Space Cowboys (2000)

Space Cowboys (2000)

6/10

Starring

Clint Eastwood

Tommy Lee Jones

Donald Sutherland

James Garner

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Space Cowboys was one of those movies I looked forward to seeing when I was a young lad of 2000. I just could not get turned away by the trailer back then and looked forward to a ride, where four men missed their chance to go to space.

I had seem Armageddon (1998) and I loved it and this for me was like reliving a new set of guys destined to go to space no matter what. The only difference is these guys are old. When I did get to see the film I was impressed by the intensity of the movie itself. Unlike Armageddon (1998) where the drama was mostly delivered when the space destined team were on the asteroid. Here the drama is mostly delivered before they even get shot into space.

The movie plot does not pretend to have any such of urgency. Unlike Armageddon (1998) where the world was at stake if these men fail. Here the American Government is trying to help the Russian fix their communication satellite.

The plot is simple sometimes via viewing can be predictable, as the satellite that was down was old and not something the new engineers can figure out. So they decided to get the man who designed the old ones guiding system to come help solve the problem.

That man and his crew is what makes this movie enjoyable. Clint Eastwood and Tommy Lee Jones were the head of this fantastic performance and then we have Donald Sutherland to throwing the occasional laugh here and there.

As it begins in 1958, two U.S. Air Force pilots and aspiring astronauts, William "Hawk" Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones) and Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood), are testing a modified X-plane when Hawk decides to break a height record. The plane crashes and their commanding officer gets them reassigned. As the Air Force were no longer going to be in charge of Space flight, it was now going to be handled by NASA. Because of this Franks team of four missed their chance to go to space.

Now in the present time with the whole communication satellite problem, and the thing decaying fast the only solution is to go up there and fix it. Since time is a problem, the old four man crew of aspiring astronauts back in the day have to go. Well, that is Frank’s suggestion as he wants his shot of going to space.

The movie was good financially at the box office and critic wise it was well received and seeing it now, it is still one hell of a good drama.