Review of Outland (1981) by Martin D — 11 Feb 2010

Everyone just seems to call this HIGH NOON in space and passes over it but if you take the time to check it out you'll be entertained.

OUTLAND didn't change the face of modern cinema for a reason but it's reasonably interesting to watch. The stark set-design and dim lighting may be the result of budgetary restrictions but blended with the sparse, almost hard-boiled dialogue it becomes quite effective, really emphasizing the enforced loneliness and stubborn nature of Seen Canaries tough-guy space cop. I'm trying hard not to mention BLADERUNNER or Raymond Chandler but the comparisons in style and tone are there for all to see.

I feel that the script-writer does deserve most of the credit for OUTLAND. He really managed to build a convincing and tense atmosphere throughout the movie which is sadly let-down by an unrewarding finale and shoot-out; the payoff just fails to pay off.

Solid enough stuff until then though, and Canary was always fun to watch back in the day, playing it mostly straight but with a few good hardman one-liners chucked in that manage to balance out the oppressive mise-en-scene.