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The Cowboys

Play trailer Poster for The Cowboys PG 1972 2h 8m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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75% Tomatometer 16 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
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.
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The Cowboys

Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/29/2023
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. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 10/23/2004
2.5/4
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. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews 08/20/2021
3/4
...a better-than-average Wayne vehicle... Go to Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins 08/27/2020
10/10
Dern certainly has no difficulty donning the guise of a villain. Go to Full Review Mark Jackson Epoch Times 06/10/2020
3/5
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. Go to Full Review Barbara Shulgasser Common Sense Media 01/03/2017
4/5
Classic action-packed Western has lots of cursing, violence Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Chad H. @ASOIrishWoody 1d The Cowboys is the heartwarming tale of John Wayne hiring a bunch of middle-schoolers to help him drive cattle because, apparently, the entire adult male population of the Old West called off work that week. John Wayne plays Wil Andersen, a grizzled rancher who looks like he’s been chewing gravel for breakfast since 1904. When his grown ranch hands ditch him to hunt gold, he hires a dozen 12-year-olds to do a job that would make modern HR departments collapse and burst into flames. And somehow…it works. ⭐ Highlights: Wayne teaches the kids how to be men, and the kids teach Wayne how to have the patience he never asked for. Bruce Dern shows up as the villain and delivers a performance so slimy you’ll want to wash your TV afterward. The cows have more sense than half the characters. 🤠 The Tone: The movie is basically: “Hey, let’s combine a wholesome coming-of-age story with child labor and gunfights! What could go wrong?” 🎬 Best Part: Watching John Wayne talk to children like he’s negotiating with a pack of angry raccoons. And somehow, they listen. 🥃 Final Verdict: The Cowboys is a weirdly charming Western that proves the only thing more dangerous than outlaws… …is a teenager behind the reins of a thousand-pound animal. See more Joshua m @Flameon Nov 6 Pretty good for an old movie. See more Aug 10 Yeah, this is probably one of my favorite westerns now. Great soundtrack, great story, great script, and great acting. I wish they made movies like this still. I love revenge in movies, and they did it perfectly in this one. 5/5 stars. See more Stephen C @bob25009 Jul 20 Success in 2 hours and 8 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! See more Jacob B Mar 5 One of the best performances John Wayne ever gave. While not as poignant as his final role in “The Shootist”, there is a bittersweet sadness watching him play a man who you know from the very beginning is going on what will probably be his very last ride. The child actors are effective but the real co-stars of the film are the terrifically villainous Bruce Dern, Roscoe Lee Brown as the endearing and wise cook and the legendary Colleen Dewhurst making an all too brief appearance as a “Madame” to an band of happy hookers. See more Lanfranco C @Lanfrancobz 12/04/2024 A real "Bildungsmovie"! See more Read all reviews
The Cowboys

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Mark Rydell

Director

John Wayne

Wil Andersen

Roscoe Lee Browne

Jebediah Nightlinger

Bruce Dern

Long Hair

Colleen Dewhurst

Kate

Slim Pickens

Anse

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The Cowboys

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Movie Info

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
Producer
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
Runtime
2h 8m
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