Following the Mercury Seven and chronicling the birth of the space race with the first manned spaceflights by the United States, The Right Stuff is a true epic of American cinema. Directed by Philip Kaufman, the film's cast is packed with icons of their field including Ed Harris (Apollo 13, The Truman Show, The Abyss), Dennis Quaid (Wyatt Earp, Any Given Sunday, Far From Heaven) and Sam Shepard (Days of Heaven, Steel Magnolias, The Pelican Brief).

Famously a flop upon its first release, the film went on to win multiple awards for its technical prowess and is now widely seen as one of the great US films of the last four decades. The film is long, at over three hours, but is worth the time as it presents a time of scientific innovation in a thorough and exciting way.