The Cowboys (1972) User Reviews

The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men.

[hitchcockthelegend · 8/10 · 9 May 2011]

The Cowboys is directed by Mark Rydell and adapted from the novel written by William Dale Jennings; who co-writes the screenplay with Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr. It stars John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern and Colleen Dewhurst. John Williams scores the music and Robert Surtees is the cinematographer. Plot sees Wayne as tough cattleman Wil Andersen, who after finding all his cowhands have fled to find their fortune elsewhere, is forced to use a bunch of green teenagers to get his beef to market. It's a journey of some distinction, for Wil, the boys and the villains who lurk on the edges of the frame.

If ever there was a John Wayne picture that was in need of serious critical reevaluation, both as a measure of his acting ability-and quality in film narrative, then The Cowboys is the one. It's a film that has been known to upset the liberal minded, where the ideology at its core has been lambasted as being objectionable in the least. Yet looking at it closely, away from the humour that does exist within, it finds the Duke at his most vulnerable, therefore believable, and at its centre it's a coming of age tale told with cynical coldness. During this cattle drive innocence will be lost, Andersen is tough and a disciplinarian, yet he's always a benevolent father figure. Wil himself hit the cattle drive trail at 13, he knows the pains and perils of such a task. He also knows that boys need to become men, especially out here in the wilderness. I'd be disappointed in a piece of Western genre cinema if it glossed over this fact. And The Cowboys doesn't, it has a sting in its tail, the trick is that the boys are not judged by how Wil taught them, but defined by a turn of events that calls on them to "man" up. The actions of another being the catalyst for childhood's ending.

Robert Surtees' photography paints a beautiful picture, it's pastoral, broad and appealing, but crucially it doesn't make it poetic. These young lads are entering the unknown, each section of God's great land is beautiful to us, but dangerous to them. It's an overlooked point that critics of the film ignore, that of Wil Andersen not leading these boys on a romantic trip thru the colourful terrain. It's not romantic, it's dangerous, and it's credit to Surtees that he achieves both sides of the coin; beauty and peril in the same frame. The young actors are, expectedly, a mixed bunch, but there's nothing here to be overtly negative about. Roscoe Lee Browne is terrific, his shift from wry observationalist to "Mother Hen" is handled with great skill, and Bruce Dern is memorable in more ways than one. The complaints come from not enough screen time for Colleen Dewhurst, who playing a bordello madame positively threatens to send the film's rating thru the roof (and the male viewers temperature's), while the running time is simply too long-too episodic-and quite frankly, unnecessary.

The Cowboys is not a perceived John Wayne macho based fantasy movie, it has meaning, depth, bravery and a first class performance from the Duke himself. 8/10

Above average , enjoyable western with a great cast and awesome John Wayne as a tough cattle rancher

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 26 January 2017]

Wayne stars an upright cattle rancher , Wil Andersen ; when his cattle drivers abandon him for the gold fields , he is forced to hire 11 school boys (Sean Kelly , Clay O'Brien , A. Martínez , Robert Carradine film debut , among others) whose ages ranging from 9 to 17 to help him drive his cattle 400 miles to market . As the pre-teenaged boys in New Mexico Territory fight off grownup cattle rustlers under the tutelage of rancher Wil (John Wayne who strides the flick like a dinosaur) and his helper Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne) . As they are recruited to work for the cattle rancher , all they wanted was their chance to be men and he gave it to them . But they are pursued and finally attacked by a group of rustlers led by Long Hair (Bruce Dern). With Wil Andersen and ranch-hand Mr. Nightlinger as father figures , as they wet-nursing an entire crew of sub-teenagers on a cattle drive , as the boys learn to become men through hard work , discipline and the usual Western battles with robbers .

Nice and agreeable western with a great cast and a sensational John Wayne against his nemesis magnificently played by Bruce Dern in one of his meatiest roles as the villain . Top-notch Western packs clever plot , thrills , family feeling , slightly stylized action , shoot'em up , and turns out to be pretty entertaining ; in spite of the over-sentimentality inherent in this project produced/directed by Mark Rydell . Besides , it contains good feeling as friendship , faithfulness , companionship , and enjoyable father-adopted sons relationship . And the results make extremely amusing and thundering entertainment . Furthermore , an anti-racism subtext on Roscoe Lee Browne role was written into the script in response to ongoing criticism of John Wayne , it makes this one of Wayne's better Westerns . Wayne's image still remained impervious during the seventies surviving through an overlong career . Wayne unmistakeably a legendary figure of the West and by that time he would go playing good Westerns , as he triumphantly survived his own era with titles as ¨True grit¨ in which he won an Academy Award ,¨Big Jake¨, ¨Train robbers¨ , ¨Rooster Cogburn¨ , his last film ¨The Shootist¨, and ,of course , this ¨The cowboys ¨ . In some ways is a companion movie to posterior ¨Cahill , United States Marshal¨ also involved John with kiddies . The screenplay is plain and simple , with a conventional plot , but ultimately gets overcome . Gorgeous outdoors with decent production design , shot on location in Castle Rock , Durango Colorado , Chama , Galisteo , New Mexico , Sonoita , Elgin , Arizona , and Empire Ranch , Arizona . Colorful and spectacular cinematography in Panavision by Robert L. Surtees . Rousing and emotive musical score by John Williams in his ordinary style . And you'll love both the lightning unexpected finale and the performance of Roscoe Lee Browne as Wayne's friend and food supplier . It inspired the TV series with similar cast as Robert Carradine , A Martínez , Sean Kelly , Clay O'Brien and Moses Gunn as Jebediah Nightlinger .

This well-paced film was compellingly directed by Mark Rydell . Pic contains Rydell's usual themes as familiar feeling , a little bit of charming humor , friendship and and sense of comradeship among people . Mark does the human touch and full of insight that accompanied him during most of his films and the story develops pleasantly in large frames with an interesting plot and fully adjusted to the requirements of the action . Mark Rydell directed a lot of films as ¨Even Money , ¨Crime of the century¨ , ¨Intersection¨, ¨For the boys¨ , ¨Harry and Walter go to N.Y.¨, ¨Cinderella Liberty¨ and ¨The ¨Reivers¨, though his winning years were the 70s and 80s with successes as ¨The rose¨(79) , ¨On Golden pond¨ (81) , ¨The river¨(84) and this ¨The cowboys¨ .

The best of the Duke for everyone

[GEM-20 · 8/10 · 14 March 2005]

Obviously, John Wayne had a long and distinguished career in the movies. Of course, he was merely playing himself time after time. In this movie, that works wonderfully well.

He plays Wil Anderson, a man in his 60s with little else he can do but hire a classroom of boys to help with a cattle drive. This makes for a fun outing for anyone in any age group. Roscoe Lee Browne is well cast here. His scene with Colleen Dewhurst is very well played. Bruce Dern is great, too!

My son, who is a big fan of "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones", pointed out the John Williams music in "The Cowboys"; it is very good indeed.

"The Cowboys" is my choice for the movie to introduce people to John Wayne. It definitely makes you want to see more! Out of four stars, I rate it: ***.5

"We're Burning Daylight"

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 7 February 2006]

I've always had a feeling that John Wayne had some kind of health crisis and deliberately chose The Cowboys to be his swan song film. When it didn't work out that way, he went on and did some more until The Shootist.

Ever since his Oscar in True Grit, Wayne began playing men of his own age in his films and a common thread seemed to be imparting values to the next generations whether they wanted them or not. You can see that readily in films like Rio Lobo, Big Jake, Chisum, The Train Robbers, and Cahill, U.s. Marshal. Most especially in The Shootist with Ron Howard as his pupil.

But in The Cowboys he had a mess of pupils. Wayne's a hardworking rancher whose hands have deserted him because of a rumored gold strike. He has to get his cattle to market, so out of desperation he hires a bunch pubescent and pre-pubescent youngsters from the town.

The trail drive is quite the lesson for these kids. They learn about life that it is about hard work, responsibility, and keeping your given word. Wayne gets a second chance at fatherhood, he didn't do such a good job of it with his own two sons. More like grandfatherhood at his age, but the kids learn well.

Along as a second role model is Roscoe Lee Browne. Possessor of one of the greatest speaking voices in the English speaking world, Browne is the first black man they've ever met. In fact one of the kids uses the "N" word when first meeting him, out of ignorance more than racism. Browne sets them straight by example more than preaching.

The oldest two kids, A Martinez and Robert Carradine, have gone on to some considerable adult careers which they are still enjoying. All the kids are a winning bunch however.

A couple of the Duke's later westerns like The Train Robbers and Cahill I found to be flawed. Not so here. Director Mark Rydell keeps this one going at a good pace and does wonders with his cast of all ages.

C'mon. We're Burnin' Daylight.

[stevenlshoup · 10/10 · 25 March 2006]

An engrossing Coming-Of-Age story and a rollicking good western to boot! Wil Anderson (John Wayne), a 60 year old cattle rancher is ready to herd his stock to Belle Fouche, but "gold fever" has struck the able-bodied men in his community, so Anderson is left with three choices: Herd the cattle alone; fore-go until next year and leave himself and his wife pauperized; or whip 11 boys from ages 9 through 15 into ridin', ropin' and ranchin' cattle-hands to get his livestock to market. He opts for the third choice and what happens next is as entertaining a tale as the old west could ever provide.

Having lost his own two sons ("They went bad. Or I did . . . I'm not sure which,") from the outset Anderson is ill at ease in the company of 11 virginal children, more at home playing cowboy than being one and his solution is to treat them as men so that they grow up quick and keep him from losing his income. Adding to his troubles is an untried cook named Jebediah Nightlinger, a world-wise man of the plains who happens to be black -- something new to everyone on the ride.

The script is well written and never boring. The dialogue and performances are uniformly enjoyable all around. Watching these school kids turn from babies into men as they are introduced to a world with unforgiving weather, hazardous terrain, their first experience with Tennessee Sour Mash, death, treachery, and cattle rustling is a sight to behold. And as the youngsters become men, Wil Anderson, in his own rough and awkward way, is able to become the father he failed to achieve with his own sons.

There is a quaint and delicately restrained scene involving two of the boys stumbling upon a traveling troupe of prostitutes, headed up by Kate, an older Madam seamlessly played by the late, great Colleen Dewhurst. You can't help but smile at the entire delicious interplay between boys and girls; Nightlinger and Kate.

But every deck has a joker and in this story it is Long Hale, played with wild-eyed psychotic subtlety by the exceptional Bruce Dern. Anderson knows a vicious criminal when he sees one and Hale is the dictionary definition in Wil's book. Anderson refuses to hire Hale and his "friends" for the cattle ride. Better done with the school boys. But Hale has a surprise in store for Wil. He's following the cattle ride and plans to rustle the herd away from Anderson. What kind of resistance will 11 kids have against a gang of over a dozen seasoned killers"? Directed with consummate skill by the brilliant and unheralded Mark Rydell (the man also responsible for The Reivers and On Golden Pond), he bathes the film in rich russets, dark and supple browns, creamy beige, and captures the dusty plains, the sparse autumn woodlands, the cow hides, horse flesh, leather, ropes, and tumbleweeds of the Old West with an almost pastoral beauty. This picture is gorgeous to look at! John Williams contributes a vibrant and energetic score (what else would you expect?) with a harmonica's drawl and wail that let's you know Long Hale isn't far away.

Wayne is just right as Anderson. He sort of softens his John Wayne persona for the role and hits all the right notes. But it is Roscoe Lee Browne who stands out in this film. He is the brightest penny in a cast full of bright pennies. He, too forges a bond with the boys in the moment of everyone's darkest hour through his understanding that they've become men worthy of his respect and praise and, while he may not be able to achieve a surrogate father role, he becomes their trusted uncle and one of them.

How the boys resolve the theft of the cattle herd and exact a fitting justice on the evil Long Hale is nothing short of brilliant. And the arrival of the cattle into Belle Fouche is almost tear producing as the town and we the viewers understand the price of manhood.

This is not a western for pre-teens or younger. The language is rough and Nightlinger is referred to by the "N" word frequently. But for teens and older, this is a great introduction to John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, and westerns in general. It is also a chance to get to know the work of one of Hollywood's true great contemporary directors, Mark Rydell. I would love to tell you more but, as Nightlinger points out at a key moment in this film, "I have the inclination. I have the maturity. I have the where-with-all. Sadly, I do not have the time." Enjoy!

A surprisingly tough Western with good acting

[mlouns · 7/10 · 30 December 2005]

"The Cowboys" gives a solid performance by John Wayne, with excellent support from Roscoe Lee Browne and especially Bruce Dern.

John Wayne plays his role well as the aging rancher who needs to get his herd on the trail and has trouble finding help. He shows softer moments than is typical for him, and seems almost wistful at times.

The supporting cast of about a dozen boys who end up helping him do a pretty good job as well. When the film gets under way, the boys make you think you are in for a relatively smooth ride, but some of the later scenes get pretty intense.

Browne has the somewhat trite role of a wisdom-dispensing African-American, but he does have some good lines that he does well with. Whereas many films today might downplay the issue of his skin color, "The Cowboys" has fairly realistic reactions from a variety of people to a black man working in the West.

Bruce Dern comes off as one of the creepiest bad guys in a Western. In early scenes his (unnamed) character tries to pass himself off as smooth and sweet-talking, but eventually his true colors show, and he is downright scary. He has an especially frightening confrontation with one of the boys, and a wild-eyed showdown with John Wayne that really cements him as one of the worst bad guys ever played in a Western.

The story is pretty much by the book, with only one big surprise in a fight near the end. It also takes a little while to get going, but by the first scene with the boys in the corral, it hums along.

On the whole, a good Western with some excellent acting.

Brilliant

[dissettemark · 10/10 · 9 May 2002]

This is that is by far one of the finest Westerns ever made. The script is superb, with lines like Wayne's toward Bruce Dern, "I've broke my back once and my hip twice and on my worst day I could beat the hell out of you," classic Wayne. His performance is one of the most honest of his career. As his relationship with the boys grows it is both tender and tough. You get everything with this film. From the boys proving they belong on the drive to Rosco Lee Brown's magnificent counterpoint to Wayne. The cinematography is great and the music score outstanding. It embraces every aspect of the Western. Each time I watch it I find another reason to move it up the ladder in my list of favorites. It is truly the last of the great Westerns before the advent of such movies as "The Outlaw Josey Wales" and others forever changed the way Westerns were written and produced. It's an old school movie, but school was never any better than this.

"Big mouth doesn't make a big man."

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 7/10 · 4 November 2007]

Wil Andersen (John Wayne) is an aging rancher who traveled 30 miles that day and didn't find a single hand that could throw in with him…

Anse Petersen (Slim Pickens) suggests to his best friend to hire local teenagers as cowboys for his 400-mile cattle drive… So, in the morning the children came very early to put in for the job… Obviously, nobody of them has been on a cattle drive…

For a cook, Wil hires a black man, Jedediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne), who asked to be paid $125 knowing he should be got flooded out, stampeded out, frozen out or scalped by wild Red Indians…

However, a group of rustlers led by Asa Watts (Bruce Dern), the man with the long hair, came looking for work… But they were lying … They were after Andersen's 1,500 head of cattle…

One day, Andersen knew that Watts and his gang have been paralleling him for the herd… He also knew as soon as it's dark they'll be coming in… He doesn't know how rough they'll get… But right now they think they're one man and a bunch of kids…

When Jedediah falls behind with a broken wheel on the chuck wagon, Asa makes his move for the herd, engaging Wil in vicious fight…

There is a funny scene when two of the children meet on the trail a traveling bordello madam led by Colleen Dewhurst… And a touching scene where all the boys steal a whiskey bottle and have a little party, discussing the various attributes of their cooker, and his pretty independent character…

Filled with exciting adventure, gentle amusement, visually stunning photography, but most importantly how to want to see these children growing up so quickly, "The Cowboys" stands simply as one of John Wayne's best Westerns

The Brady Bunch Meets The Wild Bunch

[slokes · 8/10 · 29 January 2008]

John Wayne led many a cattle drive, but there's something especially satisfying about this final turn on the trail, alongside ten young boys for what turns out to be a hardnosed yet winning salute to the Duke's legacy of manly comportment.

"It's not how you're buried, it's how they remember you," Wayne's Wil Andersen tells one of his charges, the half-breed Cimarron (A Martinez), and "The Cowboys" is a two-hour rumination on that theme, of how Andersen, a man whose hard-bitten ways cost him two sons, finds a sort of redemption with these boys who come to help him take his cattle 400 miles to Belle Fourche while the only menfolk are either off panning for gold or else aiming to get their fortune in seedier ways.

John Wayne in his post-Oscar years didn't have much to prove, and many of his movies from that time play today as little more than agreeable trips to the well. "The Cowboys" is different. Picking up on the rougher theme of post-"Wild Bunch" westerns, it presents a modern sensibility where people swear and bleed profusely when shot or punched. Wayne might seem out of place, yet he finds the right balance here between his characteristic latter-day gruff humorousness and the sterner stuff we remember from his classic turns in "Red River" and "The Searchers".

The key to Andersen are those dead sons he has buried out in his spread back home. "They went bad on me," is about all he can say on the matter. "Or I went bad on them. I can't figure it out." Seen through that prism, everything Andersen does with his young cowboys makes a lot of sense, right down to the famously grim finale with Bruce Dern, whose memorable "Long Hair" is one of the great Wayne-movie villains.

But there's a lot of joy in "The Cowboys", too. Another scene early on, just as classic, has Andersen deciding to give the boys a lesson with a wild mare, Crazy Alice, only to get taught a lesson in turn by these surprisingly spry youngsters, who each manage to prove themselves to Wil's wry chagrin.

"I hope I haven't ridden all the rough off her!" one offers as he hands back the reins.

"You'll do," Wil replies, about all the affection he gives or they want.

Then there's Jebediah Nightlinger, the cook and only other adult figure on the scene, who tries less hard than Wil to hide his enjoyment of the situation. Hard as it is to imagine "The Cowboys" without Wayne, it's harder to imagine it without Roscoe Lee Browne, whose every utterance has a quality of burnished bronze.

Director Mark Rydell finds the right tempo and look for his film, aided by John Williams' stirring score and Robert Surtees' camera work. Every shot has the quality of a glossy Louis L'Amour cover, majestic pines and grassy hills stretching out into infinity.

About the only thing keeping "The Cowboys" from classic status is an ending which, while satisfying, comes off very pat on reflection. Despite the long time we spend with them, many of the Cowboys themselves lack for individuality, an exception being Robert Carradine, who plays Slim the de facto leader of the kids, and is the real-life son of Wayne's "Stagecoach" co-star John Carradine.

"The Cowboys" wasn't Wayne's swansong, yet it's a stirring valedictory effort all the same, a chance to see an enduring screen legend at his late and glorious apex, showing a new generation, and generations yet unborn, a thing or two about getting it done.

John Wayne's good...Roscoe Lee Browne is better!

[musicnina · 10 January 2003]

This movie, for all that it's a fairly straight forward, shoot-em-up western, has some unique points that make it extremely artful. The boys were well-cast (though A. Martinez seemed to struggle in a role that was not fully developed), and those difficult psychological moments which were so important to the book translated to the screen without too much trouble. As is always the case, the book is able to take more time to expand upon the characters more thoroughly; if the movie left you a bit dry, visit the library to find the rest of the story!

The reasons I watch this show repeatedly are two of my favorite fellows: Roscoe Lee Browne and John Williams. Roscoe Lee Browne is able to sell lines that simply wouldn't work coming from somebody else (his dialogue with Coleen Dewhurst is priceless), and he is the unique feature that makes this film work. He graciously shares the screen with his co-actors as necessary, but he easily walks off with the movie nonetheless. John Williams' fantastic score could stand alone; though it is occasionally a little too cheery for the moment (after all, this is a pretty gruesome film, if you really think about it), it covers all the bases of the movie. Youthful innocence, becoming men, sorrow, success -- it's all right there in the score. Don't expect Star Wars music; frequently understated, the music carries a supporting role. As both John Williams and Roscoe Lee Browne displayed here, it is often the supporting actors that make the show a success!

Excellent western, vastly overlooked but among John Wayne's best...

[Doylenf · 7/10 · 25 May 2007]

THE COWBOYS is a terrific western with a twist--the "boys" are indeed boys, teen-aged lads fresh out of a country schoolhouse but able to serve as the cowboys JOHN WAYNE needs to drive a herd of cattle 400 miles away to market. Wayne seems to be in the same position he was facing in RED RIVER, wherein finding the right cowboys for the long cattle drive was the main focus of the story.

There's plenty of scenic splendor in vivid Technicolor, a rousing western score by John Williams, and the cast of youngsters all give solidly natural performances under Mark Rydell's direction.

Outstanding work by ROSCOE LEE BROWNE as the black cook on the chuck wagon who knows how to deal with a bunch of rambunctious boys, and with an instinct for knowing when not to trust them with mischief. He plays a key role in the story and he's terrific.

Plenty of other good character roles are filled by BRUCE DERN, as the principal villain whose sadistic scene with a young boy is enough to curl your hair, and COLLEEN DEWHURST as the wise madame on the road with her girls.

The story hooked me from the start, kept me interested all the way through and only veered into tougher territory during the last forty minutes or so with the brutal showdown between Wayne and Dern. And then it moved briskly, taking an unexpected twist toward the last fifteen minutes.

Summing up: An overlooked gem and one of JOHN WAYNE's best movies. He gives a performance of true grit--and so do the boys!!

I have watched it every year for 34 years!

[origami-5 · 10/10 · 6 December 2006]

The Cowboys has never gotten the attention it deserves. I saw it at age 13 when it was released and loved it. Wayne's performance is much more mature and deep than his Oscar winner as Rooster Cogburn. Roscoe Lee Browne's performance helped to dispel racial stereotypes in westerns. And Bruce Dern's riveting psychopathic role as a child abuser and back shooter brought him death threats. The Cowboys has it all. Great scenery, action, drama, solid acting and a great musical score by John Williams. Even the small parts with Slim Pickens and Colleen Dewhurst are jewels. Every teenage boy should see this film and John Wayne lovers should revisit this beautiful film.

The Cowboys (1972)

[WandrinStar · 7/10 · 16 January 2012]

(7.5/10) Along with the Shootist, ranks as the best of the latter day John Wayne films. After his Oscar win in True Grit wrapped up his legacy as an American icon, his dozen or so films he did afterwards were more celebratory to his career as a whole. The theme of passing the torch to a younger generation is echoes in The Cowboys, and is a welcomed change to the typical Duke Western. Roscoe Lee Browne has an extremely memorable performance as the chef, and the Cowboys themselves were charming including the debut performance by Robert Carradine. Bruce Dern has never really impressed me, but he does a great job portraying the film's villainous coward. Director Mark Rydell did a fine job, but would have liked to see a marque director at the helm. Loved the ending and the movie in general.

This movie should work for your kids.

[lee188 · 3/10 · 16 February 2005]

The Cowboys could leave you a little sore in the saddle. Definitely not one of Johns best movies. Don't get me wrong, with any John Wayne move there is always some good spots. And this one has it's fair share. But over all the picture moves slow and just doesn't live up to the aspirations it could have been. Bruce Dern again does an outstanding job as the villain. Roscoe Lee Brown is another bright spot in the movie. The kids in the movie were average but could have been cast better. This would be a good movie for the eight to fifteen year old movie goers.

This would be a good family move to watch with your children. Just be aware, there is a couple of scenes that you may want to take a look at before you let the young ones see it. But most kids that I know who have seen the movie like it. Maybe it's because they get to see kids their age do all the grown up work.

The Duke:Still My Hero

[SmileysWorld · 10/10 · 16 September 2001]

What a thrill it is for me to be able to say that I experienced the tremendous presence of John Wayne on the big screen.I was but a lad of 7 when I was taken to a local theater to see this, one of the last performances of one of the biggest stars ever. This is without question the ultimate boys-to-men story.Duke (in the character of Wil Anderson) is faced with a dilemma. There is cattle to drive and no available men in town due to an epidemic of gold fever.There's no one left but a classroom full of boys aged 15 and younger.He seems insulted at first at the notion of taking them on,but left with no choice,he does. Any young child, such as I was at the time,almost wished he could come along for the ride.By the end of the film,they may still be boys in body,but they have the spirit of young men. Excellent casting here,with Bruce Dern as one of the most effective screen villains ever,and the memorable performance of Roscoe Lee Browne as worldly and intelligent Jebediah Nightlinger.As a grown man viewing this film today,I can honestly say that the Duke is still my hero.

4/12/2007 R.I.P. Roscoe Lee Browne (1925-2007)

A Different Kind of John Wayne Western

[zardoz-13 · 10/10 · 21 March 2013]

Any western with the legendary John Wayne is worth a glance. "On Golden Pond" director Mark Rydell's cattle drive opera "The Cowboys" is as offbeat an oater as you'll ever see. When a veteran rancher loses his hired hands because they'd rather pan for nuggets than push steers, he takes on school children to serve as his drovers. The premise is fresh and like nothing John Wayne ever tried during his long career in the cinema. Basically, "The Cowboys" is "Red River" with youngsters. This existential tale of initiation about boys becoming men is memorable because the kids are all interesting characters in their own right. Actually, Rydell and two-time Oscar-nominated scenarists Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr have fashioned a western that is politically incorrect as you imagine. After the villainous Bruce Dern shoots John Wayne multiple times in the back, the kids exact vengeance on Dern and his dastards by killing them all in an ambush. The last thing that you'd expect to see in a John Wayne is children brutalized and then brutalizing men twice their age without a qualm. Robert Surtees lensed this sprawling outdoors saga and even the scenes on the Warner Brothers sound stage in Burbank look spectacular. "Star Wars" composer John Williams provides an orchestral score that enhances not only the suspense but also develops the characters, especially the villains. The scribes borrow from other films. For example, the subplot involving Long Hair (Bruce Dern) who threatens one boy, Dan, is reminiscent of Charles Dickens "Great Expectations." The kids are a tyke-sized collection of "The Magnificent Seven," and the subplot about the outcast Mexican who isn't hired immediately but who tags along in their wake is like Horst Buchholz's young gunslinger in the classic Sturges' film. The boys experience just about everything you can imagine. They ride, rope, curse, shoot, and kill. Colleen Dewhurst has a cameo as a madam. Bruce Dern makes a terrific villain and he told Rydell that he believes he ruined his career when he killed Wayne in a particularly bloody scene.

This is an extraordinary Western ...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 4 May 2023]

...In which an aging man is forced to hire boys to get his cattle to market. The environment poses many difficult problems, especially for the boys who are trying to grow up and for Wil Andersen (Mr. Wayne's character) who is trying to protect the boys, especially from a group of low-lifes who want to steal the cattle. Mr. Wayne is at his very best, because he pulls no punches and the boys are able to convey their awkwardness and confusion. The ending, which is highly unexpected, is, in its' way, perfection. This film should be both famous and celebrated - it's an unusual achievement for a Western. But then this one is far more than a Western.

Great music!

[jdtrumpet78 · 8/10 · 20 March 2006]

The movie is good and Wayne is at his older prime. But it should also be noted that the music by John Williams is excellent. One of his earlier films - pr-Jaws - it has a classic Hollywood western style and rhythms but with the splash and grandeur of his Holstian orchestrations. Full symphony orchestra and lush strings and punctuated by driving percussion and soaring brass lines. Then we drastically alter the mood with an "around the campfire" harmonica echoing some of the same themes. Listen carefully to how Williams accents the feel of each scene whether it is ordinary, comedic, or epic in scope. This is the work of a man who understands the role the score has in accomplishing the story. The music moves it and completes it rather than accompanies it.

old dusty britches can act!!!!

[dtucker86 · 1 September 2003]

This was one of the last films John Wayne made and it is one of his best. He really gets to act a little bit in this film and show that his Academy Award for True Grit was no fluke. Bruce Dern is one of the screen's best villians and he does a good job in this one. SPOILER ALERT He is one of the few men to shoot and kill the Duke on screen even though it isn't in a fair fight and he gets him in the back. I read that before they filmed this scene the director told Dern that people all over the world were going to hate his guts. The best line in this film is where John says "A big mouth does not make a big man".

Despite being an odd idea, it worked pretty well

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 2 June 2009]

John Wayne is a rancher who needs to get his cattle to market. However, in the surrounding towns, there is a bad case of "gold fever" and no one wants to help out with the roundup. In fact, Wayne rides high and low for ranch hands only to come up with nothing. In desperation, he even considers recruiting a few teens from the local school. However, they are all a young and very sorry lot and the Duke gives up the search. However, the next day, a group of these boys are at his ranch looking for work--even though their average age is only about 11. In addition to these recruits are a hot-headed Mexican as well as a few ex-cons (led by Bruce Dern) who are also let go because they are more trouble than they're worth. So, it's Wayne playin' wet nurse to a gaggle of boys who don't have much experience in a man's world--certainly an unusual idea to say the least!

Naturally, the film is about the boys' ups and downs during this seemingly impossible drive as well as their progression to manhood. However, towards the end, there is a dandy plot twist and the boys manage to do so much more than would ever be expected of them. As a result, the film manages to take a very simple idea and make it work--though some might be appalled at the film's ultimate message about guns and death and all that (though I sure thought it was pretty cool).

Overall, it's a good later John Wayne flick, thanks to some excellent supporting performances by Roscoe Lee Browne and Bruce Dern---as well as the kids. Look for a young Robert Carradine as one of the boys here in his debut film.

Yippee tie one on!

[ctomvelu1 · 8/10 · 10 July 2010]

In THE COWBOYS, based on a popular novel, John Wayne plays aging rancher Wil Anderson who is forced to hire a group of youngsters to get his cattle to market. He also reluctantly takes on a black man (the marvelous Roscoe Lee Brown) as the cook for the upcoming cattle drive. Before they set off on the long drive, the boys are given lessons in bronco busting, roping, branding and herding. Unbeknowst to Anderson, a group of bad guys, led by Bruce Dern, follows them on the drive, intent on taking over the herd. The film, lensed in New Mexico, is incredibly photographed and staged, and the ragtag group of kids are a wonder as boys forced to become men almost overnight. The film has several very tragic moments, not the least of which is Wayne's murder about halfway through by Dern. THE COWBOYS is easily one of Wayne's best later movies, abetted by strong performances by Brown and A. Martinez and Robert Carradine as two of the young cowboys. Colleen Dewhurst, who would work with Wayne again a couple of years later, has a terrific cameo as a whorehouse madame encountered along the way.

Surprisingly Naturalistic.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 15 January 2012]

Judging from the title alone -- in its full splendor it's "Jonn Wayne and the Cowboys" -- it sounds like just another one of those routine and mind-numbing attempts to cash in on Wayne's heroic image in the setting of the Old West. He ground out lots of these Sonicburgers in the 70s.

In most ways, that's what it is. Wayne must drive his herd of cattle through Montana. The local cowpokes have caught gold fever and left, so Wayne must hire a dozen little boys, the oldest of them being fifteen. The only other adult is the cook Roscoe Lee Brown, who serves as Wayne's conscience.

Wayne is a tough taskmaster. When one of the boys dozes in the saddle, Wayne doesn't just wake him up. He pushes him roughly off his horse. ("I pay a day's wages, I expect a day's work.") There are thinly disguised clichés in the script. One boy can't speak without stuttering until Wayne taunts him and insults him and the kid says, "You SOB!", without a stutter, forever cured. (Usually they throw away their crutches.) Supporting players have names like Jeb, Slim, Weedy, and Matt.

Wayne attempts nothing new, as he had in, say, "She Wore A Yellow Ribbon," "The Searchers", and "True Grit." He coasts along on his honorable John Wayneness. His wardrobe is the same as in the other efforts of this late period -- leather vest, high neckerchief, the usual hat -- although this time the color of the shirts under the vest is subdued.

But there are a couple of surprises. For one thing, he's finally given a plain-looking wife his own age. He's allowed to curse the aging process seriously. A fight with the no-goodnik Bruce Dern is particularly brutal. Instead of a simple clip on the jaw, Wayne must beat hell out of Dern to keep him down, and he takes many bruises in the process. And I can think of some movies in which Wayne is killed in combat or dies some heroic death. Here he gets shot in all his limbs before the mortal wound and it takes him quite a while to die.

And, although the ending provides the catharsis that the audience needs, I can't help wondering if it's a good idea to show that one of the lessons the kids learn is that all the bad guys should be slaughtered in the most painful way, whether they're armed or not.

By this time, Wayne must have had a lot of control over his material. I'm surprised that he allowed his character to be killed off so viciously. I'm also a little surprised that he repeats, multiple times, the metaphor, "We're burning daylight." It's from Shakespeare, who used it more than once. That should have carried a neon sign -- "Unclean" -- right there. That's not even to mention the pretty tune by Vivaldi played on a guitar.

One of The Dukes best performances

[dancc · 10/10 · 15 September 2015]

**Possible Spoilers** (Come on, it's over 40 years old, what are you waiting for?)

I'll start by admitting that I am a John Wayne fan. I'll also say I'm not a fan of his politics. I don't say that to start an argument, I say it so it's clear I like him as an actor, not as a symbol.

Now that that's out of the way I have to say that I consider THE COWBOYS to be one of his best performances (it's on a par with THE SEARCHERS & THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE). THE COWBOYS shows Wayne at his most emotionally accessible. He's still playing the stoic westerner, but we see him with his wife (who loves him, but clearly knows he's a pigheaded bastard) & we see him playing his age. Not like in TRUE GRIT where he played "old", but simply playing his actual age (65, which in1876, was pretty damn old). And he clearly had a genuine rapport with young men he was working with.

I also have to say that to some degree this film turns the "John Wayne" ethos on it's head. I know a lot of people think this film shows The Duke turning the kids into little versions of himself. But I think the most important moment in the film is when the kids finally bring the cattle into Belle Fourche. They've killed the rustlers who killed their leader (& father figure). And they've accomplished what they promised to do. But none of them look pleased with themselves. They aren't riding tall in the saddle. They are beaten down, worn out, & depressed. They've "done what a mans gotta do", but it hasn't made them happy or proud. Quite the opposite. They have clearly lost something in the acts of violence they have done, no matter how necessary some of them may have been. A lot of people use the cliché "coming of age" when referring to this film. I think the better cliché would be "loss of innocence".

I also want to respond to a reviewer (who was writing in 2003, but, what the hell) who said he thought Roscoe Lee Browne was "better" than John Wayne in the film. I am an actor myself & I bow before the altar of Mr. Browne. I would kill (well, let's not get crazy here) a close acquaintance just for his voice. (He did an episode of BARNEY MILLER that I highly recommend to everyone). And he is absolutely wonderful in THE COWBOYS. But I think he & Wayne owe each other a thanks for making each other better. The chemistry between the two of them is unbelievable. If you want to chalk it up to their political differences, feel free. Frankly, to me, it just looks like a couple actors having a great time working with each other. Apparently, the scene where Browne tosses the knife at Wayne's hand when he's reaching for a piece of pie was improvised (Wayne didn't know it was going to happen). But Duke ran with it, & it's a great moment.

I've already written too much. To anyone who has not seen this film, watch it. Set all your presumptions aside, & watch it on it's own terms. I think you'll love it

In which Mr John Wayne shows that he indeed has True Grit

[ianlouisiana · 7/10 · 14 January 2008]

There are very few advantages in getting old.From my own experience I can tell you that growing stubborn,unbending,bloody - minded or any term you use to describe a steely determination not to be distracted from whatever goal you have set for yourself is one of them. Mr Wayne displays that characteristic in "The Cowboys",Mark Rydell's almost sepia vision of the late - flowering Western. As a child I sat through dozens of cattle - drive movies at the Saturday Morning Pictures in the early 1950s.The heat,swirling dust and whooping cowboys were a heady brew and a million miles from the leafy lanes of Surrey.These early cheapies had a profound affect on me and it felt strange to be still gripped by their magic as late on as "City Slickers" which to me was much more a Western than a comedy. Here we have a cattle - drive movie with a hook not unlike - as has been mentioned - "Red River".Mr Wayne recruiting men to take his herd for slaughter.Forced by circumstances to rely on a group of schoolboys Mr Wayne sets out on the trail to give them a number of life lessons. Assisted by the admirable Mr Roscoe Lee Browne he begins the task of turning them into real cowboys. When Mr Wayne is killed bravely taking on a murderous rustler,the boys,aided by Mr Browne,complete the drive and revenge his death. Like "Lord of the flies","The Cowboys" lifts the thin veneer of so - called civilised behaviour from these children and they kill mercilessly and with every appearance of relish.Contemporary audiences may have problems with this,but it was the way things were done.Much the same occurred in "The river of no return" where Robert Mitchum's son gunned down Rory Calhoun by backshooting him without a sign of remorse or any need for subsequent counselling.It was a hard life on the Frontier and only the strongest and most ruthless survived. Mr Wayne - constantly badmouthed by the so - called "liberals" he roundly despised - was simply one of the most formidable and charismatic actors from the Golden Age.I suspect that most Americans would rather it was his face that remains an iconic image of their country than that of Mr Michael Moore.

terrible film

[shinyobjects · 1/10 · 20 May 2007]

John Wayne is not bad in this film, but you get the idea he signed on just for the paycheck. The premise of the story is promising but doesn't live up to it's potential. It moves slowly, does not engage the viewer emotionally in the lives of the characters and quickly descends into completely pointless violence. The scene in which John Wayne's main character is killed makes no sense, with the entire group of boys impassively standing by and watching their mentor be slowly shot to death. Then their method of dealing with Bruce Dern's character is just brutal. The scenery and John Williams' score are two slightly redeeming factors. Roscoe Lee Brown is wonderful, as usual, but overall, this film is terribly disappointing.