1981 Directed by Peter Hyams
An honest marshal in a corrupt mining colony on Io, Jupiter's sunless third moon, is determined to confront a violent drug ring even though it may cost him his life. After his wife angrily deserts him, he waits alone for the arrival of killers hired by the company to eliminate him.
Sean Connery Peter Boyle Frances Sternhagen James B. Sikking Kika Markham Clarke Peters Steven Berkoff John Ratzenberger Nicholas Barnes Manning Redwood Marc Boyle Pat Starr Hal Galili Angus MacInnes Stuart Milligan Eugene Lipinski Norman Chancer Richard Hammar Isabelle Lucas James Berwick Sharon Duce Ron Travis Bill Bailey Angelique Rockas P.H. Moriarty Gary Olsen Chris Williams Rayner Bourton Anni Domingo Show All…
Odlegly lad, Atmósfera Cero, Outland - Comando Titânio, Třetí měsíc Jupitera, Outland... Loin de la Terre, Outland - Comando Titânio (1981), Uzayda.Duello
blends the dirty, lived-in blue collar sci-fi detail of Alien and a conspiracy noir/morality play western with sean connery essentially acting as the lonely space sheriff investigating the brutal exploitation of mining workers at the hands of a corporation that drugs and kills them for profit efficiency. hyams stages all the genre-bending with incredible craft; filthy sets and squibs and gorgeous analog fx as the dexterous camera moves through the space rig replicating the thrilling chases and shootouts you'd expect to see tracked on horseback or in a grimy city street.
I love that somebody made an Alien knockoff that borrows only the least commercially appealing aspects of that film: Strong anti-capital subtext, gorgeously detailed used future sets and miniatures, long, mute dialogue scenes with text-based computer interfaces, you know, all the stuff that made Alien such a huge smash. This rules.
There's an alternative universe out there, somewhere, where Outland is rightly recognised as the minor sci-fi classic that it is.
While I am a recognised Peter Hyams fanboy, and he really is one of the most consistently enjoyable and entertaining directors that Hollywood have had in the last 40 years, I first saw Outland long before I cared about directors and stuff like that. The only previous Hyams film I'd seen was the marvellous Capricorn One, so the writing was on the wall.
What I think Outland proves is, given a director with multi-genre abilities and a keen imagination, you CAN almost directly transplant a story idea from one genre to another. In this case, westerns and sci-fi could not…
Pings two of my biggest fetishes in that A) it's not just HIGH NOON in space but one that replaces the fear of rabid anti-communism with its own anti-capitalist streak; and B) it's loaded with analog effects tech (specifically Introvision, an in-camera front-projection compositing process). I know it's weird but I get a genuine kick out of Connery storming through a set of burnished fiberglass saloon-style swinging doors.
Action! - The Unlikely Rumble: Hill v Hyams
High Noon in SPAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! with none other than James Bond himself playing the Cooper's character.
Hyams maintains his position as a director who does not confine himself to a single genre or topic. Maybe this will be enough to bring about a miracle?
To be honest, this isn't a remake of the classic Western, but many people, including myself, have noted some parallels in the plot. Concurrently, and as appeared to be frequent at the time, there are hints, especially at the beginning, to the Ridley Scott masterpiece Alien. It's also difficult not to joke that this is a better version of James Bond in space than Moonraker, though to be honest,…
Apparently the jury is still out on whether you can make a horror movie in outer space, but you can definitely make a western and here is a superb example. It was produced a few years after Alien and bears its obvious stylistic influence in every frame; they could easily be set in the same fictional universe of faceless, despotic corporations bent on maximizing profits no matter the human cost. While Hyams plays with western tropes, like the new marshal who arrives at a corrupt frontier outpost, he also considers modern themes as well. (Modern for 1981 anyway.) There a heavy emphasis on surveillance cameras, communications intercepts, and the pervasive — or maybe invasive — computer screens, giving the whole film an atmosphere of paranoia and technological overreach. Plus, Frances Sternhagen plays a doctor so cantankerous she makes Bones McCoy look like Patch Adams. What’s not to love?
There once was a cop named O’Neil
Who bad guys he’d vanquish with zeal
Space boss gives him trouble
Sends assassins on double
By High Noon they've been made to squeal.
(sorry)
Cinematic Time Capsule
1981 Marathon - Film #50
”This is no place for heroes…”
What if Alien was a western? Welcome to High Noon in space with Sean Connery as the new marshal in town who refuses to turn a blind high to corporate corruption.
I love how this crime story is set in space, but has practically nothing to do with space. Peter Boyle’s great as the evil outpost patriarch and I really like seeing him the villain role.
BONUS POINTS for Stephen King alumni, Frances Sternhagen as the surly Dr. Lazarus. Her back-n-forth with Connery adds some much needed spice and character to his otherwise isolated storyline..
”Don’t misconstrue… I’m not displaying character, just temporary insanity.”
Boy, those baby boomer filmmakers sure did love reworking classic Western scenarios to fit them into other genres, didn’t they?
In Outland, Peter Hyams presents his own sci-fi take on the classic tale of the honest lawman who rides into a frontier town and cleans up the corrupting influences, leaving civilization in his wake. It’s a mining town in the middle of a boom, with all the saloons and brothels you’d expect in a Deadwood or a Tombstone. The only difference is the frontier is now on the moons of Jupiter, giving the film and outer space industrial aesthetic reminiscent of Alien.
Contemporary reviewers seemed fond of comparing it to High Noon, which I guess makes sense from a character…
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Film #29 of the March Madness 80s Sci-Fi Movie Challenge!
letterboxd.com/naughty/list/march-madness-80s-sci-fi-movie-challenge/
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Gritty low budget film that maximizes its impact by pulling a "High Noon" in space! I was surprised that a film so low tech, low budget, so raw and unpolished could end up entertaining me! But I have to admit once the clock came into play the tension levels increased dramatically!
In light of Sean Connery's recent passing I had to go back and re-watch what is perhaps his most underappreciated film, "Outland." This film was directed by Peter Hyams and is regularly dubbed as "High Noon in space" or "High Moon" if you will. The film is set on IO, the third moon of Jupiter. Sean Connery stars as Marshall O'niel who has just transferred to the highly profitable mining colony, however, in the short span of time since his arrival two people suspiciously commit suicide. Not content with the answers he's given O'niel begins investigating the General Manager of the operation, Mark Sheppard (Peter Boyle), putting his life, and the people he cares about, in danger.
This film reminds…
Actually only watched the scene where Connery sullenly plays racquetball during a commercial break in the Raptors game, but it was enough to earn three snd a half stars.
