All they wanted was their chance to be men... and he gave it to them.
When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage, however, neither he nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Classical in form, earnest, grave and resolved.
- classical in formformally daring
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- resolvedopen-ended
- effortlessdemanding
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is John Wayne the best thing in The Cowboys?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Does it romanticize the West?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Would a little humor have helped?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Feb 20257/10
“Anderson” (John Wayne) is left short-handed by a gold rush and with his herd to get to market has to resort to engaging the services of a class of school boys who are offered $50 each if they help out. None of those lads are much over fifteen and few have any experience wrangling, so it’s going to be a tough challenge. Fortunately the veteran “Nightlinger” (Roscoe Lee Brown) happens by and agrees to bring along his wagon to help play nursemaid - and off they go. What they don’t appreciate, though, is that a group of would-be rustlers are in pursuit of their cows and when they discover the team doing the work are barely out of diapers, they become emboldened and set about stealing the cattle. The question is: can this motley and inexperienced team fend off the maniacal “Long Hair” (Bruce Dern) and his mercenaries? On the face of it, this could have been a disaster - but the chemistry between Wayne and Browne is a little reminiscent of his with Walter Brennan and helps steer this along quite entertainingly with decent efforts too from the lads doing the work. Interestingly, there is no sign of a Mitchum or a Wayne Jr amidst the cast of youngsters, but Nicolas Beauvy does well as do
Read the whole review on TMDB - John Chardon TMDB · May 20198/10
The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men. The Cowboys is directed by Mark Rydell and adapted from the novel written by William Dale Jennings; who co-writes the screenplay with Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr. It stars John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern and Colleen Dewhurst. John Williams scores the music and Robert Surtees is the cinematographer. Plot sees Wayne as tough cattleman Wil Andersen, who after finding all his cowhands have fled to find their fortune elsewhere, is forced to use a bunch of green teenagers to get his beef to market. It's a journey of some distinction, for Wil, the boys and the villains who lurk on the edges of the frame. If ever there was a John Wayne picture that was in need of serious critical reevaluation, both as a measure of his acting ability-and quality in film narrative, then The Cowboys is the one. It's a film that has been known to upset the liberal minded, where the ideology at its core has been lambasted as being objectionable in the least. Yet looking at it closely, away from the humour that does exist within, it finds the Duke at his most vulnerable, therefore believable, and at its centre it's a coming of age tale told with cynical
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- John WayneWil Andersen
- Roscoe Lee BrowneJebediah Nightlinger
- Bruce DernLong Hair
- Colleen DewhurstKate
- Alfred Barker Jr.Cowboy Fats
- Nicolas BeauvyCowboy Dan
- Steve BenedictCowboy Steve
- Robert CarradineCowboy Slim Honeycutt
- Norman HowellCowboy Weedy
- Stephen R. HudisCowboy Charlie Schwartz
Crew
- Mark RydellDirector
- Irving RavetchScreenplay
- William Dale JenningsScreenplay
- Harriet Frank Jr.Screenplay
- William Dale JenningsNovel
- Robert SurteesDirector of Photography
- John WilliamsOriginal Music Composer
- Neil TravisEditor
- Mark RydellProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
Westward the Women 195188% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest.
The Outlaw Josey Wales 197687% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
The Desert Rats 195385% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Ford v Ferrari 201983% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
They Were Expendable 194583% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
One of Our Aircraft Is Missing 194283% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest.
Two Rode Together 196183% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest, grave.
Bend of the River 195283% alikeBoth classical in form, earnest.
Spider-Man 199481% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
Belgravia 202078% alikeTelevision · Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
