The Cowboys

The Cowboys (1972) is among John Wayne's best late-career films. The Duke gets to stretch his acting talents to the limit, playing one of his most complex and tragic characters, elevating a modest oater into something special.

Wil Andersen (John Wayne) is an aging rancher whose cowhands desert him for a gold rush, just as he needs to bring his herd in. Andersen reluctantly signs up a gaggle of teenaged (and younger) boys to help, with grizzled cook Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne) in support. Andersen's tough management style grates on the boys at first, but they gain a respect for Anderson and Nightlinger as the drive goes along. They're forced to prove themselves when a scurvy rustler (Bruce Dern) shows up to steal the herd.

The Cowboys is fairly routine plot-wise, but brought off extremely well. The film is best-remembered as the movie where John Wayne gets shot in the back, but it's a bit more than that, with strong dialogue and characterization. The kids are anything but cutesy, and the plot develops believably, with a minimum of cliche or extraneous action. The climax is predictable and a bit hard to swallow, but otherwise it's a solid piece of work.

Director Mark Rydell provides a fine production. His direction is unflashy but delivers some strong visuals, courtesy of veteran photographer Robert Surtees, and the movie unfurls at a brisk clip. And the film's big scenes are brought off well, especially the Duke's showdown with Bruce Dern's nasty baddy. John Williams contributes a subdued early score.

John Wayne gives one of his top three performances. His nasty demise, being shot repeatedly in the back, would alone make this a memory, but the Duke provides an excellent turn to match. Wil is a tough guy but no man of action, with a troubled past and uncertain future, and Wayne plays him with marvelous subtlety and nuance. He's believable as the weather-beaten rancher, the reluctant father figure and the old man at the end of the line, and it's hard not to be affected by his farewell.

Roscoe Lee Browne (Topaz) is superb, mixing dignity and wit for a wonderfully unique character. Bruce Dern (Family Plot) makes an especially hateful bad guy; you think a likeable fellow could take down the Duke? Notable among the cowboys are Robert Carradine (The Long Riders), Alfred Barker and A Martinez. Colleen Dewhurst has an excellent cameo, and Slim Pickens (Dr. Strangelove) and Matt Clark (Jeremiah Johnson) put in brief appearances.

The Cowboys is a must-see film for John Wayne fans and Western buffs. Well-made, interestingly-plotted and impeccably acted, it's definitely the best film Wayne made in the 1970s.