The Cowboys
All they wanted was their chance to be men... and he gave it to them.
John Wayne had brawled bareknuckle, gunned down desperadoes, fought jungle wars and piloted the skies. But The Cowboys gave him one of his juiciest roles as a leather-tough rancher who, deserted by his regular help, hires 11 greenhorn schoolboys for a cattle drive across 400 treacherous miles.
When the dust settled, Wayne had given one of his best performances. "In The Cowboys," Rex Reed wrote, "all the forces that have made him a dominant personality as well as a major screen presence seen to combine. Old Dusty Britches can act." Co-starring the equally memorable Roscoe Lee Browne, Colleen Dewhurst and Bruce Dern, The Cowboys is exciting proof.
Member Reviews
Damn fine movie. - Milo_Bloom
I've never been a big fan of John Wayne, since his performance is nearly identical in every movie he ever made.
However, this movie is really an exception. The originality of the story, plus the supporting performances from the likes of Bruce Dern and A. Martinez really make this movie special.Yawn Boys - Woody2
If you saw this as a child, then I can see how memories will cast this in a pleasant light. It is very much a kiddie's western. Overlong, the boys' characters not well-defined, and a weak script. Obviously made after John Wayne's better westerns. Wayne does not shine in this- he remains stiff and uncomfortable in the role. Little humour to lighten it. Harmless, little violence, but maybe an hour would have sufficed. There are better westerns- give this a miss.Great Classic! - devo1
This movie is one of the best westerns ever made. The theme is one that resonates with the viewer regarless of age because the movie can be seen from the perspective of a young boy becoming a man or a man fulfilling his duty as a father to his family at home and as a father to the boys who help him. Nice touch at the end when the boys/men take over and finish what their "father" had set out to do.
Member Reviews
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Damn fine movie. - Milo_Bloom
I've never been a big fan of John Wayne, since his performance is nearly identical in every movie he ever made.
However, this movie is really an exception. The originality of the story, plus the supporting performances from the likes of Bruce Dern ...Yawn Boys - Woody2
If you saw this as a child, then I can see how memories will cast this in a pleasant light. It is very much a kiddie's western. Overlong, the boys' characters not well-defined, and a weak script. Obviously made after John Wayne's better westerns. Wayne does ...Great Classic! - devo1
This movie is one of the best westerns ever made. The theme is one that resonates with the viewer regarless of age because the movie can be seen from the perspective of a young boy becoming a man or a man fulfilling his duty as a father to his family at home ...