The Cowboys

PG

Released Jan 13, 1972

2 hr. 8 min.

Western

List

75%

16 Reviews

Tomatometer

88%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A grizzled veteran rancher, Wil Andersen (John Wayne) is almost ready to embark on a big cattle drive when his crew abruptly quits to join in a gold rush. Left with no alternative, Anderson enlists the help of a group of local schoolboys. Training the youngsters to be cowboys, Andersen manages to get the drive underway, but their long journey is placed in jeopardy when the devious bandit Long Hair (Bruce Dern) sets his sights on stealing the herd.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Oct 10

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Apple TV

Rent The Cowboys on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

Steve D

For me it was one of Wayne's worst but I am not a fan.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/23/23

Full Review

Link

Stirring and heartwarming. Like all westerns great cinematography. Well acted with likable hard boiled characters and sinister villains. Good plot that becomes more exciting as it goes.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

cindy r

This is John Wayne at his best. He should have had the Oscar for this.. Compelling story backed up by music by John Williams. Bruce Dern as the bad guy was so evil he received death threats from playing the bad guy. Excellent film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Liam D

A More Family Friendly and by the end more violent movies in The Duke's vast filmography

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/14/22

Full Review

Audience Member

The late John Wayne once again is directed by Mark Rydell Here he plays a grizzled veteran rancher, Wil Andersen A man about to embark on a big cattle drive when his crew abruptly quits to join in a gold rush Left with no alternative, Anderson enlists the help of a group of local schoolboys There's doubts to be had since these are barely men but Andersen is willing to push them to the limit Training the youngsters to be cowboys, Andersen manages to get the drive underway, but their long journey is placed in jeopardy when the devious bandit Long Hair (Bruce Dern) sets his sights on stealing the herd Are the boys in training too young for this kind of endeavor or can they pull it off with Andersen's help? Dern makes for a fierce opponent, Wayne is always good at what he does for an ol' fashioned Western, and these boys are pretty good too Aside from the length the film is directed with ease showing these cowboys can become men It's also nice to see them step up when they have to Every man wants his children to be better than him surrogate or biological The climax is very exciting too Toughest coming of age film there is and it's not one of John Wayne's best but still worth a look

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/22/23

Full Review

ogn d

Bruce Dern at his best, being the worst, a thoroughly miserable wretch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Mark Rydell

Director

John Wayne

Wil Andersen

Roscoe Lee Browne

Jebediah Nightlinger

Bruce Dern

Long Hair

Colleen Dewhurst

Kate

Slim Pickens

Anse

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

17%

28%

The Good Guys and the Bad Guys

60%

44%

Wild Rovers

90%

74%

Hondo

TRAILER

for Hondo

80%

54%

Joe Kidd

50%

29%

Shalako

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Pauline Kael

New Yorker

The Cowboys which features one of the most torpid cattle drives since the invention of motion pictures, is an incomparable index to the confusion of values in the movie business right now.

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

The scenes along the way of the kids learning to be cowboys are good, warm fun, and it's a shame they had to go for the unlikely, violent, and totally contrived last thirty minutes.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a better-than-average Wayne vehicle...

Rated: 3/4

Aug 20, 2021

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

Dern certainly has no difficulty donning the guise of a villain.

Rated: 10/10

Aug 27, 2020

Full Review

Mark Jackson

Epoch Times

A summer of brutally hard work, hunger, camping in the elements, and rattlesnake danger will certainly turn boys into men. In this case, however, it appears to supernaturally turn boys into a seasoned platoon of modern-day special operations warriors.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 10, 2020

Full Review

Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Classic action-packed Western has lots of cursing, violence

Rated: 4/5

Jan 3, 2017

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

A grizzled veteran rancher, Wil Andersen (John Wayne) is almost ready to embark on a big cattle drive when his crew abruptly quits to join in a gold rush. Left with no alternative, Anderson enlists the help of a group of local schoolboys. Training the youngsters to be cowboys, Andersen manages to get the drive underway, but their long journey is placed in jeopardy when the devious bandit Long Hair (Bruce Dern) sets his sights on stealing the herd.

Director: Mark Rydell
Screenwriter: Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr., William Dale Jennings
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Brothers/Seven Arts
Rating: PG
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 13, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008

Most Popular at Home Now