Space Cowboys (2000)
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Four aging former test pilots are recruited by NASA to repair a decaying Soviet satellite that poses a global nuclear threat.
The story
In the present day, NASA is tasked with preventing a Soviet communications satellite, IKON, from decaying out of orbit and crashing to Earth due to an uplink loss. Because the satellite's archaic electronics were developed by Frank Corvin, Bob Gerson requests Frank's help. Frank agrees to join the mission provided he is joined by his old teammates, 'Team Daedalus,' which includes Hawk, Tank, and Jerry. To ensure a smooth transition, NASA plans to have younger astronauts shadow the veterans, but the Vice President eventually insists that the older astronauts be the primary team for publicity.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1958, pilots William 'Hawk' Hawkins and Frank Corvin test a modified Bell X-2, leading to a crash and a fallout between the two. In the present, NASA needs to prevent the Soviet satellite IKON from crashing. Frank agrees to help if he can bring his old team: Hawk, Tank, and Jerry. The mission reveals the satellite actually houses six nuclear missiles stolen by the KGB. If the satellite loses its uplink, it will launch the missiles at major cities. During the mission, a younger astronaut, Ethan Glance, attempts to stabilize the satellite independently, causing a collision that damages the shuttle and sends the satellite into a faster decaying orbit. Frank and Hawk perform a space walk to activate a booster rocket. Realizing the only way to save the world is to fire the engines to push the satellite into deep space, Hawk—who is dying of pancreatic cancer—sacrifices himself to ride the satellite, hoping to land on the Moon. Frank, Tank, and Jerry then perform a dangerous maneuver to land the shuttle safely over water. The film ends with a shot of the Moon, revealing Hawk survived long enough to lie against a rock and look back at Earth.
- First release year
- 2000
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Clint Eastwood
- Writers
- Ken Kaufman · writer; Howard Klausner · writer
- Cast and characters
- Clint Eastwood · Frank Corvin; Tommy Lee Jones · Bob Gerson; Donald Sutherland · William "Hawk" Hawkins; James Garner · Tank Sullivan; Marcia Gay Harden; William Devane; Loren Dean; Courtney B. Vance; James Cromwell
- Genres
- adventure drama; buddy drama; disaster; action
- Themes
- legacy; sacrifice; technological transition; Cold War history
- Tone and mood
- tense; traditional; spectacular
- Premise and plot tags
- space adventure; disaster; buddy drama; historical flashback
- Reception
- The film was well received by critics and was a box-office success. Critics praised the acting and special effects, though some noted the clichéd plot. It received generally favorable reviews and an A- grade from audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 78% · review count: 122; Metacritic · score: 73 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Sound Editing · 2001 · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The 1958 scenes feature younger actors dubbed by the older leads.; The film grossed $128.8 million worldwide, though the info box lists $128.9 million.; The music was composed by Lennie Niehaus.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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