• Release Date: 2007-06-05
• Genre: Western
• Artist Name: Roscoe Lee Browne, Lonny Chapman, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Slim Pickens, John Wayne
• Director: Mark Rydell
• AMG Rating:
• MPAA Rating: PG
• Category: Feature Films
• Cautions: Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children
• Year: 1972
• Running Time: 128
• Movie Country of Origin: USA
• Available Language: English
• Subtitles: Eng/Fre/Spa
  

In one of John Wayne's more interesting late Westerns, "The Duke" plays Will Anderson, a crusty veteran cattleman preparing a 400-mile drive to get a herd of steers to market. Shortly before the trip is scheduled to begin, Will's crew quits when they get word of a nearby gold strike. With little time and few alternatives, Will recruits eleven boys, ages nine through 13, and teaches them the basics of herding cattle and riding the range. Bruce Dern plays a memorably foul villain and cattle rustler named Long Hair, while Roscoe Lee Browne portrays Jebediah, the cattle drive cook, and Colleen Dewhurst is Kate, a madam. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Western

Ranchers, Mentors, Out For Revenge

Tense, Forceful, Gritty

DVD Features

• Commentary by director Mark Rydell
• New cast/director reunion featurette The Cowboys: Together Again
• Vintage featurette The breaking of Boys and the Making of Men
• Theatrical trailer

DVD Chapters

• Disc #1 -- Cowboys
• 1. Chapter 1
• 2. Chapter 2
• 3. Chapter 3
• 4. Chapter 4
• 5. Chapter 5
• 6. Chapter 6
• 7. Chapter 7
• 8. Chapter 8
• 9. Chapter 9
• 10. Chapter 10
• 11. Chapter 11
• 12. Chapter 12
• 13. Chapter 13
• 14. Chapter 14
• 15. Chapter 15
• 16. Chapter 16
• 17. Chapter 17
• 18. Chapter 18
• 19. Chapter 19
• 20. Chapter 20
• 21. Chapter 21
• 22. Chapter 22
• 23. Chapter 23
• 24. Chapter 24
• 25. Chapter 25
• 26. Chapter 26
• 27. Chapter 27
• 28. Chapter 28
• 29. Chapter 29
• 30. Chapter 30
• 31. Chapter 31
• 32. Chapter 32
• 33. Chapter 33
• 34. Chapter 34
• 35. Chapter 35
• 36. Chapter 36
• 37. Chapter 37

Review

This unforgettable combination of adventure story and coming-of-age tale is a cult favorite with John Wayne fans and it's easy to see why: The Cowboys is great American filmmaking, pure and simple. The script takes its time to develop rich characters and set up themes that pay off memorably in the film's second half. Director Mark Rydell handles the story in an understated, thoughtful manner that makes its dramatic peaks truly effective. Western fans will be happy to know that when it comes time to deliver a bit of action, Rydell gives it just the right amount of punch without overdoing it. His work is aided immensely by a sweeping, Copeland-esque musical score by John Williams and gorgeous scope photography from Robert Surtees: both do an excellent job of enhancing the film's rich feel of vintage Americana. The final, crucial pieces of the puzzle are the performances and they are magnificent: John Wayne carries the film on his mighty shoulders, delivering all the presence one would expect while also tempering it with a sense of vulnerability that only enhances his heroic appeal. Elsewhere, Roscoe Lee Browne makes an excellent (and equally charismatic foil) to Wayne as the drive's resident cook and Bruce Dern makes a genuinely unnerving villain for Wayne to square off with. It's also worth noting that the child actors playing the cattle drivers all do strong, subtle work, managing to be likeable without ever getting cutesy or maudlin (it's no surprise that young stars Robert Carradine and A Martinez graduated from this film to lengthy acting careers). In short, The Cowboys is a great Western and stand proudly alongside True Grit and The Shootist as the best of John Wayne's latter-day work. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi