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Cowboys & Aliens

Play trailer 1:19 Poster for Cowboys & Aliens PG-13 Released Jul 29, 2011 1h 58m Sci-Fi Western Action Play Trailer Watchlist
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44% Tomatometer 254 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger (Daniel Craig) wanders into a frontier town called Absolution. He quickly finds that strangers are unwelcome, and no one does anything without the approval of tyrannical Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). But when Absolution faces a threat from beyond Earth, the stranger finds that he is its only hope of salvation. He unites townspeople, outlaws and Apache warriors against the alien forces in an epic battle for survival.
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Cowboys & Aliens

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Critics Consensus

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are as dependably appealing as ever, but they're let down by director Jon Favreau's inability to smooth Cowboys & Aliens' jarring tonal shifts.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online From the cool special effects, to its top-notch acting and wickedly fun concept, Cowboys and Aliens is just that film that you may in fact hate to love. But it is really enjoyable. Rated: B+ Sep 8, 2017 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com It must be said upfront that, for all its problems and script deficiencies, Cowboys & Aliens is probably the most continually entertaining effort of director Jon Favreau's still relatively young career. Rated: 2.5/4 Jan 27, 2012 Full Review Ed Gibbs Sydney Morning Herald There is nothing that fascinating about Favreau's treatment, nor his source material, but compared with similar blockbuster fare of recent months, this curious exercise in genre bending is very watchable. Rated: 7/10 Aug 19, 2011 Full Review Bill Newcott AARP Movies for Grownups If Sam Peckinpah had made Close Encounters of the Third Kind...(or)...if Steven Spielberg ...had directed The Wild Bunch, I could imagine it turning out a lot like this. Rated: 4/5 Apr 1, 2023 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The film serves up a serious-minded genre experiment that works, despite some lingering feelings of disappointment for its lack of raw, popcorn-munching silliness. Rated: 3/4 Mar 9, 2023 Full Review Martín Rodríguez En Filme If you're into action movies in which a hero overcomes multiple difficulties in spite of his tumultuous past, then Cowboys & Aliens is for you... [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 2.5/5 Feb 1, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Chris T It's Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford as cowboys fighting big ugly aliens, what's not to like? Yeah the plot gets messy at times, but just turn your brain off and enjoy the ride. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/27/25 Full Review Jamie M This fils allover the place makes no sense. But I actually enjoyed it Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/23/25 Full Review Audience Member Aliens were depicted as not so intelligent, polluting, dusty and untidy which is a departure from usual. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/22/25 Full Review jude h Unique storyline, excellent acting, good special effects. I don't understand the poor reviews but this movie is always moving and never boring. I mean, c'mon, Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford fighting aliens on horseback? What's not to love? It's just so good! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/25 Full Review Damien C Good cinema. Genuinely do not understand the scorn for this movie. I’ve watch it at least 3 times over the years. I’m not sure if some people’s brains can’t handle the genre mash up or what. I can admit that the storylines can often bridge the differences weakly but this one does not. Good actor, story, action, etc. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/17/25 Full Review Andres Z. A movie made to entertain… and they nailed it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/04/25 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger (Daniel Craig) wanders into a frontier town called Absolution. He quickly finds that strangers are unwelcome, and no one does anything without the approval of tyrannical Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). But when Absolution faces a threat from beyond Earth, the stranger finds that he is its only hope of salvation. He unites townspeople, outlaws and Apache warriors against the alien forces in an epic battle for survival.
Director
Jon Favreau
Producer
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Screenwriter
Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Fairview Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, K/O Paper Products, Platinum Studios, Paramount Pictures International
Rating
PG-13 (Some Partial Nudity|A Brief Crude Reference|Western and Sci-Fi Action|Western and Sci-Fi Violence)
Genre
Sci-Fi, Western, Action
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 29, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 26, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA)
$100.2M
Runtime
1h 58m
Sound Mix
DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS
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