If they had only gotten Clint Eastwood for this role ...

The Western has mostly been dead for some time now. Of course, there have been a few exceptions. So in the early '80's when Peter Hyams wanted to do a Western, he naturally put it in outer space. After all, Star Wars had turned the motion picture business on its ear, and anyone who wanted to make money was doing it with a space flick.

Outland is a classic Western. There's a new sheriff in town and he needs to do some clean-up. The deputies aren't that good and the townspeople aren't willing to get their heads blown off. (Remember Blazing Saddles with the line, "The fool's goin ... I mean the sheriff's going to do it!" ?) The same applies here.

The bad guys are selling drugs on a moon out in the middle of nowhere. With this drug, people work harder for a few years, then they tend to kill themselves. Sean Connery plays the sheriff who will clean things up. He's got domestic trouble with his wife, who can't deal with anymore of this lifestyle. Frances Sternhagen plays the town sawbones who quietly helps Connery.

It's as simple as that. Nothing spectacular, but nothing horribly bad. Rent it some night when all the new stuff is out.