Summary
WhenOutland(1981) first came out, it was written off as a futuristic remake ofHigh Noon, and received mixed reviews. While it is true that it bears resemblance to the 1952 Western classic, the film still shines due to Sean Connery’s solid performance and grittyouter space Western premise. As directorPeter Hyams explained to Empire:
I wanted to do a Western […] I remember thinking it was weird that this genre that had endured for so long was just gone. But then I woke up and came to the conclusion – obviously after other people – that it was actually alive and well, but in outer space […] I wrote it, and by great fortune Sean Connery wanted to do it. And how many chances do you get to work with Sean Connery?
With its bleak atmosphere and critique of modern society,Outlandis also reminiscent ofRidley Scott’sAlien(1979). In fact, the films even share a composer: Jerry Goldsmith. However, the sci-fi thriller manages to stand out with its well-choreographed action sequences,palpable sense of claustrophobia, and its depiction of familiar concepts in a new setting.
109 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes Score
54% (based on 28 reviews)
Outlandopens with workers in pressure suits drilling at the titanium ore mining outpost Con-Am 27, located on Jupiter’s moon Io. Owned by the company Con-Amalgamated,the vast mining complexfeatures over 2000 individuals in dreary living conditions. A miner suddenly has an attack of stimulant psychosis, claiming that a spider has crawled into his spacesuit. In desperation (and for the film to display some special effects), he rips it off and dies by explosive decompression as a result.
It turns out that he is not the only one with this affliction. A second employee later commits suicide by exposing himself to a zero-pressure atmosphere without his suit on. Yet another worker takes a sex worker hostage and threatens to kill her, but is shot by Sergeant Montone. However, their erratic behavior is written off as cabin behavior, and no foul play is suspected.
Thenewly-appointed Federal MarshalWilliam O’Niel (Connery) is welcomed by the sleazy general manager, Mark Sheppard, who boasts that the workers have been more productive than ever since his arrival. A suspicious O’Niel asks the jaded base doctor Marion Lazarus about the unexplained deaths, and she reports that there has been a dramatic increase in suicides in the past year. The company ships the bodies back to Earth as soon as possible, which prevents Dr. Lazarus from performing autopsies.
After sneaking into the morgue and retrieving a blood sample from one of the corpses, O’Niel asks Dr. Lazarus toexamine it on her lab’s computer. She finds traces of polydichloric euthimal, a synthetic amphetamine. This drug can allow users to optimize their working abilities for months before making them go berserk. O’Niel learns that Sheppard runs the drug distribution ring with the help of two men, NicholasSpota and Russell Yario. He also pays Montone “to look the other way.”
O’Niel captures Spota during a drug deal, but he is murdered before questioning. Montone leaves O’Niel a message about the latest shipment of drugs, and is garroted to death shortly afterward. After finding the drugs in a meat locker, O’Niel is attacked by Yario but is able to knock him out. He informs Sheppard that he has destroyed the entire supply, and refuses his offer of a pay-off. Sheppard contacts his drug distributor to send in professional hitmen who can murder the marshal.
Who Does Sean Connery Play?
After Connery retired from the role of James Bond hung up his tuxedo, he experimented with different roles to step away fromhis identity as 007. Even thoughOutlandwas not his first foray into science fiction, it was probably his best performance in the genre. The role of the rugged O’Niel is a stark contrast to Bond’s slick exterior, allowing Connery to show his range as an actor.
A stoic yet assertive lawman, O’Niel is determined to take a stand against the corporate overlords and drug dealers on the lunar outpost, even though profits are soaring. Constantly being “sent from one toilet to the next” also takes a toll on his wife Carol; almost as soon asOutlandbegins, she leaves with their son Paul (who has never seen Earth) to the Jupiter space station, so they can wait for a shuttle back to Earth. Even though she beseeches O’Niel to join them, his sense of duty compels him to stay. However, he is also not afraid to show his emotions. H e openly tears up while talking to Paul, and even asks others for help. When Dr. Lazarus asks him why he took this job, he replies:
They send me here to this pile of s*** because they think I belong here. I want to find out if they’re right. There’s a whole machine that works because everybody does what they are supposed to. And I found out I was supposed to be something I didn’t like […] That’s my rotten little part in the rotten machine. I don’t like it. So I’m going to find out if they’re right.
In this murky setting, where he fights againstcorrupt humans instead of extraterrestrials, Connery’s heartfelt performance gives the audience someone to root for.
How Does Outland End?
As he is monitoring Sheppard’s communications, O’Niel is aware of the arrival ofthe two contract killerson the next delivery shuttle. With a countdown ticking in the background, he attempts to enlist some of the local workers for help. However, they all refuse, including the new Sergeant Ballard. When the day comes, Dr. Lazarus helps him in trapping one of the hitmen, whom O’Niel eventually kills by causing an explosive decompression. While the second one is in a glass greenhouse structure, O’Niel tricks him into shooting a window, which causes him to be sucked out into the void.
While he is heading back to the outpost, O’Niel is suddenly ambushed by Ballard. He breaks free after pulling out the sergeant’s oxygen hose and pushing him down into an electrical generation station. An injured O’Niel makes his way to a shocked Sheppard in the recreation bar, and knocks him unconscious with one punch. Although the aftermath is not shown on screen, a conversation between O’Niel and Dr. Lazarus implies that the higher-ups are bringing the drug operation to an end. The film closes with O’Niel sending a message to Carol that he is leaving for the shuttle, where they will beput into cryogenic sleepfor a year until they reach home.
