Released in May 2022, Top Gun: Maverick; made a huge uproar for their fighter jets action sequences that even bagged them an academy award for Best Sound. Top Gun: Maverick is a sequel to Top Gun, released in 1986. The chemistry between Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, and Lt. Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, played by Miles Teller, was undeniably touching. But, apart from this, another thing that caught our attention is the Character Adm. Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson, played by Jon Hamm.
This post contains some spoilers so continue at your own risk.
– PrimeMoviesTV
When we started to dig deeper into this role and tried to understand this Character’s psychology, we observed that Adm. Beau played an equally crucial role in keeping the jets of Top Gun afloat. Jon Hamm, as Adm. Beau, managed to pull off this role by merely using his facial expressions, eye rolls, tone, scoffs, chuckles, and body language. However, the layers given to this Character were much more profound than what we see on the surface. Therefore, we are writing this post to celebrate this Character, “The Naysayer.”
Not one, not two, but three battles were fought simultaneously in the movie. The first was to attack the unsanctioned Uranium enrichment plant, the second battle was between the main leads, Pete and Bradley, and the third was between supporting Character Adm. Beau Simpson and lead character Cap. Pete Mitchell.
Now, let’s take a look at the underlying shades given to this Character, Admiral Beau Simpson:
This former Top Gun character is Blunt and does not mince words
Adm. Beau clarified his intentions in the few seconds of the meeting with Pete Mitchell. The Character displayed firmness and confidence and possessed a strong dislike for Pete. Beau expressed this by citing that Pete was never on his list for this mission. The Character established a point to Pete; he would not be taken on a ride like others.
Jon Hamm’s Character was more of a rule-book kind of service personnel who stayed under the shade of his superiors, so he made it to the Admiral rank from a Top Gun pilot. Whereas Pete was the opposite of it and didn’t mind bending the rules, let alone creating his own. The clash of these two polar characters was bound to happen, and fireworks were imminent. These frictions eventually made room for some tense as well as lighter moments which is what precisely the makers ought to grab their audience’s attention.
Admiral Simpson was leading an essential mission for the country and carrying greater responsibilities on his shoulder. Hence, given his records, it was natural for him to warn Pete of misadventures. However, it starts getting intimidating when Jon, as Admiral Beau, begins getting perfectly blunt enough to shake Pete’s conscience at his core.
The Character accepts defeat & takes risks –
Adm. Beau relaxes the flight parameters. Although this gives the pilots more time to complete the mission, it has consequences, and one of them is it gives room for F-18 jets to have a close dogfight with enemy SAM missiles. However, out of nowhere, Pete Mitchell takes an unauthorized flight into the course with the flight parameters he had set. Adm. Beau did not approve this flight. What Pete did was against the rules, and it was not an easy pill for Adm. Beau to digest, especially in front of other pilots.
Jon Hamm cleverly uses his facial expressions to convey his discontent initially, but this is also when we notice a good side of him which lets Pete continue and ultimately prove him wrong. The whole time Jon’s facial expressions magnificently switch from disgusted to stunned to anxious to disbelief and finally amazed.
Moments later, he risks his entire reputation and well-preserved career to weigh behind Pete Mitchell as Team Leader for the mission. So here, Adm. Beau’s Character is portrayed as an individual who can take calculated risks and even put his career on the line for the mission’s success.
The Character works under pressure and is decisive –
Do you recall the tensed face of Jon Hamm throughout the mission in the command center? A mission commander cannot display panic as his team depends on him to make life-and-death decisions. So one can ponder the stress level the Character was carrying with him. While his team made early celebrations at some junctures, Adm. Beau chose to remain calm & silent. Only after each pilot returns to the carrier safely would he consider the mission accomplished.
But things didn’t go as planned; while defending from SAM missiles, Rooster’s jet fell short of flames, and to save him, Pete’s jet flew above Rooster’s jet and shot his flames to deflect the SAMs. Unfortunately, in this dogfight, Pete’s jet was hit by a SAM missile. When this news was disclosed to Jon Hamm, his face plummeted like a radiating Sun.
He never wanted any of his pilots to go down and never fathomed it would be Top Gun: Maverick, the best of them, to go down first. You could see him sweating, his eyeballs getting bigger, and his mind computing the next move while everyone awaited his decision. This was a crucial scene in the entire movie. Either he lets Pete die or be captured by the enemy or sends reserved jets to rescue Pete and risks the lives of other pilots. This was indeed a tough, tough call!
As per Jon, the pilots knew the mission risk. Therefore, he denied the attacking team to engage, rejected the reserved section to go airborne and intervene, and turned down a request for a search and rescue team. He knew he would be criticized for this action and would have to bear the burden of it, but he chose not to lose anyone else today. Adm. Beau was a Top Gun, and he knew there was no chance for an F-18 to survive against Fifth Generation Stealth Fighters.
But little did he know, Rooster had broken the command line and returned looking for Pete. Beau’s fear came true, and Rooster was eventually shot down. When this news was broken to Adm. Beau, it felt like he was out of breath and his brain was about to explode; he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to manage his emotions as he sensed the mission spiraling down. In this scene, Jon Hamm gave some of the best reactions ever seen.
The Character maintains its Composure even in Success
We liked how the makers ensured at the end that Adm. Beau did not lose his Composure in celebrating the success of the mission. That would have ruined the sanctity of the Character he was playing. Reserved pilot Hangman shoots down the enemy jet to save Pete and Rooster, so it’s evident that Beau approves Hangman to fly and save Pete & Bradley.
This demonstrates that the Character did not let his hate for Pete take over his conscience. When Pete and Bradley safely landed on the carrier, everyone celebrated except Jon, who awkwardly walked in on the deck; he was delighted yet composed. He merely looked at Pete, with no over-excitement, no body gestures, just gave enough smile to acknowledge his triumph. This was a gem of a scene!
This climax scene in Top Gun: Maverick is a testament to the inner battle between Cap. Pete and Adm. Beau had now ceased. Jon Hamm won this scene with a minimal high-impact expression and truly deserved a salute for his all-around performance as Admiral Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson.
In Conclusion:
To conclude, Jon Hamm as Admiral Beau Simpson delivered a nerve-wracking performance in Top Gun: Maverick. His role was incredibly tough than it looked, as Jon had to convey his sentiments via facial expressions. However, we made this post because Jon Hamm’s role as Adm. Beau contributed equally to making Top Gun: Maverick more engaging, gripping, and entertaining.
We would like to know your views in the comment section. Is there any other character who went underdog and deserves similar recognition? Let us know in the comment section, and we will endeavor to research and write about it.
After reading this post, if you feel Jon Hamm truly deserves this commendation, then kindly share this post with your pals and family.
Leave a Reply