SPACE COWBOYS (2000)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
"Space Cowboys" is the antithesis to "Armageddon." Let me explain. "Armageddon" was over-the-top and mechanical, though still a fun trip into space, whereas "Space Cowboys" is primarily concerned with leisurely pacing and characters of depth and understanding. In the end, these grumpy old cowboys are action heroes at heart yet they bear the burden of old age and Medicare worries.
Clint Eastwood (who also wrote and directed) stars as Frank Corvin, a former Air Force test pilot who later designed a pragmatic guidance system for a satellite. Apparently, such satellite systems that were innovative in 1958 are no longer used in 1998, though one has apparently found its way into the hands of the Soviets. Unfortunately, this satellite is hurling towards the Earth's atmosphere and none of the latest whiz technicians know how to control it. Frank has an idea how, since he designed it in the first place, and he employs the use of his former crew of pilots to go into space and retrieve it. The former pilots include James Garner as a Reverend; Donald Sutherland as a ladies' man roller coaster expert; and Tommy Lee Jones, a hotheaded pilot who still flies planes and bears a grudge towards Frank from the old days.
"Space Cowboys" marches along with a by-the-numbers plotline that includes the obligatory training session (including a sneak peek of these geezers's butts), the usual shouting matches and confrontations with the reluctant NASA officials, such as William Devane as one gum-chewing NASA bureaucrat and James Cromwell (the tallest of the whole cast) as another, and, well, you get the drill. Once these flyboys enter space, the film picks up with some snappy, humorous dialogue and excellent special-effects.
Eastwood draws suspense in the film's action climax because he brings such vulnerability, pathos and dignity to the characters, including Tommy Lee Jones as the widower who has a passing romantic interest in a younger woman (Marcia Gay Harden). Sutherland is his quick-witted smooth old self, a sight unseen since Robert Altman's "MASH" or "Kelly's Heroes" (the latter also starred Eastwood). James Garner can draw laughs with the barest of facial expressions, though his role often feels truncated. And good old boy Eastwood may not be aging like fine wine, but he still has a commanding presence (and is far more believable than in "True Crime" as an aging reporter).
"Space Cowboys" has sparkle and is illuminated by a fine cast. The story is old-hat to say the least and far too predictable, but these old pros still know how to put on a good show.
