Mayday directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley discussed the massive hits Top Gun and Rocky IV while discussing propaganda in filmmaking. Movies have a powerful influence on people, and most of the time, that force can be felt beyond borders as well. This explains the massive impact films can have on their audiences.

Goldstein and Daley had this idea in mind while making their new film Mayday. The movie follows two characters from different countries during the Cold War. And reflecting on their approach to filmmaking, the directors revealed how Top Gun and Rocky IV became part of their argument about how films can sometimes act as propaganda.

Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley recently appeared on On Film...With Kevin McCarthy to discuss their film Mayday. While talking about the movie’s unique plot, the directors also took a moment to look back at films such as Rocky IV and Top Gun. The directors pointed out the one-way direction in their storytelling.

“There was a one-way direction of cultural output. We got to tell the world what America was, what we stood for, what our heroes look like. They didn't get to show us anything. We got Rocky 4, and we were told this is what Russians are,” Jonathan Goldstein said.

Both pointed out the representation of Russians in Rocky IV as well as Americans in Top Gun during the podcast. The directors added that they wanted to take a different approach with Mayday by showing the story from a different perspective. The film follows U.S. Navy pilot Troy “Assassin” Kelly, who becomes stranded in Soviet territory after an accident and meets former KGB officer Nikolai Ustinov. However, Troy soon discovers that Ustinov is not the kind of enemy he had expected, forcing him to question his preconceived notions.

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Moreover, the directors also took plenty of inspiration from Top Gun and revealed that Mayday even pays tribute to the hit movie.

Even Nikolai Ustinov in Mayday is a huge fan of Top Gun, starring Tom Cruise. This becomes one of the reasons that helps the friendship between the two men blossom. So, it was important for Mayday directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley to use a clip from the film.

As they revealed in an interview with GamesRadar+ at San Diego Comic-Con 2026, the directors got permission from Cruise to use the clip. They described it as the Top Gun actor unintentionally giving his blessing to the movie. The movie also pays tribute to the iconic ’80s film. While Mayday is set during the Cold War, it explores friendship, humanity, and the ways people can be much different from their preconceived ideas about them.

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What do you think about the director's idea about Rocky IV and Top Gun. Let us know in the comments.