The Cowboys Reviews

"Now this is the way it's gonna be: I'm a man and you're boys. Not cowmen, not by a damn sight, nothing but cowboys just like the word says. And I'm gonna remind you of it every single minute of every day and night."

The Cowboys is an intriguing Western, and one of John Wayne's final films. When the cameras rolled for this film, Wayne was in his early 60s and looking it. It had been numerous years since the days of The Searchers, Rio Bravo, True Grit, Stagecoach and countless other legendary Westerns featuring The Duke. But John Wayne's age obviously didn't faze him; he was still passionately working on new films, and he was still playing the iconic hero we expected him to play. Even after being ravaged by cancer, The Duke continued to perform his own stunts and prove a potent Hollywood force.

Whilst not in the league of the masterpieces of his career, The Cowboys is decent enough. Credit must go to the filmmakers for attempting an old-fashioned Western in an age when the genre had fundamentally outstayed its welcome. The film arrived during a time when America was suffering disillusionment following the weighty, drawn-out and devastating period of the Vietnam War. This is the kind of stuff kids lapped up during Saturday afternoon matinees. Unfortunately, though, The Cowboys is quite an average Western that fails on various levels. While it does provide the archetypal 1800s landscapes (that are captured beautifully) and a terrific period depiction, the film is somewhat uneventful and banal. In addition, the final third is moralistically messed up. While the film provides an incisive character study chronicling the difficult path from boyhood to manhood, there simply isn't a sufficient amount of substance to justify a whopping 130 minutes.

By most accounts, The Cowboys is an enjoyable flick. I was entertained for about 90 minutes of the movie, leaving about 40 minutes of unnecessary excess.

The Cowboys finds John Wayne playing aging rancher Wil Anderson. He needs to move his herd of cows to Belle Fourche in order to make his annual profit. But Wil is faced with a problem: his hired hands have all fled in search of gold and wealth. With no men to work for him, Wil is faced with the possible dilemma of being unable to move his heard and secure money to handle his annual bills. Left with little choice, Wil recruits a number of young school boys to help him on his cattle drive. Although quite hesitant at first, Wil learns to respect the boys who prove their horse riding skills and true grit. As they set out for Belle Fourche, Wil also recruits Negro cook Jedediah Nightlinger (Brown) to keep the troops fed. However their journey proves dangerous when a horde of cattle thieves begin stalking Wil and his pint-sized cowboys.

"You know, trail driving is not Sunday school picnic. You got to figure you're dealing with the dumbest oneriest critter on God's green earth. The cow is nothing but trouble tied up in a leather bag - and the horse ain't much better."

It's probably quite difficult for some to see past John Wayne's mannerisms that have been lampooned in stand-up routines and comedies over the years. However, his performance in The Cowboys is surprising. He never tries to be anything other than an aging rancher. Characters even insult his age at times. John does everything he's supposed to do - he says his lines, he rides his horse, and he strides authoritatively.
The young children in the supporting cast comfortably share space on the screen with The Duke, who had become such a true living legend. Some of the boys were actors, others were actual rodeo boys. It must have been difficult for the boys to share the screen with the physically imposing and legendary Wayne. Yet they showed no signs of being intimidated or star struck.
Roscoe Lee Browne turns in a fabulous performance, as does Bruce Dern.

"Sometimes it's hard to understand the drift of things. This was a good boy. He'd have been a good man. He didn't get his chance. Death can come for ya any place, any time. It's never welcomed. But if you've done all you can do, and it's your best, in a way I guess you're ready for it."

To be honest, I found The Cowboys to be quite a solid production. Like most Westerns the period depiction is wonderful. Rugged landscapes, old-fashioned homesteads, and authentic costumes light up the frame to great effect. There's an overwrought and triumphant score from John Williams as well. But the film is marred by the lack of a meaty plot. While the actors do their best, there isn't much room for character development. Sure the film is a coming-of-age story, but it's a weak one.

The Cowboys has occasionally been described as good "family" fun. However, I beg to differ. Over the course of the story, the boys only appear to learn the virtues of killing and revenge. This simply isn't the best way to denote the transition from boy to adult. It's also hardly the best "family" value unless you're the offspring of The Punisher!
There's also the fact that the film winks at boys getting drunk. According to the movie's philosophy, this is a part of their growing up process. Furthermore, Wil's notion of curing a stuttering kid of his speech impediment is to get the boy to call him a "goddamn, mean, dirty son-of-a-bitch" really fast. If you buy into any of this, the film may work for. If not, you're going to have a problem.
Another key fault is the excess of unnecessary sub-plots. So many things are introduced, but never resurface again. Like a character saving a boy from drowning. The boy gives his rescuer some "fool's gold" as a way of thanking him. This is never explored again. What's the point?! There's also a camp of whores at one stage. This scene goes on for far too long and never serves a purpose.

Overall, The Cowboys is a mixed bag. The films looks as good as any Western epic ever made, and the depiction of the period is absolutely wonderful. There are also a few good scenes, although these good scenes are usually too excessive. On the other hand, it's also a slow-going movie and the values it espouses are too suspect. Westerns shouldn't be promoting bloody violence and children taking the law into their own hands. Additionally, it violates a sacred Western law: (SPOILER) John Wayne's character is actually killed. He's gunned down in cold blood. This film is notorious for doing the unthinkable, and subjecting Wayne's character to a violent end. (END OF SPOILER) The bottom line: The Cowboys is just too banal and with insufficient substance. By no means is this an essential Western. You can afford to miss it.

5.6/10