Capricorn One [1978] dir Peter Hyams

Capricorn One (1978)


http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077294/

Capricorn One is a 1978 thriller movie about a Mars landing hoax. It was written and directed by Peter Hyams and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company for Warner Bros.


Elliott Gould ... Robert Caulfield
James Brolin ... Col. Charles Brubaker
Brenda Vaccaro ... Kay Brubaker
Sam Waterston ... Lt. Col. Peter Willis
O.J. Simpson ... Cmdr. John Walker
Hal Holbrook ... Dr. James Kelloway
Karen Black ... Judy Drinkwater
Telly Savalas ... Albain
David Huddleston ... Congressman Hollis Peaker
David Doyle ... Walter Loughlin
Lee Bryant ... Sharon Willis
Denise Nicholas ... Betty Walker
Robert Walden ... Elliot Whittier
James Sikking ... Control Room man (as Jim Sikking)
Alan Fudge ... Capsule communicator

Although thematically Capricorn One is a typical 1970s government-conspiracy thriller with similarities to Hyams's subsequent film Outland, the story was inspired by allegations that the Apollo Moon landings were a hoax.

No discussion of wacky conspiracy theories is complete without a mention of the so-called “moon landing hoax.” It’s more than a bit wonky, but as thriller plots go, it’s just half-baked enough to be entertaining. That’s the thread that Peter Hyams picks up in “Capricorn One.” It’s a great thriller that nicely taps into the general paranoia and mistrust of the post-Watergate era government. The cast is top notch, from Brolin as the stoic, uncompromising Brubaker down to Telly Savalas as the crusty old owner of a crop dusting business, and Hyams keeps the action brisk and the suspense high. But about halfway through “Capricorn,” things start getting just a bit too ludicrous, and the numerous contradictions and nagging questions raised by the story get in the way of actually enjoying the movie. Holbrook delivers a great monologue outlining the whole shaggy conspiracy, but all that planning seems sort of careless when Holbrook is forced to kill the very people his stupid plan was supposed to save in the first place. These minor annoyances linger like a bad paper cut, and it takes a pretty awesome biplane/helicopter chase at the end of the movie to fully banish such distractions. “Capricorn” is a fun ride, though, as long as you don’t put much thought into it.

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

1979 Nominated Saturn Award Best Costumes Patricia Norris
1979 Nominated Saturn Award Best Science Fiction Film
1979 Nominated Saturn Award Best Special Effects Henry Miller Jr.
1979 Nominated Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Brenda Vaccaro