Space Cowboys

When John Glenn returned to space two years ago, it became inevitable that somebody would write a connect-the-dots orbital adventure script about, say, a foursome of former test pilots who are NASA's only hope to rescue the Earth from a dangerous satellite in a decaying orbit. Grumpy Old Men In Space people would call it, and in the hands of 90 percent of the directors in Hollywood, that's all it might have been--even if they got, say, Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland to play the crotchety, never-grow-up team of rocket boy retirees. But as luck would have it, Eastwood also got the nod to direct Space Cowboys, and that makes all the difference in the world. He has a lot of experience making boffo films from utterly conventional scripts (Unforgiven, The Bridges of Madison County, True Crime) and he turns this one into gold with his skilled direction, smart humor and the best special effects of the year. (R. Blackwelder)