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{{cquote|this could all be an elaborate bluff by the Americans to distract us from looking to the north, while this single aircraft attempts to escape to the south.}}

{{cquote|this could all be an elaborate bluff by the Americans to distract us from looking to the north, while this single aircraft attempts to escape to the south.}}

Furthermore, Barron<ref name=Barron>Barron J, ''MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko'', New York: Bantam Books, 1980.</ref> points out that the MiG-25 (which Thomas used as his inspiration) was very well-designed, given the limitations of Soviet technology. It was also desgined for a specific mission: to intercept [[B-70]] bombers. Congress canceled the B-70 program, but the MiG-25 remained (and was redesigned to become a two-seater, which is the actual [[MiG-31]]).

Furthermore, Barron<ref name=Barron>Barron J, ''MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko'', New York: Bantam Books, 1980.</ref> points out that the MiG-25 (which Thomas used as his inspiration) was very well-designed, given the limitations of Soviet technology. It was also designed for a specific mission: to intercept [[B-70]] bombers. Congress canceled the B-70 program, but the MiG-25 remained (and was redesigned to become a two-seater, which is the actual [[MiG-31]]).

The only true flaw in this film, regarding the notion that the Soviets could so outpace the West in weapons development, is that it specified no time frame. It does suggest that Firefox was three years in the making, and Aubrey gives this indication of how complacent the West had become:

The only true flaw in this film, regarding the notion that the Soviets could so outpace the West in weapons development, is that it specified no time frame. It does suggest that Firefox was three years in the making, and Aubrey gives this indication of how complacent the West had become:

Eastwood's use of the subplot involving Mitchell Gant's post-traumatic stress disorder, and its manifestation at unpredictable times, may have begun as a plot device to excuse a disastrous incident (i.e., Gant killing the agent in the restroom of the Metro station) and a near-disaster at the Bilyarsk base (i.e., almost failing to escape with the aircraft when the base personnel are distracted with the execution of Baranovich, Natalya, and Semelovsky). This theme could have been developed much more than it actually was. (Rumors have it that Eastwood blamed the budget overruns for the special effects for the compromises in quality in other aspects of the film, and swore never to produce and/or direct a special-effects film ever again. But perhaps Eastwood ought to have laid the blame with screenwriter Lasker, who neglected to expand upon Thomas' original material as much as he might have.)

Eastwood's use of the subplot involving Mitchell Gant's post-traumatic stress disorder, and its manifestation at unpredictable times, may have begun as a plot device to excuse a disastrous incident (i.e., Gant killing the agent in the restroom of the Metro station) and a near-disaster at the Bilyarsk base (i.e., almost failing to escape with the aircraft when the base personnel are distracted with the execution of Baranovich, Natalya, and Semelovsky). This theme could have been developed much more than it actually was. (Rumors have it that Eastwood blamed the budget overruns for the special effects for the compromises in quality in other aspects of the film, and swore never to produce and/or direct a special-effects film ever again. But perhaps Eastwood ought to have laid the blame with screenwriter Lasker, who neglected to expand upon Thomas' original material as much as he might have.)

Nevertheless, Mitchell Gant is a typical Clint Eastwood hero&mdash;a man wrestling with inner demons and who learns to conquer them in order to do the job at hand. Furthermore, Gant does develop signficantly as a man, in that his personal demon&mdash;the memory of the burning girl&mdash;pales in comparison, not only to the job he has to do, but also to the sacrifices that Pavel Upenskoy and Drs. Baranovich, Natalya, and Semelovskiy are willing to make. Baranovich impresses Gant the most, willing as he is to give Gant a successful send-off knowing that he will surely die afterward, if not in the process.

Nevertheless, Mitchell Gant is a typical Clint Eastwood hero&mdash;a man wrestling with inner demons and who learns to conquer them in order to do the job at hand. Furthermore, Gant does develop significantly as a man, in that his personal demon&mdash;the memory of the burning girl&mdash;pales in comparison, not only to the job he has to do, but also to the sacrifices that Pavel Upenskoy and Drs. Baranovich, Natalya, and Semelovskiy are willing to make. Baranovich impresses Gant the most, willing as he is to give Gant a successful send-off knowing that he will surely die afterward, if not in the process.

{{Cquote|Mr. Gant, you are an American. You are a free man. I am not. There is a difference. If I resent the men in London, then that is a small thing compared to my resentment of the [[KGB]].}}

{{Cquote|Mr. Gant, you are an American. You are a free man. I am not. There is a difference. If I resent the men in London, then that is a small thing compared to my resentment of the [[KGB]].}}

Gant succeeds because the police do not regularly communicate with the KGB (which is why they do not realize until far too late that the man who flew into Sheremetyevo Airport as "Leon Sprague" is the same man who departed Moscow as "Boris Glazunov" the next morning), and also because Kontarsky, his principal opponent on the ground, is determined to round up everyone himself and does not take definitive action until suddenly Gant is taxiing the Firefox out of the hangar faster than he can get the door shut on him. As strange as Gant's success might seem, one can never forget the success that nineteen Arab terrorists had in killing 3000 people in four airliners, seven commercial buildings, and the very headquarters of the US [[Department of Defense]]. (That they failed to destroy the [[Capitol]] or perhaps the [[White House]] is only because a group of passengers sacrificed themselves in an attempt to re-commandeer their own flight when they knew that it had been hijacked and was on a deadly errand.)

Gant succeeds because the police do not regularly communicate with the KGB (which is why they do not realize until far too late that the man who flew into Sheremetyevo Airport as "Leon Sprague" is the same man who departed Moscow as "Boris Glazunov" the next morning), and also because Kontarsky, his principal opponent on the ground, is determined to round up everyone himself and does not take definitive action until suddenly Gant is taxiing the Firefox out of the hangar faster than he can get the door shut on him. As strange as Gant's success might seem, one can never forget the success that nineteen Arab terrorists had in killing 3000 people in four airliners, seven commercial buildings, and the very headquarters of the US [[Department of Defense]]. (That they failed to destroy the [[Capitol]] or perhaps the [[White House]] is only because a group of passengers sacrificed themselves in an attempt to re-commandeer their own flight when they knew that it had been hijacked and was on a deadly errand.)

Pavel Upenskoy succeeds in delivering Gant to Bilyarsk because he is as ruthless as any [[Arab]] terrorist has been shown to be, quite willing to kill a colleague when called for, and in the end, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Indeed his ruthlessness is a match for that of Kontarsky, the more remarkable because he is a civilian. Gant perhaps demonstrates a similar ruthlessness: he orders a [[Dog|K-9]] patrol in the very area of the forest where Upenskoy is likely to be skulking about and trying to stay ahead of the authorities, knowing that he might thereby be the instrument of Upenskoy's death.

Pavel Upenskoy succeeds in delivering Gant to Bilyarsk because he is as ruthless as any [[Arab]] terrorist has been shown to be, quite willing to kill a colleague when called for, and in the end, willing to make the ultimate sacrifice. Indeed, his ruthlessness is a match for that of Kontarsky, the more remarkable because he is a civilian. Gant perhaps demonstrates a similar ruthlessness: he orders a [[Dog|K-9]] patrol in the very area of the forest where Upenskoy is likely to be skulking about and trying to stay ahead of the authorities, knowing that he might thereby be the instrument of Upenskoy's death.

Baranovich also demonstrates a willingness to lay down his life in order to ensure freedom for an entire world&mdash;and also an almost [[Don Quixote|Quixotic]] desire to take down as many of his enemies as he can on the occasion of his inevitable death. While he is no [[Samson]], he does succeed in his ultimate aim: getting Gant aboard Firefox so that Gant can steal it.

Baranovich also demonstrates a willingness to lay down his life in order to ensure freedom for an entire world&mdash;and also an almost [[Don Quixote|Quixotic]] desire to take down as many of his enemies as he can on the occasion of his inevitable death. While he is no [[Samson]], he does succeed in his ultimate aim: getting Gant aboard Firefox so that Gant can steal it.