Review of The Cowboys (1972) by Bryan G — 10 Jun 2009

Though John Wayne didn't play a cowboy in every movie he has ever been in, he is more or less remembered mostly for his western films. I guess there could be some argument over this, but I see him as the quintessential film cowboy. And as far as star power goes, very few people in cinema history have had the same sort of screen presence and charisma that the Duke had.

Mark Rydell's The Cowboys is among John Wayne's most controversial film roles. The story in the film is a much darker one than what fans were use to seeing John Wayne in, so some of the movie's key scenes came as a shock. And then there was the conflicting views of John Wayne, who is a Republican, and director Rydell and certain cast members, who were Democrats. But if you can get around these supposed problems, The Cowboys turns out to be a heck of a film.

John Wayne plays Wil Andersen, an aging rancher preparing to drive his cattle on a 400 mile run. His usual cowhands have all left due to a nearby gold rush, and Anderson is forced to hire 11 schoolboys to help. Also along for the trip is Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne), a black man who acts as the cook for this ragtag crew. Both Wayne and Browne were fantastic in the film, both when they were serious and the various moments when comedic elements were required.

I like that for the first half of the film, The Cowboys comes off as a surrogate father story. Anderson has lost his two sons early in their lives, and the 11 boys that aid his cattle run become almost like a second chance for him to raise boys into men. Their journey was always fascinating, and I had a great time watching them along the way.

The second half of the film is where a lot of the controversy stems from. A man simply known as Long Hair, menacingly played by Bruce Dern, and his bandits stalk Andersen and plan on stealing the herd away from them after Andersen refused to hire Long Hair on. John Wayne has faced a lot of villains in his movie career, but none as cold-hearted as Long Hair. What happens to Andersen and his crew, as well as the boys' retaliation is both shocking and great movie making.

In some ways The Cowboys does feel like two movies merged together. I could have easily watched a film that was just about the cattle herding, and been perfectly content with it. The more violent second half is where a lot of people get turned off, but I still found this transition to be organic and believable. Though, the film doesn't deal with death very well, and sometimes feels like it skims over it too quickly.

The Cowboys is a beautiful looking film, especially with all the landscapes used throughout. And it features a fantastic score by John Williams himself. Mark Rydell's The Cowboys ranks up there with the best westerns I have ever seen, and has reassured my belief that John Wayne is the greatest screen cowboy there will ever be.