Space Cowboys – Old Men In Space [Film Review]

Space Cowboys feels like one of those feel-good films that just can’t be made nowadays—at least not going for a mainstream appeal. I mean, it’s a movie about a bunch of old white men, with a theme of not everything modern is good—and: “son, listen to the older generation, there might be wisdom to be found“. That said, since Clint Eastwood is in it and is actually the director too—there is a large segment of the film that feels more like a classic political thriller. Space Cowboys is essentially split in two—the feel-good part and the thriller part, which can feel like a minor whiplash when watching.

Ancient tech
Space Cowboys is about outdated space tech failing, namely a satellite that seemingly holds immense importance despite being older than Jesus. You see, this is the Russians’ only communication satellite, which means it needs to be repaired before its orbit decays, and it burns up in the atmosphere. This provides the US government an excellent opportunity to help their old Iron Curtain nemesis in a PR move, but there is a huge problem. The tech is so old nobody at NASA can decipher it, and this is where Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood) and his crew come in, being the ones who designed the guidance and navigation system. So they’re a perfect fit for NASA, yet things are not that easy—and what the hell is an American guidance system doing in an old Soviet satellite anyway? 

The first part
The first segment of the film has everything you could want from a 90s to early 2000s “feel-good” movie—slightly absurd premise, constant beautiful weather with a clear blue sky (a shot directly into the heart of nostalgia) and is filled with positive vibes, even when the plot turns darker. Most importantly: it’s played straight, no Marvthos* ruining the tone. The blue sky thing is real, at least for me, in how it floats into my real feelings of nostalgia, where the sky is always blue.

A funny thing about Frank’s crew is how it reminds me of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in how the characters are essentially portrayed by one or two stand-out features. Beyond being stacked with old-school Hollywood stars, it goes like this:

• Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood) [Leonardo] is the leader, and the levelheaded one, with the mission of doing the right thing.
• Hawk Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones) [Raphael] is the wild and reckless one, with a problem following orders.
• Jerry O’Neill (Donald Sutherland) [Michelangelo] is the ladie’s man and just can’t let the women be without offering them infinite orgasms.
• Tank Sullivan (James Garner) [Donatello] is the grounded one with a religious streak, now working as a pastor.

There will be a lot of training, with some light drama interspersed in the plot. The movie comes off as genuinely warm and funny, as it actually has some seriously hilarious lines, like in the Jay Leno (late-night talk show) portion. However, everything is not what it seems, which the film hinted at early—and it’s here where the movie shifts in tone (do I even dare say genre?) to something completely different.

The second part
Now, that something will go wrong is a given, but when they are in space and approach the Soviet satellite, I was surprised by how serious the plot becomes, with a twist of weird Soviet sci-fi tech. A bit out of bounds from what I expected to be perfectly honest. That’s not all, as betrayals and sacrificial death will be part of it too!

No more humor or light-hearted drama from here on out, which I think is a small detriment to Space Cowboys. The shift in tone is a little jarring, seeing as it took me out of it, like dragging my head in forcefully from the clouds. I wouldn’t say any of this is bad—it’s actually pretty good with a lot of tense low-gravity space scenes. However, to me, it didn’t fit what the movie set out to be, yet, that might actually be my own fault as the movie felt like pure nostalgia of a Hollywood that once was with included feel-good elements—setting me up for failure.

Despite this, I enjoyed Space Cowboys as it comes with great acting and wonderful cinematography. The first half is also so funny that it frankly made me believe it was a comedy at times. But when the Cold War thriller hits—you are in for a different ride, which gave that whiplash feeling, I mentioned. Protect your neck!

Thanks for reading.

– Thomas

*Marvthos — a term I’m coining here to describe the modern way of deliberately cheapening a sincere or dramatic moment with a quip, ironic statement or constant sarcasm. The name is a nod toward the Marvel‑style tonal sabotage that has become standard in modern blockbuster writing.