"The Cowboy Way" is a movie tailor made for Woody Harrelson to star, once again as the mindless redneck with a heart of gold, a bit slow to understand things around, but capable to ultimately save the day. Here he was paired with Kiefer Sutherland, playing the big brother type, the wise and restrained of the duo, even if in real life, Kiefer is about 5 years younger than Woody, but sporting a manly moustache and acting mature and it worked.
The story is like a "48 Hrs." buddy flick meets "Crocodile Dundee", a fish outta water action / comedy about two naive cowboys from New Mexico which came to the Big Apple searching for their elderly Cuban friend that went missing trying to find his illegal immigrant daughter, in a plot that focus on human trafficking led by Tomás Milián and his sleazy henchman, played by Dylan McDermott in a surprising scene-stealing performance.
The movie flows well and the two leads have on-screen chemistry together (not as much as Woody / Wesley Snipes in "White Men Can't Jump" and "The Money Train", but yet adequate) with Woody faring better than Kiefer in his usual ingenuous / childish behavior type (think Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan or Tom Hanks in "Big") that made him a star when he was cast in "Cheers" and he's always watchable to follow. Kiefer is okay, but he was never as solid playing the good guy as he was playing villains (like in "Stand By Me"; "The Lost Boys"; "Eye for an Eye"; "A Few Good Men" or "A Time to Kill"). Ernie Hudson offers a fine support as the NYC Cop who helps the two cowboys in their asphalt jungle adventure.
In short, "The Cowboy Way" is a passable, however harmless flick with a couple of good scenes that don't mesmerize the viewer, but neither bores him. It's a case of "been there, done that" that can satisfy a less demanding audience and especially, fans of Woody and Kiefer, but if you're looking for something new or creative in the action / comedy genre stay away of this one, because it just limits on ressurging the old formula.
The story is like a "48 Hrs." buddy flick meets "Crocodile Dundee", a fish outta water action / comedy about two naive cowboys from New Mexico which came to the Big Apple searching for their elderly Cuban friend that went missing trying to find his illegal immigrant daughter, in a plot that focus on human trafficking led by Tomás Milián and his sleazy henchman, played by Dylan McDermott in a surprising scene-stealing performance.
The movie flows well and the two leads have on-screen chemistry together (not as much as Woody / Wesley Snipes in "White Men Can't Jump" and "The Money Train", but yet adequate) with Woody faring better than Kiefer in his usual ingenuous / childish behavior type (think Paul "Crocodile Dundee" Hogan or Tom Hanks in "Big") that made him a star when he was cast in "Cheers" and he's always watchable to follow. Kiefer is okay, but he was never as solid playing the good guy as he was playing villains (like in "Stand By Me"; "The Lost Boys"; "Eye for an Eye"; "A Few Good Men" or "A Time to Kill"). Ernie Hudson offers a fine support as the NYC Cop who helps the two cowboys in their asphalt jungle adventure.
In short, "The Cowboy Way" is a passable, however harmless flick with a couple of good scenes that don't mesmerize the viewer, but neither bores him. It's a case of "been there, done that" that can satisfy a less demanding audience and especially, fans of Woody and Kiefer, but if you're looking for something new or creative in the action / comedy genre stay away of this one, because it just limits on ressurging the old formula.