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Stealth (film)

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Stealth is a 2005 American military science fiction action film directed by Rob Cohen and written by W. D. Richter, and starring Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Sam Shepard, Joe Morton and Richard Roxburgh. The film follows three top fighter pilots as they join a project to develop an automated robotic stealth aircraft.

Stealth
An aircraft with three people in flight suits standing in front of it.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRob Cohen
Written byW. D. Richter
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDean Semler
Edited byStephen E. Rivkin
Music byBT
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29)
Running time
121 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$135 million[1]
Box office$79.3 million[1]

Released on July 29, 2005, by Columbia Pictures, the film was a critical and box office failure, grossing $79.3 million worldwide against a budget of $135 million. It was one of the worst losses in cinematic history.[2][3]

Plot

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In the near future, the U.S. Navy develops the F/A-37 Talon, a single-seat fighter-bomber with advanced payload, range, speed, and stealth capabilities. The program recruits three pilots out of 400 applicants; Lieutenants Ben Gannon, Kara Wade, and Henry Purcell. Captain George Cummings is the overall head.

To further advances the program, Cummings has an artificial intelligence, the "Extreme Deep Invader" (EDI), installed on an uncrewed jet. EDI joins the others on the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Philippine Sea to learn combat maneuvers from the pilots. This sparks controversy over a machine's inability to make moral decisions versus humans' struggle to overcome ego.

Whilst training EDI in air combat maneuvers, the team is unexpectedly reassigned to kill the heads of three terrorist cells at a conference in downtown Rangoon. According to EDI calculation, minimum casualty can be achieved by a vertical missile strike augmented by the bomber diving at a speed sufficient to cause a human pilot to black out. Command authorizes EDI to attack, but Gannon defies orders and carries out the strike himself, blacking out and regaining consciousness just in time to avoid crashing. As the team returns to the Lincoln, EDI is hit by lightning. Subsequent inspection of EDI reveals an accelerated learning pace and development of a rudimentary ethical code and an ego, which might lead to unpredictable behaviors, but Cummings refuses to take EDI offline.

During a mission to destroy stolen nuclear warheads in Tajikistan, Wade realizes that the fallout will cause significant collateral damage. The human pilots abort, but EDI defies orders and destroys the warheads, causing extensive radioactive fallout and civilian casualties as anticipated. After EDI refuses order to return to base, an agitated Gannon decides to shoot it down. In the ensuing dogfight, a missile Purcell fires at EDI explodes on a mountain, blinding him and causing a fatal crash. Wade's plane is damaged by the same explosion, which triggers her plane's auto-destruct, forcing her to eject over North Korea.

Command realizes EDI is executing a 20-year-old war scenario called Caviar Sweep that involves attacking Russia. Gannon chases EDI into Russian territory where they destroy several Russian Su-37s. After both planes are damaged, Gannon calls a truce with EDI to avoid falling into enemy hands and rescue Wade. Cummings instructs the two to land in Alaska.

At risk of facing court-martial for ignoring EDI's behavior, Cummings seeks to eliminate witnesses. He ignores Wade, who heads to the Korean Demilitarized Zone – while evading the army. Cummings orders Gannon eliminated, and orders Dr. Keith Orbit, EDI's creator, to Alaska to wipe EDI's memory.

At the Alaska base, suspecting Cummings' treachery, Gannon narrowly escapes an assassination attempt by the base's doctor and kills him. Meanwhile, while Orbit inspects EDI, the AI expresses regret for its transgressions. Realizing EDI has developed sentience, Orbit decides against to erase its memory, against Cummings order. Orbit reinstalls EDI and Gannon climbs in the same plane as his was damaged during landing. Gannon uses EDI's weapons systems to clear a path for Orbit to flee, then flies to North Korea. Gannon contacts the Lincoln's skipper, Captain Dick Marshfield, to inform him about Cummings' deceit. Before Marshfield can confront him, Cummings commits suicide.

Gannon finds the injured and embattled Wade nearing the border. He lands and runs to her aid. Out of ammunition and taking damage from a Mi-8 helicopter, EDI sacrifices itself by ramming the helicopter, destroying both. Gannon and Wade to cross on foot into South Korea, where they are rescued.

After attending Purcell's funeral, Gannon awkwardly expresses his feelings of love to Wade.

In a post-credits scene, in the debris-strewn border between North and South Korea, EDI's "brain" is seen turning back on.

Cast

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Production

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A Stealth camera crew preparing for filming on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln

In August 2002, it was announced Columbia Pictures had picked up Warrior, a W.D. Richter spec script set up at Phoenix Pictures about a high- tech air force fighter drone that malfunctions, wiping out the better part of a crewed elite squadron. Vastly overmatched, a single pilot must attempt to destroy the drone.[4] In November of that year Rob Cohen entered negotiations to direct.[5]

Stealth features several shots of action on aircraft carriers. Scenes featuring the cast were shot on board the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln,[6] while additional scenes were shot on board the similar Nimitz and Carl Vinson.[7]

The film was shot in Thailand, Australia (Blue Mountains National Park in New South Wales and Flinders Ranges in South Australia), and New Zealand. Cohen cited Macross as an inspiration for the film.[8]

Litigation

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In March 2005, Leo Stoller, who claimed to own trademark rights to the word "stealth", served Columbia Pictures with a "cease and desist" letter threatening litigation if they did not rename the film to something "non infringing".[9] Columbia preemptively sued Stoller, and the court entered a consent judgment and permanent injunction in favor of Columbia Pictures and against Stoller in November 2005.[10]

The Environmental Defender's Office, a community legal centre specialising in environmental law, successfully represented the Blue Mountains Conservation Society Inc. in its attempts to prevent filming of Stealth in the Grose Valley wilderness area of the Blue Mountains National Park, NSW, Australia, in May 2004. Justice Lloyd of the New South Wales Land and Environment Court ruled that the proposed commercial filming of scenes in the area was unlawful, in a significant statement on the value of wilderness areas and the protection that should be afforded to them. The Society claimed that the authority and consent for the commercial filming activities were in breach of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 and the Wilderness Act 1987. Justice Lloyd accepted the Society's arguments that the proposed commercial filming in a wilderness area was completely against the intended use of the land, concluding his judgment with the words, "wilderness is sacrosanct".[11]

Soundtrack

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Stealth: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
Released12 July 2005 (2005-07-12)
GenreAlternative rock
Length55:58
LabelEpic
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [12]

The soundtrack was released on 12 July 2005 on Epic Records. American rock band Incubus wrote and recorded three new songs for the film. According to guitarist Mike Einziger, Cohen was a big fan and "wouldn't stop asking."[13] It was the first time the band had composed original music for a soundtrack, with frontman Brandon Boyd citing "Princes of the Universe" by Queen as an inspiration for writing music for a film. "Neither of Us Can See" is also notable for being Incubus' first duet, featuring vocals from Chrissie Hynde. The song is featured in the end credits.[14]

One song from the album, "Over My Head (Cable Car)" by the Colorado band The Fray (who is just recently signed to Epic) became a massively successful hit song, charted at number 8 on the billboard hot 100, became the fifth most-downloaded single of 2006, nominated for a Grammy, and helped launching the band into superstardom.

No.TitleArtistsLength
1."Make a Move"Incubus3:12
2."Admiration"Incubus4:13
3."Neither of Us Can See"Incubus4:04
4."(She Can) Do That"David Bowie and BT3:15
5."Dance to the Music"Sly & The Family Stone with will.i.am4:06
6."Bullet-Proof Skin"Institute4:24
7."(L.S.F.) Lost Souls Forever"Kasabian3:18
8."Bug Eyes"Dredg4:16
9."Over My Head (Cable Car)"The Fray3:57
10."One Day"Trading Yesterday4:21
11."Different"Acceptance4:09
12."Nights in White Satin"Glenn Hughes featuring Chad Smith and John Frusciante4:56
13."Aqueous Transmission"Incubus7:47
Total length:55:58

Release

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Box office

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The film cost $135 million to produce (excluding advertising costs) and was released in 3,495 theaters, but had an opening weekend of only $13.3 million for an average of only $3,792 per theater, peaking at 4th place behind Wedding Crashers, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Sky High. It then lost 55% of its audience in its second weekend dropping to 7th place to $5.9 million, while remaining at 3,495 theaters and averaging just $1,695 per theater. In its third weekend, it lost 1,455 theaters, and a further 64 percent of its audience, dropping to 11th, with just $2.2 million, for an average of just $1,055 from 2,040 theaters.

It ended up making $32.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $47.2 million internationally, for a total worldwide gross of $79.3 million, making it the biggest money loser in a series of financial disasters released by Columbia Pictures in 2005 next to XXX: State of the Union, Bewitched, Rent, Zathura, Into the Blue, Man of the House and Lords of Dogtown.

Critical response

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On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 13% based on 140 reviews, with an average rating of 3.74/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Loud, preposterous, and predictable, Stealth borrows heavily and unsuccessfully from Top Gun and 2001."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 35 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[16] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B−" on scale of A to F.[17]

Roger Ebert commented that the film was "a dumbed-down Top Gun crossed with the HAL 9000 plot from 2001."[18]

Later director Rob Cohen unfavorably compared Stealth to his two previous box-office hits, The Fast and the Furious and XxX: “Fast And Furious can be what it is as a story, but in the end, it was a fun Summer ride; XxX was a fun Summer ride… And Stealth was not fun. It was not as entertaining moment-to-moment as the other two had been, and what I think you need for a movie in the Summer.“[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Stealth at Box Office Mojo
  2. ^ Brooks, Xan (20 March 2012). "The 10 biggest box office flops of all time – in pictures". Guardian. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  3. ^ Gabbi Shaw (27 February 2017). "The biggest box office flop from the year you were born". Insider. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Richter has 'Warrior' in Col arsenal". Variety. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Col captures 'Warrior'". Variety. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  6. ^ This story was written Journalist Seaman Michael Cook, USS Abraham Lincoln Public Affairs. "Hollywood Joins Abe Underway to Film 'Stealth'". Archived from the original on 6 November 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  7. ^ This story was written Journalist Seaman Chris Fahey, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs. "'Stealth' Films Aboard Vinson". Archived from the original on 6 November 2004. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
  8. ^ "Rob Cohen for "Stealth" - Feature - Dark Horizons". Archived from the original on 4 April 2012.
  9. ^ Yearwood, Pauline Dubkin (26 August 2005). Talk About Chutzpah: This Chicago Jewish entrepreneur says he owns the rights to that word and a couple of hundred others. And he isn't kidding.[permanent dead link‍] Chicago Jewish News
  10. ^ Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. v. Leo Stoller , no. 05-CV-02052, N.D. Illinois, docket report (5 January 2007), retrieved from PACER, 3 June 2013
  11. ^ "Blue Mountains Conservation Society Inc v Director-General of National Parks and Wildlife & (2) Ors [2004] NSWLEC 196 (29 April 2004)".
  12. ^ "Stealth [Original Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  13. ^ Baltin, Steve (16 May 2005). "Incubus Meet Pretenders". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  14. ^ IGN Music (16 May 2005). "Incubus In Stealth Mode". IGN. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  15. ^ "Stealth (2005)". Retrieved 3 June 2023 – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
  16. ^ Stealth at Metacritic  
  17. ^ "STEALTH (2005) B-". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018.
  18. ^ Ebert, Roger (27 July 2005). "Stealth Movie Review & Film Summary (2005)". Chicago Sun-Times.     
  19. ^ "The Den of Geek interview: Rob Cohen". Den of Geek. 2 August 2008.
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