Subject: Retrospective: Outland (1981)

From: [email-masked] (Ram Samudrala)
Date: 28 Apr 1999 04:35:46 GMT

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Outland
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/outland.html

Outland is a western set in outer space. The only thing it has going
for it is Sean Connery's presence as O'Neil, a "sheriff" on a remote
space station mining facility who has just accepted the assignment of
making it a safe and habitable place for everyone.

Right from the beginning, we know things aren't going well for O'Neil
when he hears a message from his wife saying she has left him for
accepting the job. We also know O'Neil is in trouble when Sheppard
(Peter Boyle) and O'Neil lock jaws with regards to enforcement
policies. Sheppard wants O'Neil to overlook the small detail that his
mine workers are being given drugs so they can perform (their mining
duties) more efficiently (so what's the big deal if a side effect
causes them to go nuts and go on a killing spree). But the cliche is
that none of the space station inhabitants want to help him and O'Neil
has to clean up the town by himself.

The movie is okay. The script is so horrible that it's amusing (it
contains a classic Sean Connery line: "I have to go now"). The
/Alien/-influenced effects are pretty good, considering that the film
was made in 1981, as is the attention to detail paid by Director Peter
Hyams.  Sean Connery is charming and convincing as the lone stranger
cleaning out the bad guys.  /Outland/ is worth renting if there are
few other options.

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