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critics consensus

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are as dependably appealing as ever, but they're let down by director Jon Favreau's inability to smooth Cowboys & Aliens' jarring tonal shifts. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger (Daniel Craig) wanders into a frontier town called Absolution. He quickly finds that strangers are unwelcome, and no one does anything without the approval of tyrannical Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). But when Absolution faces a threat from beyond Earth, the stranger finds that he is its only hope of salvation. He unites townspeople, outlaws and Apache warriors against the alien forces in an epic battle for survival.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (Some Partial Nudity|A Brief Crude Reference|Western and Sci-Fi Action|Western and Sci-Fi Violence)
  • Genre:
    western, sci fi, action
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Jon Favreau
  • Producer:
    Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci
  • Writer:
    Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $100.2M
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Fairview Entertainment, Imagine Entertainment, K/O Paper Products, Platinum Studios, Paramount Pictures International
  • Sound Mix:
    DTS, Dolby SRD, SDDS

Cast & Crew

Daniel Craig
Jake Lonergan
Harrison Ford
Woodrow Dolarhyde
Olivia Wilde
Ella Swenson
Sam Rockwell
Doc
Adam Beach
Nat Colorado
Paul Dano
Percy Dolarhyde
Noah Ringer
Emmett Taggart
Keith Carradine
Sheriff John Taggart
Clancy Brown
Meacham
Jon Favreau
Director
Roberto Orci
Screenwriter
Alex Kurtzman
Screenwriter
Damon Lindelof
Screenwriter
Mark Fergus
Screenwriter
Hawk Ostby
Screenwriter
Brian Grazer
Producer
Ron Howard
Producer
Alex Kurtzman
Producer
Roberto Orci
Producer
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News & Interviews for Cowboys & Aliens

Weekly Ketchup: Harrison Ford to Play Wyatt Earp in Black Hats
Critics Consensus: Cowboys and Aliens is All Mixed Up
24 Frames: Movie Genre Mashups
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Critic Reviews for Cowboys & Aliens

All Critics (257) | Top Critics (67) | Fresh (113) | Rotten (144)

View All Critic Reviews (257)

Audience Reviews for Cowboys & Aliens

  • Jun 03, 2016
    I fell asleep the first two times I tried to watch it. I didn't miss much.
    Gimly M Super Reviewer
  • Aug 09, 2015
    An embarrassment for all involved. I'm rooting for the Indians, in this case.
    Christian C Super Reviewer
  • Mar 29, 2013
    "Cowboys & Aliens" starts with Jake Lonergan(Daniel Craig) waking with the grandmother of all hangovers in the middle of nowhere with no memory of who he is but with a weird metal bracelet that he cannot remove from his arm. Things do not improve once he gets back to town as Percy Dolarhyde(Paul Dano) shoots up the place, accidentally hitting a deputy. Not only does Sheriff Taggart(Keith Carradine) take Percy into custody but also Jake who it turns out is wanted for everything shy of cow tipping. And just as Percy's father(Harrison Ford) shows up for a quiet conference, the light show starts. If one wanted to point out the beginning of the end of Hollywood, it would be when B movies began to be made with A budgets.(For further proof that the movie world has gone to the dogs, there is Alex Cox who has to pass the hat around on Kickstarter to get his cool-sounding adaptation of "Bill, the Galactic Hero" made.) Exhibit A is "Cowboys & Aliens" which is a B movie idea if there ever was one, made with a blockbuster mentality that does not get either genre right.(By contrast, the Doctor Who episode "A Town Called Mercy," a jelly baby western, nails it, along with pointed insights into the possibility of redemption.) It does not help the banal story and slack pacing that Daniel Craig is miscast, his brooding intensity doing little for a movie so desperately in need of a sense of humor. But kudos to whoever cast seasoned pros Clancy Brown and Keith Carradine. And at least Harrison Ford shows signs of life, for a change.
    Walter M Super Reviewer
  • Oct 24, 2012
    Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig? Sounds like a winner. The direction is top notch, but if you boil this dirty water of a film, you can easily the stain is the writing. Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtman have never written a script that is a grand slam. While their ideas have "moments," the overall final product leaves much to be desired. Despite the great cast and director, Cowboys and Aliens dies a slow death at the hands of the weak script.
    Bryan D Super Reviewer
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