The Cowboys

1972

2h 14m

IMDb RATING

7.1/10

255

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3 Videos

39 Images

Western

Adventure

Drama

Action

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.

Directors

Mark Rydell

Writers

Irving Ravetch(screenplay by)

William Dale Jennings(novel by)

William Dale Jennings(screenplay by)

Stars

John Wayne

Roscoe Lee Browne

Bruce Dern

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Videos3

Photos39

Top cast

Wil Andersen

Jebediah Nightlinger

Long Hair

Kate

Cowboy Fats

Cowboy Dan

Cowboy Steve

Cowboy Slim Honeycutt

Norman Howell

Cowboy Weedy

Stephen R. Hudis

Cowboy Charlie Schwartz

Sean Kelly

Cowboy Stuttering Bob

A Martinez

Cowboy Cimarron

Clay O'Brien

Cowboy Hardy Fimps

Sam O'Brien

Cowboy Jimmy Phillips

Cowboy Homer Weems

Anse

Homer's Father

Stonemason

Directors

Mark Rydell

Writers

Irving Ravetch(screenplay by)

William Dale Jennings(novel by)

William Dale Jennings(screenplay by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

User reviews2

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Featured review

7/10

“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 the rest as their trail turns from one of profit to one of revenge. It’s sentiment-free action film with a message of self-reliance and independence underpinned by a tough-love style of humanity that Wayne delivers well as “Anderson” faces one of his more menacingly played foes from an on-form Dern. Don’t be put off by the billing, it’s quite a tough drama and worth a watch.

Geronimo196726 Feb, 2025