Directed by:
Philip KaufmanScreenplay:
Philip KaufmanCinematography:
Caleb DeschanelComposer:
Bill ContiCast:
Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward, Barbara Hershey, Kim Stanley, Veronica Cartwright, Pamela Reed, Scott Paulin, Charles Frank (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
This epic chronicle of the seven pilots chosen to become astronauts for Project Mercury is based on the novel by Tom Wolfe. Deep in the desert during the 1950s, army test pilots courageously fought to break the sound barrier. These maverick men would stop at nothing to achieve winning speed. Led by their champion, Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepard), they caroused at the local watering hole while sharing tales of extreme sport and bravery--until the Russians successfully sent their Sputnik satellite into the skies, and the United States government panicked, quickly launching a space program of its own. In an effort to find the right men for the job, the government searched the desert and the seas, compiling a crew of daredevil space cowboys willing to do anything for the chance to represent America in the space race. After grueling medical, physical, and psychological tests, seven men were left standing, led by American hero John Glenn (Ed Harris), test pilots Gordon Cooper (Dennis Quaid), Gus Grissom (Fred Ward), and Scott Carpenter (Charles Frank), and Navy man Alan Shepard (Scott Glenn). With the help of the media and the government, these men became overnight heroes, sacrificing their freedom and their families for the dream of space travel. This piercing exploration of the men and wives behind the mission serves as a testament to the determination of America to dominate the field of space exploration, while offering an intriguing portrait of a period in which America wanted to believe in perfect men and their perfect wives, even if the reality was vastly more complex. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Sam Shepard
USA
Best movies:
Black Hawk Down (2001)
Paris, Texas (1984)
The Notebook (2004)
Scott Glenn
USA
Best movies:
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Ed Harris
USA
Best movies:
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
The Truman Show (1998)
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Dennis Quaid
USA
Best movies:
Traffic (2000)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Fred Ward
USA
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)
Barbara Hershey
USA
Best movies:
Falling Down (1993)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Kim Stanley
USA
Best movies:
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Frances (1982)
Veronica Cartwright
UK
Best movies:
Alien (1979)
The X-Files – File 11: Patient X (1998) (video compilation)
The X Files: One Son (1999) (video compilation)
Pamela Reed
USA
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
I Want to Live (1983) (TV movie)
Bean: The Movie (1997)
Scott Paulin
USA
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
Pump Up the Volume (1990)
I Am Sam (2001)
Charles Frank
USA
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
Columbo (1971) (series)
The Anderson Tapes (1971)
Lance Henriksen
USA
Best movies:
Aliens (1986)
The Terminator (1984)
Dead Man (1995)
Donald Moffat
UK
Best movies:
The Thing (1982)
The Gift of Love (1978) (TV movie)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Mary Jo Deschanel
USA
Best movies:
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (2014)
Levon Helm
USA
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Shooter (2007)
Scott Wilson
USA
Best movies:
The Last Samurai (2003)
In Cold Blood (1967)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Kathy Baker
USA
Best movies:
The Cider House Rules (1999)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Cold Mountain (2003)
Jeff Goldblum
USA
Best movies:
Jurassic Park (1993)
Annie Hall (1977)
The Right Stuff (1983)
Harry Shearer
USA
Best movies:
The Simpsons: Heaven and Hell (2002) (video compilation)
The Simpsons: Too Hot For TV (1998) (video compilation)
The Simpsons: Dark Secrets (1998) (video compilation)
David Gulpilil
Australia
Best movies:
The Right Stuff (1983)
Storm Boy (1977)
Walkabout (1971)