Space Cowboys (2000)

When a retired engineer is called upon to rescue a failing satellite, he insists that his equally old teammates accompany him into space.

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Ken Kaufman, Howard Klausner

Stars:

Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, Donald Sutherland

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clint Eastwood	...	Frank Corvin
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Hawk Hawkins
Donald Sutherland	...	Jerry O'Neill
James Garner	...	Tank Sullivan
James Cromwell	...	Bob Gerson
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Sara Holland
William Devane	...	Eugene Davis
Loren Dean	...	Ethan Glance
Courtney B. Vance	...	Roger Hines
Barbara Babcock	...	Barbara Corvin
Rade Serbedzija	...	General Vostov
Blair Brown	...	Dr. Anne Caruthers
Jay Leno	...	Himself
Nils Allen Stewart	...	Tiny
Deborah Jolly	...	Cocktail Waitress

Storyline

In 1958, four hot shot test pilots seem certain to be the first men to go into outer space. However, the back-stabbing leader of their organization disbands them to prevent their involvement in the then forming NASA and labels them as non-team players. Flash forward to the present, the foursome are now living a docile life. The electrical engineer has a pleasant retired life in a desert home with his wife. The pilot, who had a penchant for pushing the test planes to their limits, is now a daredevil crop-duster. The navigator is a Baptist minister. The designer is a womanizing roller coaster designer. Their former boss is now a mission leader in Nasa and still as despicable as in his younger days. It is here that the main story begins. It seems that an old Russian "communications" satellite is about to crash back into the Earth's atmosphere and somehow American technology designed by Eastwood's character has ended up as the guiding system. Of course, because of the old technology, only...

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Plot Keywords:

satellite | space | nasa | roller coaster | space travel | 

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Taglines:

Space will never be the same

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jinetes del espacio

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£567,885 (UK) (22 September 2000)

Gross:

ESP 402,640,982 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Clipsal Films, Mad Chance, Malpaso Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alun Armstrong was offered the role of Russian Genrael Vostov.

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Goofs

At the church where Tank is preaching the outdoor sign states it is an American Baptist Church. However, when he drops his notes and bends over to pick them up, offering envelopes for the United Methodist Church can be seen on the shelf behind the pulpit next to the hula dancer figurine.

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Quotes

Sara Holland: I have never met a kid who didn't dream of being an astronaut when he grew up.
Col. William 'Hawk' Hawkins: Did you ever meet a kid who didn't grow up?

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Crazy Credits

There are no opening credits after the title is shown.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Scott Pilgrim vs. the World/Eat Pray Love/The Expendables (2010)

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Soundtracks

"LAST NIGHT"
Written by Charles Axton, Chips Moman, Floyd Newman, Gilbert Caple and Jerry Lee 'Smoochy' Smith
Performed by Larry Goldings, Maceo Parker, and Fred Wesley

User Reviews

Highly enjoyable.

This is one of the greatest action/dramas that I have ever seen. Not since ARMAGEDDON has there been such a movie that managed to satisfy my craving for action, laughter, and drama all at the same time. Clint Eastwood returns to show us that he can handle any role that comes his way. While the film was not a really big hit in theaters, it managed to catch my eye at the video store because it had to do with a failing Russian satellite and since the four lead actors are so good. Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland are the title characters and our heroes in SPACE COWBOYS, one of the most memorable movies of the year for me.

I enjoyed the way the film slowly develops the characters and shares with us their past history. The film is great in my opinion. The supporting cast includes James Cromwell, Marcia Gay Harden, William Devane, Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance (Loren Dean and Courtney B. Vance both being men). All of the key actors and elements of the film are wonderful and create a film that is both memorable and, in my opinion, timeless. SPACE COWBOYS gets 5/5.