John Wayne’s The Cowboys has been praised for its authenticity and also provided its star with one of his best moviemaking experiences. Despite fronting romantic dramas, war epics or cop movies, Wayne will forever be remembered for his Western roles. John Wayne fronted 80 Westerns during his long career, ranging from evergreen greats like The Searchers to lesser outings like Rio Lobo. Even as the genre’s fortunes waned moving into the 1970s, Wayne was one of the few stars still fronting Westerns, including his final film, The Shootist.
It’s interesting to track how the genre evolved around Wayne across his 50 year career. Most of his Westerns are bloodless and fit for the whole family – despite often featuring large bodycounts. When restrictions for on-screen violence were eased during the 1960s, this allowed the gory likes of The Wild Bunch or Clint Eastwood’s High Plains Drifter to present harsher, more grounded depictions of the West. In his later career, Wayne made some violent Westerns like Big Jake but had a noted distaste for both onscreen bloodshed and the new wave of cynical Westerns that didn’t romanticize the era.
John Wayne Loved Making The Cowboys
The Cowboys made use of Wayne’s mythic screen status
In a 2024 video for Insider, Cowboy historian Michael Grauer was tasked with rating the accuracy of many Western films and shows, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Django Unchained. Grauer amusingly debunks many of the genre’s clichés, including raking Wayne’s The Searchers for a sequence involving cowboys fending off attacking Comanche. At the end of the video, Grauer singled out Wayne’s 1972 Western drama The Cowboys for praise.
Considered to be one of Wayne’s last great Westerns, The Cowboys cast him as a rancher on his last cattle drive and forced to hire and tutor eleven boys as his crew. It’s a sweeter film than many might expect, with Wayne’s Andersen and his cook Jebediah (Roscoe Lee Browne) becoming mentors to the boys as they get a hand on the cowboy life. The Cowboys is also infamous for featuring one of John Wayne’s rare death scenes, where his character is gunned down before the final act. His “cowboys” then saddle up to hunt his killer and take revenge.
Grauer doesn’t go into much detail as to what elements he found so authentic, other than to compliment it for staying true to how an actual cattle drive plays. In truth, a group of schoolboys wouldn’t be the ideal team for such a task, so The Cowboys has to bend reality a little to make the premise work.
John Wayne Loved Making The Cowboys
The Cowboys made use of Wayne’s mythic screen status
John Wayne was around 65 when the Western was shot, and was likely aware that both the genre itself and his days as a major movie star were approaching the end.
Wayne became a star thanks to 1939’s Stagecoach, and while he had his share of bombs, he remained a consistent box-office draw for decades. Audiences and filmmakers also grew up watching Wayne on the big screen and in his later years, he began to take on more parental roles in films like El Dorado or The Green Berets. The Cowboys is the ultimate example of making Wayne a surrogate father, as he’s charged with turning his misfit crew into cowboys while imparting some life lessons.
In an article for Emanuel Levy, Wayne is quoted as saying The Cowboys became “The greatest experience of my life,” despite initial reservations about working with so many younger actors. Wayne was around 65 when the Western was shot, and was likely aware that both the genre itself and his days as a major movie star were approaching the end. The film isn’t exactly subtle with its subtext either, as Wayne’s character passes down his experiences to a new generation, while his death symbolizes a literal passing of the torch.
Wayne even pursued the role, since director Mark Rydell had other actors in mind like Patton’s George C. Scott. Wayne was clearly energized by his experience making The Cowboys, and like The Shootist, it features one of his more vulnerable performances. The Western also plays with his screen image and legacy in a way that wouldn’t have worked with almost any other actor in his role.
Why The Cowboys Is So Good
The Cowboys is a moving blend of adventure and drama
The Cowboys received broadly positive reviews (via Rotten Tomatoes) during its release, though some critics disliked the movie’s message that the boys only become men when they commit acts of violence. Like many of Wayne’s Westerns, some elements haven’t aged gracefully, but it’s also one of his most enjoyable films from this period. Pitting Wayne’s gruff rancher against a gang of hyperactive boys gives the film a comic energy lacking from his other work, and the bond he forms with them is quite moving.
The ending where the boys gun down his killers might feel cathartic for audiences, but there’s also a bitter melancholy to it.
Wayne’s death still has the power to shock too,as again, the star rarely ever get killed onscreen. The ending where the boys gun down his killers might feel cathartic for audiences, but there’s also a bitter melancholy to it. The boys may take on the responsibility of avenging their “father’s” death, but the movie highlights that this rite of passage has come far too early in their lives.
How Does The Cowboys Compare To John Wayne’s Best Westerns?
Where does The Cowboys rank among Wayne’s other Western greats?
Sadly, much of Wayne’s final work is a mixed bag. Wayne’s only genuine sequel Rooster Cogburn is a slog, while cop thrillers like Brannigan saw him failing to beat Eastwood’s Dirty Harry at its own game. The Cowboys is a highlight from his 1970s output, and its subtext has only grown richer in the years since. Still, putting the adventure next to Wayne’s most acclaimed works like The Searchers, Red River or The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance does it a disservice.
His most well-regarded films are often credited with establishing Western conventions and tropes. The Searchers, in particular, has been singled out for praise by everyone from Scorsese to Spielberg and George Lucas, who used the film as a template for Star Wars. Rio Bravo is another highlight from his filmography, casting him as a besieged sheriff in a small town turning to hold onto a dangerous prisoner. The film was so successful that Wayne essentially remade it twice with El Dorado and Rio Lobo, and it remains one of Quentin Tarantino and John Carpenter’s favorite films.
The Cowboys is a sweet outing that doesn’t quite match up to Wayne’s best work. Still, for fans of the star, it’s absolutely worth seeking out. It’s a funny and touching adventure that showcases a warmer side to his screen persona, and it’s fondly remembered for good reason.