By EWAN MaDONALD
(Herald rating: * * * )
Clint Eastwood remakes his Oscar-winning western Un- forgiven as a story about spacemen — where the heroes come out of retirement for one last hurrah.
A satellite from the former Soviet Union is falling towards Earth and only an emergency mission can steer
it back into orbit. The computer code on board is so old only one man can understand it: former astronaut Frank Corvin (Eastwood), who wrote it in the first place.
Not unlike Old West gunslinger William Munny in Unforgiven, Corvin agrees so long as he can take his old crew. He rounds them up and drags them into the past: Hawk Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), stunt pilot; Jerry O'Neil (Donald Sutherland), roller-coaster designer; Tank Sullivan (James Garner), preacher.
Because this is a Hollywood formula movie, one of them is an old rival who still carries a grudge.
There are more ritual scenes as the men train and prepare, secrets are revealed, there is a love interest and a gum-chewing mission director (William Devane).
But there is a little more than the mixture as before.
Something unexpected does happen in outer space, the four veterans make a good team and, as he should after 79 movies (23 as director), the 71-year-old Eastwood knows the ropes and how to tug them. Just leave the shirt on, Clint.
Running time: 123 mins
Rental: July 18
