Before The Godfather, Robert Duvall And James Caan Starred In This Forgotten Sci-Fi Movie

Years before starring together in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather," Robert Duvall and James Caan appeared in Robert Altman's "Countdown." The recently departed Duvall played Corleone family consigliere Tom Hagen in Coppola's acclaimed film, while Caan embodied the hot-tempered Sonny, Don Vito's eldest son. As for Altman, this was one of his earliest films, as the "Nashville" director had yet to make his breakthrough war comedy, "M*A*S*H" (Altman made his dislike for the "M*A*S*H series abundantly clear later on). "Countdown" was critically reviled when it came out, and Roger Ebert gave it two stars out of five in 1977 — ten years after its theatrical release. Ebert stated the following in his review:

"But the film seems oddly unfocused, and the first hour is given over to barren stretches of flat, everyday dialog. There's no tension, no real conflict, no humor, no suspense. 'Countdown' doesn't feel like a space adventure, but like an oddly low-keyed exercise in corporate infighting."

While this is an honest assessment of the film, Altman can hardly be blamed for the finished product. You see, Altman had shot the film with naturalism in mind, which meant actors were often speaking over each other during a spirited conversation. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. interpreted this in a negative way and had Altman fired (!) before the final edits began. This drastically altered the intended directorial vision, along with the ending, which was originally supposed to be ambiguous. The irony of overlapping dialogue being one of Altman's signature strengths is not lost, as it went on to grant films like "Gosford Park" an improvisational edge.

As unfair as it is to attribute the film's many, many flaws to Altman, we should also look closer to discern what makes "Countdown" a worthy artistic effort.

Spoilers for "Countdown" ahead.

"Countdown" chronicles America's rushed moon landing after NASA learns that the Russians will be launching a mission in the late 1960s. This mission, dubbed the Pilgrim Project, is meant to secretly send one astronaut to the Moon on a one-way rocket. While the one-way trip holds ominous connotations, NASA assures that the astronaut in question can simply stay on the Moon inside a shelter pod and wait for an Apollo rescue crew to arrive. But these plans drastically change after the Russian government announces that they're sending a civilian. Soon after, Mission commander Chiz (Duvall) is forced to train one of his crew members, Lee (Caan), for the decisive mission. Just when things start looking up, Chiz and Lee are forced to tackle one curveball after another.

It might be tempting to criticize "Countdown" for its dated portrayal of the space race, but the sets look compelling enough to suspend disbelief. In fact, there's a sincere attempt to capture authenticity, reflected in the lengthy conversations about suit temperature and other technical jargon between our leads. The nitty-gritties of science fiction are not the primary focus here, as Altman is more interested in the human drama that unfolds right up until launch. The climactic parts, such as when Lee survives the wobbly launch and floats across the moon, feel tense and exciting right up until the end.

"Countdown" might not be the best space movie ever, but it is one that explores the anxieties of men who are thrust into achieving the impossible. Both Caan and Duvall do their utmost here, so it is definitely worth checking out if you fancy narratives focused on the moon landing.