as Col. Von Horst

            Daisy the Cow as Herself

            Andrew Hawkins as Pilot

            Tristram Jellinek as Maj. Crumpler

            Gertan Klauber as Mayor

            Vyvyan Lorrayne as Mme. Bergerone

            Richard Mayes as Biletnikov

            Mac McDonald as German Soldier

            Ian McNeice as Blind Man

            Marcus Powell as Little German

            John Sharp as Maitre D'

            Eddie Tagoe as Chocolate Mousse

            Major Wiley as Porter

            Burton Zucker as Chef

            Charlotte Zucker as Cafe Diner

            Richard Pescud as Priest

            Russell Sommers as Student

            Nicola Wright as Pizzahaus Girl

            Louise Yaffe as Cafe Diner

            Dimitri Andreas as Latrine
See full cast