The Cowboys
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71% Critic Match

The Cowboys

All they wanted was their chance to be men... and he gave it to them.

7.1 / 10 1972 2h 14mPG English
WesternAdventureDramaAction

Storyline

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.

Cast & Crew

John Wayne

John Wayne

Wil Andersen

Lead
Roscoe Lee Browne

Roscoe Lee Browne

Jebediah Nightlinger

Bruce Dern

Bruce Dern

Long Hair

Colleen Dewhurst

Colleen Dewhurst

Kate

Alfred Barker Jr.

Alfred Barker Jr.

Cowboy Fats

Nicolas Beauvy

Nicolas Beauvy

Cowboy Dan

Steve Benedict

Steve Benedict

Cowboy Steve

Robert Carradine

Robert Carradine

Cowboy Slim Honeycutt

What People Are Saying

4.0
A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Mark Rydell's vision lands with breathtaking precision.
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
4.0
Every frame feels alive. The Cowboys is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.
Anthony Lane, The New Yorker