“A cow’s nothing but a lot of trouble tied up in a leather bag.” —Wil Andersen
Today’s quick review: The Cowboys. Left with no cowhands to take his herd to market, Wil Andersen (John Wayne), an aging rancher, reluctantly recruits a group of schoolboys to help him drive his cattle 400 miles to Belle Fourche. Accompanied by Jebediah Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne), a wise cook, Andersen and the boys set out on a perilous journey that will test their mettle and force the teenagers to become men.
The Cowboys is a Western drama starring John Wayne. The movie follows a rancher and close to a dozen boys as they brave a long path through uncertain territory. The Cowboys is a coming-of-age story that bridges the gap between Andersen, a hard and unforgiving man, and the boys put in his charge. The movie benefits from a novel premise and some touching character work, but its storytelling style will not be to every viewer’s taste.
The Cowboys has the makings of a compelling watch. The journey is long and unpredictable, with dangers ranging from rustlers to the cows themselves. The movie does a good job of conveying the grudging respect Andersen develops for the boys, and several of the incidents along the way are suitably gut-wrenching. Meanwhile, Roscoe Lee Browne delivers a charismatic perforamnce as Nightlinger, and the script serves up a few poetic lines of dialogue.
However, The Cowboys is on shakier ground with its plot structure and its emotional arc. The story consists of a series of episodes on the trail to Belle Fourche. These work well enough on their own, but they are not tied together very tightly. The movie also spends little time with the individual boys, instead showing the development as a group. As a result, the movie’s strongest emotional moments do not always have the scaffolding they need.
How much you get out of The Cowboys will come down to taste. The movie has plenty to offer in terms of character development and the logistics of a cattle drive. But it lacks the rigid structure that many viewers will be used to, meaning that it’s up to the viewer to bond with the characters. Give it a shot if you are interested in a coming-of-age story with more bite than usual. Skip it if you are looking for a more conventional Western.
For another John Wayne Western about a dangerous cattle drive, try Red River. For an emotionally potent John Wayne Western about an aging gunfighter, try The Shootist. For a more fanciful kids’ adventure with an ensemble cast, try The Goonies.
[7.4 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068421/). I give it a 7.0 for polished pieces assembled into a loose whole.