Outland

by Robbo

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Posted on 2 June 2021

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Rating -

Outland is a 1981 British science fiction thriller film written and directed by Peter Hyams and starring Sean Connery, Peter Boyle, and Frances Sternhagen.

Federal Marshal William O’Niel (Connery) is assigned to a tour of duty at the titanium ore mining outpost on the Jovian moon of Io.

The general manager, Mark Sheppard (Boyle), boasts that productivity has broken all records since he took over.

Carol, O’Niel’s wife, feels she cannot raise their son Paul on Io and leaves with their child to the Jupiter space station.

After several suspicious deaths O’Niel uncovers a drug distribution ring run by a corrupt Sheppard.

When Sheppard finds out, he threatens O’Niel and contacts his drug distributor, asking him to send in professional hitmen.

Realizing what is coming and with only Dr. Lazarus (Sternhagen) willing to help him, O’Niel sends a message to his family promising to return to Earth when his “job is done”.

Hyams initially wanted to make a Western but was told that Westerns were dead. He thought it was weird that a genre that had existed for so long had suddenly disappeared. He eventually realised that the Western was indeed alive and well, but in outer space.

Outland shares many motifs with High Noon, a lone Marshall going up against the bad guys with nobody willing to help him.

The film captures the paranoia of the lead character who doesn’t know who he can trust and does a good job of slowly building the tension to the inevitable climactic showdown.

Connery gives a really good performance, trying to re-build his career post Bond and displays just how good a dramatic actor he is, ably supported by a solid cast.

I hadn’t seen Outland for a while as it is one of those films that is rarely shown on TV so I had to purchase it for streaming. I am glad I did as I had forgotten how really good this film is, definitely worth 2 hours of your time.

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