For once we have a summer movie that is not a sequel, prequel, or an unnecessary remake of a horror classic with “Cowboys & Aliens.” And yet we come out of it disappointed that it was not all it was cracked up to be. Despite having quite the crew with “Iron Man” director John Favreau, Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, and it’s based on the popular graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. While it’s not boring, it is not as exciting or thrilling as its numerous trailers led us to believe.
The movie starts off in the wild west of 1873 when Daniel Craig’s character wakes up in a Jason Bourne-like situation not knowing who he is or why he has this metal thing attached to his wrist. But sure enough, he knows how to kick ass when the situation calls for it. I love how you can develop amnesia and yet remember certain reflexes like how to take out an attacker in less than 5 seconds. He is soon discovered to be Jake Lonergan (an appropriate last name for a loner), a wanted man with too many crimes to keep track of. But just as he is about to be taken away by Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), strange lights appear in the sky… You’ve seen the trailer, so you know what happens next.
Mixing science fiction with the western genre is an inspired move, but Favreau is never able to balance one with the other effectively. It also would have been better if he did not reveal the look of the aliens early on. Not seeing them made them far more threatening to where our imaginations went into overdrive, and this could have worked immensely to the film’s advantage. But when we do see them up close, their design proves to be nothing memorable or particularly original. After “Super 8,” no other monster seems as scary or threatening in its wake.
This is a shame because “Cowboys & Aliens” could have gotten a passable grade on the performances alone. Instead of doing a riff on James Bond, Daniel Craig embodies the classic antihero that is Jake Lonergan without sugar coating him too much. Craig also reveals a strong vulnerability here underneath that rough bravado which looks through you saying:
“Let’s not mess with me today…”
Harrison Ford thankfully looks more alive here than in “Morning Glory” where he resembled a walking corpse. This is not just him doing Indiana Jones or Han Solo (the latter being the furthest thing from his mind I’m sure), and he could have gotten away with doing that. Ford makes Dolarhyde a tough and gruff man who has seen things impossible to wipe away from memory. While his role feels underwritten compared to Craig’s, it’s nice to see him in working in genres where he appears more or less to be having fun.
But the actor that truly blew me away here was Olivia Wilde’s who played the elusive Ella Swenson. This is not just due to her being ravishingly gorgeous (let’s be honest here), but I had to keep pinching myself to remind myself that she is the same person who portrayed the warrior Quorra in “Tron: Legacy.” She looks completely different here, and it’s not simply due to makeup. Along with sharing a palpable chemistry with Craig, she maintains her character’s mysterious nature to the very end, and her acting talent can no longer be easily dismissed.
I also loved all the character actors chosen for “Cowboys & Aliens” as their performances give this film an authenticity to its setting without being held prisoner to it. Clancy Brown, a long way from his “Highlander” and “Pet Sematary 2” days, is excellent as the preacher Meacham. Now this isn’t your fire breathing preacher with flames coming out of his nostrils, but a plain spoken man who speaks of God’s will without shoving it down your throat in condescending fashion.
It’s also great to see Sam Rockwell here as the saloon owner Doc. In many ways, this character could have been the gutless wimp that inhabits you average western, but Rockwell inhabits his character with a subtle humanity, keeping him from turning into a walking cliché. No, his performance doesn’t quite reach the heights of his work in “Moon” or “Choke,” but big deal! Rockwell is a welcome presence here, proving once again he’s one of the best character actors out there right now.
Keith Carradine has been celebrating some anniversaries lately, be it “Trouble In Mind’s” 25th or “Southern Comfort’s” 30th, and its welcome fun to see him here as Sheriff John Taggart. Carradine’s one of the few actors I can think of who can play a sheriff and effectively keep him from becoming a bumbling idiot. Some actors just act the part, but Keith becomes it and makes you believe he’s an officer of the law not easily corrupted.
And there’s Paul Dano, the wonderful actor who memorably played the cowardly characters in “There Will Be Blood” and “Where The Wild Things Are” among other films. For a moment, it looked like he would break typecasting here as Dolarhyde’s son Percy, looking to instill fear in the town’s inhabitants so he can get his way. Of course, Craig’s insertion of his knee into Dano’s “Mr. Happy” area is a quick reminder that he’s still stuck in cowardly territory. But he’s still a wonderful actor who does strong work here.
The actors really do a lot to elevate “Cowboys & Aliens” above the overdone western and sci-fi movie it sadly is. Director Favreau doesn’t do a bad job here, and there are good action scenes to be had. But coming out of this movie, I realized there was nothing about it that exhilarated or enthralled me. There were even times I found myself getting bored, but I didn’t look at my watch though.
Also, there are too many scenes that foreshadow what will happen later on. When Col. Dolarhyde gives the young boy his knife, you know that he will eventually use it to kill at least one alien. When the moment came where he made use of the sharp instrument, I was saying to myself:
“What took you so damn long?!”
Then there’s Sam Rockwell’s character that spends a couple of scenes learning how to shoot a gun. Of course, he’s a horrible shot, but will he get his aim straight and true when it counts? Does a bear shit in the woods?
The money’s certainly up there on the screen in “Cowboys & Aliens,” and it’s clear that the filmmakers did not slack in this production. That it comes up short is frustrating because while the cast keeps it from seeming like an average action movie, the director is unable to do the same. There are far worse movies out there this summer, and this one will still appeal to many. Still, this could have been far better than what ended up on the screen. Darn!
The one big delight I got out of “Cowboys & Aliens” came after the end credits where they had the old advertisement about visiting Universal Studios. You know this one; it was featured at the end of “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers” among other movies. Seeing it put a smile on my face, but it would have been just perfect if the filmmakers snuck in that one line:
“Ask for Babs.”
* * ½ out of * * * *
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