- Directed by Mark Rydell
- January 13, 1972
- Based on the 1971 novel The Cowboys by William Dale Jennings
With all his cowhands experiencing gold fever, a ranch owner is forced to hire a bunch of young schoolboys to assist on his cattle drive.
The Cowboys on the surface is a good adventure yarn involving a cattle drive and starring the legendary John Wayne. What it is also about is boys leaving childhood behind and journeying into adulthood. In some cases that involves leaving the control of their parents and becoming their own person.
There is also the need to reckon with one’s past as exemplified by the character of Wil Andersen (John Wayne). Wil has two dead sons which are implied came to a bad end and these children that he has hired are in a way his second chance. Through setting them on a good path to adulthood by teaching them lessons through becoming cowhands he can redeem his own failures as a father.
Wayne genuinely acts in this film. There’s a brief moment when he’s looking at the graves of his two children and you can feel the sadness. Perhaps it was the combination of Mark Rydell and Roscoe Lee Brown that caused him to bring his A Game. He crafted a character rather than get by on his screen persona.
This was some of Wayne’s better acting. You could feel the regret and sense the character’s sentiments towards the kids. Perhaps Wayne was channeling some of himself here. I do not know but there was real feeling in his performance. He put character before screen persona and dug deep into talent he had but did not use often enough.
Wil hands tough love to these children that he is forced to recruit. It may at points appear mean but it is not done to be mean. Rather it is done with with love. Particularly when he helps “Stuttering” Bob (Sean Kelly) overcome his stuttering. That is one example among many that stands out.
Roscoe Lee Browne was one of the great character actors and the man had an amazing voice too. He is so good as the cook Jebediah Nightlinger. Nightlinger was a touch wily and a touch worldly and a guiding figure for both the children and for Wil. His character spins tallish tales that you could almost believe with a twinkle in his eye. While Wil was the father of the group, Nightlinger was the mother. He looked out for their emotional support.
Browne and Wayne had real chemistry in this movie. The dynamic was fantastic. They reportedly got along well-off screen and that appears to have translated to their performances together. Wil is not always right and occasionally gets schooled or tempered by Nightlinger. What we got appeared to be genuine friendship.
Obstensibly this film is family friendly but not without its dark moments. There is the death of the young Charlie (Stephen Hudis) following an accident. The disposition of Bruce Dern’s character for all of his wrongs and transgressions by the group is rather cold as well as signifying the boys’ final steps into the often difficult world of adulthood. In the context of the story without it they would not have truly matured. When Wil is killed, they must not only seek justice but complete this one last cattle drive for their “father.” It is a moment of maturity and responsibility.
Bruce Dern is in this movie as Asa “Long Hair” Watts. He is quite the villain as a former jailbird that approaches Wil early in the film but is dismissed when Wil catches him in a lie. Integrity was a trait all of Wayne’s characters had but it usually did not come back to bite any of them. I can imagine first time viewers back when this came out being surprised that in the context of a Western what is a minor interaction introduced a serious threat to the characters. Strangely while the character is referred to as “Asa” in the film, he is referred to as “Long Hair” in the credits.
The Cowboys touches on racism a bit. The villainous Asa is clearly a bigot while the kids are just curious about Nightlinger having never seen an African-American (I won’t use the word they used) before. Those children quickly learned that not only is he a human being like them, but they come to embrace him as a friend and a parental figure too.
The cast in its entirety were strong performers. They weren’t the cute precocious kid of old but rather they were children of the West who were taking on a dangerous job. Each performer turned in a unique and individual character.
And it’s also a beautiful movie look at. I’m not saying you could turn the sound off and enjoy it on its own but it’s dirty and gritty at times and embraces the performers and the scenery. The colors throughout are beautiful. No one shot is visually stronger than another. The environment looks believable. The costuming does not feel off the rack. It is a lived in and authentic feeling world that director Mark Rydell put on film.
The Cowboys is a slow burn but it’s an engaging slow burn with life lessons for the characters sprinkled along the way. There are no big action scenes other than the climax. It is to the point. This is a masterfully told coming of age tale. These new cowhands start out as children and become men during the course of the cattle drive because of the tutelage and care of their surrogate father Wil.
The Cowboys is a great film that came along later in John Wayne’s career. It’s a strong story with great themes and fantastic performances. You can take it as just an adventure film or something deeper. Most importantly it has a high amount of rewatchability. It is as fresh the 20th time you’ve watched it as it is the first. It will appeal to the Western fans and fans of fine drama. I cannot recommend this enough!
Warren Watched A Movie 