Space Cowboys

Space Cowboys is Clint Eastwood's latest film, and he stars in it alongside James Garner, Donald Sutherland and Tommy Lee Jones. The film starts in 1958 when young versions of our four heroes, expecting to be the first Americans in space are replaced by a chimpanzee. The four men quit working for NASA and go their own separate ways. We then jump 40 years to the present day. A Russian satellite is in trouble and urgently needs the be repaired. The only man who knows how its ancient guidance system works is Eastwood's character. Of course, he never really got over being replaced by a monkey, and he still bears a grudge, but he can't resist the chance to finally get into space after all these years, so he accepts the job. He seeks out and finds his old colleagues and they all agree to join the mission. It may seem far fetched that four old men would be sent up in a space shuttle, but all is explained and it ends up being quite believable.

Space Cowboys is not really a space film. Most of it is set on Earth, and we get to see plenty of what goes on behind the scenes at NASA. The film takes its time examining the characters and their relationships and this makes it all the more enjoyable. These guys are the oldest relics that have ever sat in the canteen and the young astronauts can't help making fun of them. Likewise, the old guys have some pretty funny things to say about the young guys. When one young hotshot informs Eastwood that he has two masters degrees, Eastwood's reply is perfect and very funny. In fact, Eastwood's character in this film is much like many of his characters, he's Clint Eastwood, that's all, and that's enough.

I haven't seen Donald Sutherland in a film for quite a while. Here, he plays a real ladies man, and it's fun to watch him trying to pull anyone in a skirt. James Garner plays a rather useless preacher, and he also makes us laugh when he mixes navigation and prayer. Finally, Tommy Lee Jones strikes up a romance with one of the mission directors, not such a good idea when you're about to undertake a dangerous space mission.

Of course, eventually the cowboys get into space and that's when the real fun begins, because the satellite holds a rather unpleasant surprise which I'll leave you to discover. There are some very nice special effects during this sequence, and it's all very entertaining and believable. Unfortunately, the final scene, although cute, is totally impossible but I suppose it's just a bit of poetic license and doesn't detract from the film as a whole.

If you're a Clint Eastwood fan and you've been looking forward to another Malpaso production, then you will probably enjoy Space Cowboys as much as I did.