The Right Stuff

Philip Kaufman adapted and directed Tom Wolfe's book with a title as fictitious as most of the depictions here concerning the X test pilots and original Mercury 7 astronauts but then again who's going to let a little bit of historical accuracy get in the way of making an entertaining film and THE RIGHT STUFF is all of that. Never mind the fact the phrase itself, according to the legendary Chuck Yeager didn't exist, this film is shows the guts these men had as humanity attempted to push the envelope of space. The cast is amazing, especially Sam Shepard as Yeager and in watching him it struck me we may have a new Shepard in Viggo Mortensen. Just all around perfect film making which does all of the right things without forgetting about the little touches which raise a film from the average to the profound. Nice touch using Levon Helm as the narrator and look for a cameo from Yeager himself as a bartender.