Outland (1981)

Set on Io, one of Jupiter's moons, where a major corporation mines titanium, a federal marshal (Sean Connery) discovers that an amphetamine like drug is being fed to its workers to increase productivity. As written and directed by Peter Hyams (CAPRICORN ONE), this is an uncredited remake of HIGH NOON set in outer space. The premise of setting an iconic western deep in the cosmos is intriguing but Hyams barely taps into it, he merely uses its shell. On a visual level, the film is a marvelous looking  toy. But Hyams has failed to flesh out his characters beyond stereotypes so that we get potentially interesting or underdeveloped characters spouting tripe. Frances Sternhagen as a grouchy doctor who aids Connery manages to dress up a rather ordinary role and make it stand out, heaven knows it's not in the writing. The hyper score is by Jerry Goldsmith. With Peter Boyle, James Sikking, Steven Berkoff and Kika Markham (Truffaut's TWO ENGLISH GIRLS) as Connery's wife.