They sent me here to this pile of shit because they think I belong here. I was supposed to be something I didn’t like. That’s what’s in the program. That’s my rotten little part in the rotten machine.

I use Netflix a lot. But despite utilizing their services on the daily, I never listen to their suggestions. People are always recommending movies/books to me in real life and I never listen to them, so why would I take the advice of some automated suggestion robot? Plus, when your tastes run across the board, Netflix recommends everything. Since forever they’ve been telling me I’d love Outland, a 1981 “space western” starring Sean Connery. There’s been absolutely no reason for me to ignore their counsel. I love science fiction – especially 70s and early 80s – so I was obviously just being stubborn. A couple weeks ago my will crumbled and I gave Outland a shot and IT’S INCREDIBLE. So, sorry Netflix. No hard feelings.

Connery plays O’Niel, a by-the-books federal marshal assigned to a mining colony on Io, one of Jupiter’s moons. Shortly after his arrival, O’Niel notices that people are mysteriously dying. He quickly uncovers a drug smuggling conspiracy that implicates the top brass on Io as dirty dogs. Pressure is put on O’Niel to drop the investigation, but his unwavering integrity won’t allow it. So the heads decide to have O’Niel killed and they bring in a group of professional killers to make sure he gets got. But O’Niel doesn’t turn tail and he happens to be an artist with a shotgun.

(How amazing is that trailer!?) If the plot sounds vaguely familiar it’s because writer and director Peter Hyams borrowed heavily from the classic western High Noon (1952). One of the first Rewinds we ever did was back in August 2009 for Hyams’ Capricorn One. Weird, huh? Anyway, Hyams takes the gist of the classic western about a retired sheriff picking up the badge one more time to take out a murderous gang, tweaks it a little, and sets it in space. So, superficially, it’s only sci-fi on the surface. And that’s usually the sci-fi I favor so call me biased. One of the nicest touches borrowed from High Noon is that the audience knows exactly when the posse is coming to take out O’Niel, and we follow his mental and physical preparations leading up to their arrival. That’s the definition of “suspense.”

Connery is his usual tight-lipped and intense self and he has some great scenes with his wife and kid that reveal the softer side of the no-nonsense O’Niel. Peter Boyle is downright scary as Io’s general manager and drug kingpin. He’s like the Greek from The Wire. Frances Sternhagen (I’ve never heard of her but she was on Cheers) plays Dr. Lazarus, the only person on Io trying to help O’Niel. All around the cast is terrific.

That covers the badass plot and great actors, but as every dork knows, the production design makes or breaks a successful sci-fi movie. When discussing the great sci-fi production designs, staples always include Alien, Blade Runner, the “used” look of Star Wars, and most recently Moon. I’d easily add Outland to that list. One of the film’s designers, Martin Bower, previously worked on Alien so it’s easy to spot a lot of the similarities (especially in the helmets). Alien‘s claustrophobic setting is carried over as well. Bower has a great site with loads of pictures documenting his model work on several films including Flash Gordon, Space: 1999 (TV show), and Outland. From the living quarters to the locker room to the squash court, Outland’s design is top shelf.

The cherry on top is Jerry Goldsmith’s score. Goldsmith’s resume is one of those you read and go “Oh Shit!” so I won’t bother to go into details about his work. Just download a torrent of it after you watch the movie and then watch it again and again and again.

- Oh Mars