The Cowboys

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The Cowboys

PG

Released Jan 13, 1972

2h 8m

Western

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Popcornmeter

75%

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16 Reviews

88%

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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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Pauline Kael

The 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

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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

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

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

Rated: 3/4

Aug 20, 2021

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Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

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

Rated: 10/10

Aug 27, 2020

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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

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Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Classic action-packed Western has lots of cursing, violence

Rated: 4/5

Jan 3, 2017

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Audience Member

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.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/10/25

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Stephen C

Success in 2 hours and 8 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/20/25

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Jacob B

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.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

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Lanfranco C

A real "Bildungsmovie"!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/04/24

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Rick S

Of course I'm a little prejudiced to John Wayne because he is my favorite actor Ever of all time. But the Cowboys when I watched it as a child this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a cowboy and I tried to convince my parents to send me to a dude ranch because of this movie. Yes the last 30 minutes had violence the kids should never have to endure but unfortunately it is the reality of life and probably the reality of life back in the day.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/27/24

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Audience Member

To appreciate Westerns as a genre you have to watch this movie. It's a John Wayne title hit, but the supporting cast of Brown, Dewhurst, and Bruce Dern steal the show. There are so many quality cinematic moments here. As a period piece it is a true telling of the era and the cheapness of life in the west.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/24

Full Review

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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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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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