Top Gun and other mavericks to stream on Showmax

Mavericks were incredibly popular in the 80s, an age where you could forecast your destiny in the stars and be a renegade until you burst into flames. While Mel Gibson’s film career has been characterised by this theme, playing Lethal Weapon’s maverick cop and going on to star in a film called Maverick, the original “Maverick” will always be Tom Cruise in Top Gun. You may have heard of him. 

The original Top Gun in 1986 immortalised the nickname along with aviator sunglasses, and paved the highway to the danger zone with Maverick escaping death and staring Iceman in the face. Sly Stallone tried living dangerously in Cobra, Pierce Brosnan had a crack in Live Wire but it’s Tom Cruise who’s defied death and age to bring us an all-out actioner to save blockbusters and sequels. 

Top Gun: Maverick 

Tom Cruise is a genuine Hollywood movie star, one of those actors whose blend of star power, talent and presence still generates excitement, sells tickets and commands respect. While the Mission: Impossible espionage action series continues to impress with his now trademark daredevil stunts, Cruise has managed to resurrect a story that once seemed inextricably linked to the 80s along with stonewashed jeans. 

Doing the near-impossible, Top Gun: Maverick is a wildly entertaining sequel that not only introduces Top Gun to new audiences but surpasses its origins without losing the original film’s gung-ho essence. This audacious old-school actioner has it all and powers home with a stellar cast, exhilarating aerial dog fights, a healthy dose of nostalgia and eye-popping cinematography. 

House of Gucci 

Gucci is now Italy’s most valuable brand. Having humble origins in Tuscany, the family name is at the crux of the star-studded House of Gucci, starring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Al Pacino, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek and Jeremy Irons. Directed by Ridley Scott, this biographical crime drama follows Patrizia Reggiani as she orchestrates an induction into the Gucci-style empire.  

After a chance encounter with Maurizio Gucci, the young go-getter’s unorthodox ambitions to marry into the clan lead to events that threaten to unseat the international brand and family’s legacy. In an attempt to seize dominion and attain the coveted Gucci name - and wealth - it becomes Patrizia’s dream to overcome her daughter-of-a-trucking-magnate destiny by whatever means necessary.  

Rassie: The Official Film 

Johan “Rassie” Erasmus is the man who led the Springboks to a stunning World Cup victory in Japan. Having detailed this inspirational story in Chasing the Sun, the documentary Rassie: The Official Film sets about chronicling the life of Erasmus. Born to live a life dedicated to the promotion and innovation of rugby, Rassie has served the sport as a fan, player, coach and director. 

Rassie: The Official Film captures the man’s fighting spirit and life force, defying expectations on and off the field with his unorthodox-turned-influential approach to strategic and tactical match day preparation. This authentic, honest and comprehensive biographical documentary offers a glimpse into the mind of Erasmus, who, having learned from his predecessor’s mistakes, instilled a new culture of self-belief in his teams across a spectrum of political transformation.  

Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road

While the name Brian Wilson may not ring a bell, the man’s percussive genius still reverberates across the airwaves of pop culture with songs like Good Vibrations. Wilson is one of the founding and most enduring members of a little group called The Beach Boys, whose driving creative force behind the inventive album Pet Sounds is still revered by the most savvy musicians and studio producers working today.

Named after one of Wilson's songs, Long Promised Road chronicles his earliest days as The Beach Boys pursued the unconventional magic and majesty of an era-defining album like Rubber Soul by The Beatles. This triumphant music biopic gets the story from Wilson himself, struggling with mental health, through candid in-car interviews with a longtime Rolling Stone journalist friend. An eye-opening and moving portrait, Long Promised Road serves as a fine companion piece to the Paul Dano-led film Love and Mercy.

The Equalizer

It’s difficult to fake your own death. It’s even more difficult to stand by and do nothing when your identity is literally wrapped up in using special commando skills to kill bad guys. Robert McCall thought he wanted a quiet life but decides to put his so-called retirement on hold to ice a brutal Russian gang. While the premise is seriously Taken and John Wick with its dark avenging angel, The Equalizer has its hooks in the old school 80s world of Steven Seagal. 

Instead of Seagal, it’s Denzel Washington (American Gangster) who’s tasked with cleaning up the streets and taking out the trash one thug at a time. While he could easily play an idealistic politician, Washington’s equally adept at being an enforcer, whose unconventional “MacGyver” ingenuity make him surprisingly lethal in any situation and a real die hard. 

Elon Musk: Titan of Tech 

It doesn’t get much more maverick than business investor, magnate and part-time philanthropist Elon Musk. At the helm of SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, OpenAI and now Twitter, the dream-chasing Musk is now a household name, made all the more famous in Africa by his heritage. 

The documentary Elon Musk: Titans of Tech goes beyond the prolific entrepreneur’s social media gaffs and tabloid shenanigans to reveal some of the mystery behind his motivations. A divisive character who sees failure as a stepping stone, Musk’s been at the forefront of interplanetary thinking, going beyond energy sustainability on planet Earth t