Hey folks, Harry here... this Sunday is a nationwide paid sneak for SPACE COWBOYS... thereby showing confidence from Warner Brothers in this film... and according to THEJuice.. it is warranted. Having read the script, given the cast and crew... I'd say so too. Let's hope Clint pulled it off...
Harry, THEJuice once again has used his spy powers to pour himself into a screening of the geriatric astronaut thriller, "Space Cowboys".
I'll be honest; I went in ready to tear this flick "a new one"…but my evil anticipation soon gave way.
Eastwood's recent directing track record didn't help my pre-screening feelings either. Absolute Power and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, while both excellent books, are failures on the big screen. True Crime? Barely watchable. What (other than the fact Clint is still the man) should and could give me hope for his newest endeavor.
Was I so blind to not acknowledge the cast beforehand? Tommy Lee Jones in a role where he isn't chasing an escaped convict! Donald Sutherland as a dirty old man with the skills (and medication) to get on the ladies (amazing Clint did not cast himself in this role)! James Garner, James Cromwell, and of course Clint Eastwood, team leader and the man!?! I mean come on…I dare you find me a more kick ass collective cast of aging actors.
The more I think about it, the more it makes me feel like an idiot for doubting this film so much.
I guess I got hooked at the beginning, when we are treated to a black and white look at the early exploits of our Air Force team. The intriguing aspect of this intro was that although entirely different people play the older actors, their own voices are dubbed into the dialogue. So we see a young rambunctious pilot named Hawk scream in delight, except it's Tommy Lee Jones' voice. A dashing young man (whom I must admit had gotten the Eastwood stare down well) begins to speak with Clint's legendary voice...well it almost brings chills. Not only was this part technically sweet but it finally got me thinking about what an entirely new take on the, "Astronaut's…go save world" genre we have gotten accustomed too.
The somewhat cliché plot goes like this; NASA contacts Engineer Frank Corvin (Eastwood) when a Russian "communications" satellite is found faltering in the sky. If the satellite falls into the earth's atmosphere all of Russia's communication will end and the nation will go fall a state of panic. Strangely enough an electronic system that was designed by Mr. Corvin is instituted on this Russian spacecraft. None of NASA's hotshot young engineers can crack the coding so it is up to Frank to assemble his team of old Air Force friends (who were shafted once before by Cromwell) to finally get their trip to space.
The movie actually has a heart (something Armageddon didn't), and it doesn't need sappy love sub-plots to do it. You care about these characters, most notably Tommy Lee Jones, who once again does a tremendous job. Eastwood's performance is much better than his past few films, in this movie he finally shares the limelight with his elder partners. Unfortunately I found Garner's role as the preacher man rather lacking and Sutherland's ladies man character rather one-dimensional (although he plays that one dimension perfectly). Luckily the film doesn't dwell on the people waiting for the safe arrival of their friends and loved ones (unlike Perfect Storm and Armageddon), while I do admit that technique can be effective, it has become a bit over used. We are mostly treated to glorious space action (and not too shabby special effects), with earth reaction shocks on few occasions. The humor keeps a steady pace throughout the flick, and the old guys can take a few jokes that's for sure.
My expectations for Clint Eastwood directed films were in the doldrums, but he finally made a movie that was perfect for his style and for his talented cast. Congrats to him, oh yeah and the final shot of the movie KICKS TOTAL ASS.
Few problems with the flick, yeah it is two-hour long old fart joke, but damn if it isn't a pretty funny joke. Action is adequate, special effects excellent, the pacing good, and Eastwood has directed his best film in years…what more do you want from my review, and what more convincing do you need?
Go on get outta here, oh yeah and till we meet again...
Later,
