Imagine the classic western HIGH NOON, with James Bond as the sheriff, set it in outer space and you've got 1981's pretty decent sci-fi thriller, OUTLAND.
Sean Connery stars as Marshall Bill O'Niell, new to his post at the mining colony on Jupiter's moon, IO. The head of of the mining operation, Mark Shepperd (Peter Boyle at his grizzled best) warns the Marshall that his men work hard and play hard and he should plan on cutting them some slack.
Soon, men begin to commit suicide in absurd ways like walking out into Jupiter's atmosphere without a spacesuit (explosive!) or clawing at imaginary spiders until they remove their helmets to get to the really itchy ones (again, explosive).
O'Niell discovers a recreational drug that seems to be causing the issues and soon finds himself all alone against the mining colony in his quest to do what's right.
Connery is really great here and carries the film well, with some strong assistance from Boyle and Frances Sternhagen as a smart ass Doctor who finds herself Connery's only friend.
Good special effects, GREAT Jerry Goldsmith score, solid story and direction by 80's hit maker Peter Hyams (Running Scared, 2010, Capricorn One).
Several of the chase sequences are very well done and the last twenty minutes is a tense, almost dialogue free High Noon showdown in space.
Good sci-fi action and a solid B for Connery and Company.
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