I don’t really know what I was expecting – but I wasn’t expecting this.
Don’t let my “B” grade fool you – I am fascinated by this movie. (Just because it isn’t all that good doesn’t mean that it won’t be something I obsess over.)
Plot-wise – it is set during the run up to Apollo. Looks like the Commies will get their Moon Shot up first (never really a possibility, but whatever) so a secret project Pilgrim is launched – spit a man to the moon & leave him there til Apollo gets him a year from now.
Robert Duvall has the training, but can’t be the man because he has a military background (more hogwash.) James Caan is a civilian – but he’s also a bit of a whiny dingus.
And this is the truly shocking thing about this movie. It would appear that the production had the full cooperation of NASA. There are shots of actual capsules and rockets and crazy-ass looking radar dishes. . . but the movie makes NASA look like shit – like a bunch of backstabbers. Unbelievable!
The other funny thing about this movie is that it is a fairly straight film, but you can see moments of Altman’s nascent style peeking through – with some of the more actorly scenes anyway. (Plus Michael Murphy is in it.)
This is a must see for people fascinated with the Space Race, the late 1960s, Robert Altman or weird movies in general.
