Space Cowboys Reviews
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Towards the final quarter, with a far-fetched outer space inanity, the plot takes a frustratingly needless twist, and from then on the proceedings are pushed through a familiar territory - thrills, near misses, self-sacrifices, kiss goodbyes...
Claiming to have made with extensive support from NASA, the space theatrics in this movie are best left unexamined.
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'Space Cowboys' is a film that I've enjoyed every time a lot, even though I've seen it for maybe three times now. It's hard to not like a movie that defies all natural powers of men. 4 guys, who should rather be in a retirement home instead of a space shuttle, find themselves as the last hope to save two nations from getting in to another era much like the Cold War.
When this millennium started, we've witnessed Clint Eastwood make fun of his age. In 'Unforgiven' he had troubles with his shootin', in 'In the Line of Fire' he nearly got a heart attack runnin' alongside the president's car and in 'Gran Torino' he was just plain old. In' Space Cowboys' he is yet again touch as hell, at least ten times tougher than the trimmed 30 year old Nasa pilots.
But this is what I like about this movie. It's nice to see 4 more or less legendary actors make fun of themselves. I can say that the first hour with all the training and all is pure entertainment. Like the bench pressing scene with the young kids. Fun as hell.
Of course there's gotta be some drama and differences between them all. When the space program started in the 60's, the bunch didn't get their feet in space. Why is that? Can a 30+ year old grudge be solved? The main story focuses mainly on the relations between Eastwood's character Frank Corvin and Tommy Lee Jones' Hawk Hawkins, the last "real" cowboy. There's a lot of chemistry between all the main actors and more charisma than in most of the current A-list actors.
But there's some problems that would've been solved with a better script for example. The first hour goes along very nicely but it feels as if the humor died when the grumpy old men got into space. And when have you seen an Eastwood film that has lasted less than two hours? 'Space Cowboys' is in my opinion a bit too long.
But I can't help it. Like I said earlier, I enjoy 'Space Cowboys' a lot. The actors are perfect in their roles and it's just so much fun watching them grow back together to their old team from the 60's. The special effects in the space are top-notch but the real trick here is to make your eyes adjust to the fact that your watching old men walk in space. Works for me. And the ending is sad as hell but it's proof of that friendship lasts through ages and problems. Made my eyes moist...
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This is a fun and entertaining movie that I seem to watch every time it comes on tv. Clint Eastwood directs and stars in a movie about a retired Air Force team called back into duty when an older guidance system has been found in a Russian satellite, which can only be fixed by the man who designed it, Frank Corvin, played by Eastwood.
The rest of the team includes Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland, and James Garner. All of these men are now seniors who had lost their chance to go to space years prior, but now have their shot. The just have to deal with training to go and an old rival played by James Cromwell.
There is nothing much to the plot or tension in this movie, its just the idea of sending old people into space and what can come from that, but it is treated in a respectable manner, and is a fun movie to enjoy.
Tiny, Bar Bouncer: I'll put you in the hospital old man.
Frank Corvin: Yeah? Well I've got MediCare, go ahead and shoot your best shot!
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[font=Arial][color=darkred]Back in the day when the Air Force was in charge of space related programs Clint and his team were the cream of their crop and scheduled to be the first men to enter the dark void of space. Unfortunately NASA was formulated and the boys got the boot for a cosmo chimp. Now 50 years later the earth is threatened by a falling Russian satalite with technology too ancient that only a select group of experienced men still know to this day. So NASA enlists the help of the very men it backhanded so many moons ago to be drafted into a space operation to halt the plummeting satalite.[/color][/font]
[font=Arial][color=darkred]For a good while 'Space Cowboys' is a breath of fresh air from a veteran team of actors. The rivalry between Jones and Eastwood as well as the young healthy astronaughts versus the eldery-shake-your-hand-at-Wal-Mart astronuaghts makes for great comedy. The entire core group of actors sparkle with terrific chemistry and on screen pressence. They creat a jovial fun atmosphere that makes the movie humorous and surprisingly engrossing.[/color][/font]
[font=Arial][color=darkred]'Space Cowboys' is not liver-spot free. The direction by Eastwood is often flat and very unengaging. The entire Russian Cold War spy subplot borders on the absurd, and the romances with women that can be their daughters makes vomit rise into my throat whenever I see their leathery faces suck the life out of those young and nubile girls. When the gentlemen get launched into space the entire movie loses focus and forgets what made it before. The typical space rescue themes abound and you know before they get up there that one of them won't make it back, and probably do something heroic in the first place.[/color][/font]
[font=Arial][color=darkred]For the most part 'Space Cowboys' is a reminder that the elderly still know how to put ona good show, even if the last fourth is very lackluster. These cowboys can ride off into the sunset content for a job well done.[/color][/font]
[font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: B- [/color][/font]
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