Now on his own, O'Neil must figure out how to save himself as the gunmen close in for a final showdown. This is no place for heroes. Outland may not be the first movie to adapt the conventions of the Western to SF, but it's one of the best. Film buffs will recognize the basic outlines of the plot from the Gary Cooper-Grace Kelly classic High Noon . Outland expanded Alien 's concept of outer space as an industrial workplace into a fully realized vision.
Viewers can practically smell the sweat and feel the grit.
Connery, as always, commands the screen whenever he's on. But the supporting players are equally compelling, especially Sternhagen, who brings humor and vinegar to her burnout doctor, who's not so bad after all. I can see Outland 's influence in subsequent filmed SF from Aliens to Total Recall to Babylon 5 . The only thing missing in this classic tale of an honorable man in a dishonorable world is Grace Kelly. All rights reserved.