Quentin Tarantino loves a deep dive into pop culture. He’s that guy who unexpectedly corners you in a bar, stares intently into your eyes, and regales you with an intense theory about some cheesy 80s action film.
In a resurfaced clip (as discovered by Uproxx), from the long-forgotten 1994 dramedy Sleep with Me, it’s the turn of the original Top Gun to come under the filmmaker’s forensic lens.
Tarantino made a cameo as a film in a not-very-exaggerated version of himself, sweatily detailing his views on Top Gun to some poor sod at a party.
As his character explains, the film is about a man’s struggles with his homosexuality. “You’ve got Maverick: He’s on the edge, man,” he says. “He’s right on the f**king line, alright? And you’ve got Iceman and all his crew. They’re gay; they represent the gay man, alright? And they’re saying: ‘Go! Go the gay way, go the gay way.’ He could go both ways.”
According to Tarantino, the female love interest, played by Kelly McGillis, represents heterosexuality. “She’s saying, ‘No, no, no, no. Go the normal way,” his character continues. “Play by the rules, go the normal way’ and they’re saying ‘No! Go the gay way. Be the gay way. Go for the gay way.’ That is what’s going on throughout that whole movie.”
After struggling with the push-and-pull of his sexuality, it’s Maverick and Iceman’s final interaction that confirms his homosexuality, Tarantino adds.
Of course this theory is far from baseless: Top Gun has become an icon of gay cinema for its homoerotic undertones. You only have to watch the famous beach volleyball scene to understand why.
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I’m sure Tarantino will develop lots more theories after going to see the Top Gun sequel. Top Gun: Maverick has become one of Tom Cruise’s biggest films of his long career, with some critics proclaiming it as superior to the original.
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Watch Quentin Tarantino’s Top Gun conversation in Sleep with Me:
