Directed by Iron Man’s Jon Favreau, Cowboys & Aliens is based upon the graphic novel of the same name and stars Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford and Olivia Wilde. The film co-stars Clancy Brown with Keith Carradine and Sam Rockwell.
First Contact. Last Stand
A man (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert with no memory and a strange device attached to his arm. He fights off several attackers, stealing clothes, guns and a horse. He rides to a nearby town where he is treated for a wound on his side by kindly preacher Meacham (Clancy Brown). The sheriff recognises the man as Jake Lonergan, a wanted outlaw and attempts to arrest him. Jake nearly escapes the attempt but is knocked unconscious by a woman named Ella (Olivia Wilde).
Later the town is attacked by flying machines and the father of troublemaker Percy, Colonel Woodrow Delarhyde (Harrison Ford) arrives just in time to see his son and a number of others being snatched. The device on Jake’s arm activates and he uses it to shoot down one of the attacking craft releasing a creature that promptly flees. The townsfolk decide to band together in order to go after it and recover the people that were taken.
Jake travels with them as he is the only one who possesses a weapon capable of destroying the attackers, and wants to know who he is and how he came to end up with no memory in the desert. As they track the creature they discover that the craft they have seen are just part of a much larger force and they must work with native Americans and mercenaries if they are going to survive and get back their loved ones.
Tongue-in-Cheek Alien Film
Right off the bat it is clear that Cowboys & Aliens was never going to win any Oscars, nor was it going to be a role-defining film for any of the people involved. However, it also clear that was not why it was made. Cowboys & Aliens makes sure that its tongue is kept well and truly in cheek during the proceedings. Daniel Craig (most famous for taking James Bond back to his darker roots) seems to be having a good time playing Jake, who may be a good man who has done bad things or who may be a bad man who is going good things. On all sides he is joined by actors and actresses that are just having some fun with their roles, ignoring the clichés that run wild in this film.
Harrison Ford is particularly entertaining as Delarhyde, the cattleman who controls the town, a man who also seems to be very unpleasant on the outside but not surprisingly does has a soft spot for certain people around him. Indeed the native American he has raised from childhood initially seems to be just a man servant but as the film goes on the audience do see that Delarhyde does have genuine affection for him. Such changes in characters has been done over and over. If it was anyone other than Harrison Ford it might be difficult to not laugh but veteran actor Ford’s presence means that the clichés don’t become irritating, and the film remains entertaining.
There is the gist of a plot concerning the aliens needing gold for some reason, people being taken and that the group the cowboys has encountered is just a scout party. What Cowboys & Aliens does is provide entertaining rubbish, it is a silly film, but because everyone seems to know that it is just a bit of fun the audience can just sit back and enjoy.
Fortunately effort has gone into creating the aliens and whilst they are not as scary as the xenomorphs from Alien they are definitely not the cute and cuddly E.T. Inspiration for them has clearly been pulled from television shows like Star Trek, films like The Fly and even computer games like Dead Space. The CGI creatures look and sound scary enough for them to be intimidating but not so frightening that the film should have been rated above its 12A certificate.
4/5
Entertaining rubbish, check-your-brain-at-the-door, grab some popcorn and enjoy.
Christopher Sharman - In 2009 I self-published my first novel entitled The Darkness Saga: The Light (currently available at amazon.co.uk) which has been ...
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