In 1958 the members of Team Daedalus - a squadron of top-gun Air Force test pilots - are just about to become the first Yanks in space. But then politics rears its ugly head and NASA is set up, then beats the Air Force in its bid to own the US's program of early orbital launches. Team Daedalus is shoved aside and a fat chimpanzee gets the joy of being the first US representative to meet the icy dark. The Daedalus crew retired in disgust to pursue other careers. The movie then switches to current days (well, the near future, any road). Out in space, the Russian Ikon satellite system has malfunctioned, and if it's not fixed, that Russian space agency insist the failing satellite will initiate a complete communications blackout across the ex-USSR. If this happens, the already dodgy Eastern Europe could slide into anarchy - with either the mafia or right-wing army elements launching a coup. NASA staffer Bob Gerson (actor James Cromwell) falls across the answer to Russia's problems in a very unexpected place. As Ikon has nearly the same guidance gear as the first Skylab station, Skylab's designer will know how to fix Ikon. The designer is one Frank Corvin (actor Clint Eastwood) who is now happily retired.. Clint isn't too keen on taking the job - and if he does, he demands he'll hand-pick his own crew (kind of the same plot idea as that 'Bruce Willis saves Earth from an asteroid' movie). It should come as no surprise that Team Daedalus is Clint's choice, and the zimmer-frame boys are soon back in play. Said pensioner astronauts include Hawk Hawkins (the always excellent Tommy Lee Jones), Jerry O'Neil (Donald Sutherland) and Tank Sullivan (James 'Rockford Files' Garner). Some of the younger NASA staffers include Flight Director Eugene Davis - actor William Devane, who of course played the farmer in Babe, and the crooked cop in LA Confidential. There's also fellow astronauts, Ethan Glance - aka actor Loren Dean - and Roger Hines (actor Courtney Vance). The rest of the plot is - of course - our crew of airforce seniors struggling through spaceflight bootcamp and the mission to show the NASA gonks that they've still got the right stuff. The movie was made with the active cooperation of NASA, so parts of the film were shot at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, as well as the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando It's no surprise that the film is also produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. After all, he produced Unforgiven, Absolute Power and Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil. Will this movie be as good as Apollo 13, or is going to be more like Abbott and Costello Go to Mars. Only time will tell, but the initial actor line-up certainly looks impressive. You can download a trailer for the movie over at http://www.spacecowboys.net |
