10 Amazing Movie Scenes That Came Totally Out Of Nowhere

For all of the machismo and military fetishism on display, it's hilarious that the scene even casual Top Gun viewers will always remember is that damn volleyball scene that comes completely out of nowhere.

At the end of the first act, director Tony Scott cuts suddenly to the focal pilots playing a spirited game of shirtless volleyball, scored to Kenny Loggins' "Playing With The Boys."

It doesn't do much beyond offer up an opportunity for the audience to ogle the shimmering bodies of Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Rick Rossovich in the scorching sun, and honestly, does it need to?

It's the most iconic scene in the movie for a reason: visually stunning and energetic, while offering a playful break from the focal drama and giving the LGBTQ+ community a defining moment of cinematic queerness.

Top Gun would've been just fine without this scene, which did nothing to progress the central story, but certainly helped endear the audience to these characters regardless.

And to think, Scott almost got fired by Paramount for spending an entire day shooting it.