John Wayne is what most film buffs would refer to as ‘Western Royalty’. The ‘Duke’ finished his long and fruitful career exceeding far more than a hundred onscreen appearances. Famous for his masculine demeanor and old school tough guy persona, John Wayne became an icon for western themed cinema as the big screen’s most famous ‘cowboy’. So beloved for his cinematic characters, John Wayne was killed in very few of movies, some believing the most notable being The Cowboys. The film was released in 1971 and at the time, was unlike most films the Duke had undertaken previously.
The Cowboys is about aging cattle rancher Wil Anderson. Andersen is prepping for his yearly cattle drive when his ranch hands inform him that they intend to leave to pursue gold mining.
The Cowboys is about aging cattle rancher Wil Anderson. Andersen is prepping for his yearly cattle drive when his ranch hands inform him that they intend to leave to pursue gold mining. Backed into a corner, Andersen is convinced by an old friend to hire school boys to assist him in herding his cattle across the country. After granting the youths something of an audition, this being to see how long they can stay aboard a not yet broken horse, he soon relents and decides he has no other choice but to take them on. Once trained, Andersen and the boys make their way across the country herding cattle, trying their best to avoid danger in the hopes of getting to their destination without issue. The story is a coming of age tale where they learn from each other, the boys slowly but surely growing into men under Wil Andersen’s tutelage.
Filming this movie, even then, could not have been easy. Director Mark Rydell was fairly fresh at the time, having directed just two feature films before, only having directed television even before that. Be that as it may he proved he was well suited for the job, giving The Cowboys a plausible film adaptation from the original novel and overseeing a strong cast with a solid production team. John Wayne gives the performance of his career in this outing, serving up a tear-jerking portrayal of a man who starts out as an employer but ends as an empathetic father figure. His performance is also not without support, as Roscoe Lee Browne was the indispensable balance in playing Jebediah Nightlinger and of course Bruce Dern, who played a convincing antagonist that would see him on to literally be hated by fans of John Wayne for years after. Those cast as the boys in the film all have their moments to shine, and stand out as the most necessary to keep things moving.
Classic doesn’t quite begin to cover it when describing The Cowboys. It’s still a western, but it is definitely a different kind of western. The Cowboys is story of growth and vulnerability that has bits of humor, shades of drama, and even at times hints of suspense. It’s a classic, it’s a western, and it’s absolutely timeless. If ever there was a movie that should be remade, it’s certainly not this one. Enjoy this one, but also, leave it alone.
