The Cowboys
1972 · Movie · PG · 134 min · ★ 7.1 · 66% critics
When his ranch hands leave for the gold rush, a tough cattle rancher takes on a group of young boys to help drive his herd to market and avoid financial disaster. As the boys learn the work, cattle thieves begin stalking them, turning the trip into a growing-up test with real danger.
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Details
- Years
- 1972
- Release date
- 1972-01-13
- Language
- English
- Rated
- PG
- Runtime
- 134 min
- Critic score
- 66/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (266 votes)
- Budget
- $6,000,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy The Cowboys if you want a gritty Western coming-of-age journey on a long cattle drive with real tension; Not for you if you dislike harsh, tough-love themes or want a more lighthearted adventure like Jeremiah Johnson.
Pros: strong mentor dynamic; coming-of-age grit; memorable villain | Cons: some viewers question premise; length drags sometimes
Themes
- based on novel or book
- montana
- ranch
- beef
- cattle drive
- underage drinking
- gun battle
- cattle
- schoolboy
- cattleman
- cattle rustling
- kids on their own
- +1 more
Cast & crew
John Wayne
as Wil Andersen
Roscoe Lee Browne
as Jebediah Nightlinger
Bruce Dern
as Long Hair
Colleen Dewhurst
as Kate
Alfred Barker Jr.
as Cowboy Fats
Nicolas Beauvy
as Cowboy Dan
Steve Benedict
as Cowboy Steve
Robert Carradine
as Cowboy Slim Honeycutt
Norman Howell
as Cowboy Weedy
Stephen R. Hudis
as Cowboy Charlie Schwartz
Directed by Mark Rydell