MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Cowboys

The Cowboys

1972 · 134 min

A slow, sunbaked ride that turns boys into men, then hardens into a grim, satisfying tale of vengeance.

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

Search YouTube for the trailer

Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • earneststrength 3 of 3
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • coming-of-age
  • found family
  • grief
  • revenge
  • parenthood
Places
  • countryside
  • wilderness
  • road trip
Era
period
Audience
teen
Form
  • ensemble
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action6
Horror2
Humour3
Realism7
Romance1
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity4
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like The Cowboys

Movie

True Grit

2010

A gritty, lyrical Western that balances stark violence with wry humor and a poignant coming-of-age story.

Earnest, melancholic · about coming-of-age and grief

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • coming-of-age
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
110 min
Details In your watch list
True GritHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

News of the World

2020

A slow, dusty journey across a harsh frontier, anchored by a quiet bond that grows into something like family.

Earnest, warm · about found family and grief

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • found family
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
118 min
Details In your watch list
News of the WorldHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

True Grit

1969

A gritty, character-driven Western with a determined young heroine and a gruff marshal, balancing tense action with wry humor and emotional depth.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and revenge

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • revenge
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
128 min
Details In your watch list
True GritHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Seven Samurai

1954

A patient, deeply human epic that builds from quiet character moments to a thrilling, rain-soaked battle, leaving a bittersweet ache.

Earnest, melancholic · about found family and grief · ensemble

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • found family
  • grief
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
207 min
Details In your watch list
Seven SamuraiHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Wagon Master

1950

A gentle, communal wagon-train journey with folk warmth, quiet moral weight, and sudden bursts of menace.

Earnest, warm · about found family · ensemble

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • found family
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
86 min
Details In your watch list
Wagon MasterHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Red River

1948

A sweeping, rugged cattle-drive epic where stubborn loyalty curdles into a tense father-son standoff under wide Western skies.

Earnest, melancholic

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
133 min
Details In your watch list
Red RiverHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Stand by Me

1986

A warm, bittersweet nostalgia trip that balances boyish adventure with tender, painful lessons about friendship and loss.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and grief

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • grief
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
89 min
Details In your watch list
Stand by MeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hombre

1967

A taut, morally charged western that simmers with quiet resentment and builds to a grim, inevitable standoff.

Same writer: Irving Ravetch · Melancholic, tense

Also
Same writer: Irving Ravetch
Via
  • melancholic
  • tense
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details In your watch list
HombreHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Shane

1953

A solemn, wide-open western that moves quietly and aches with moral weight, building to a farewell that lingers.

Earnest, melancholic · about coming-of-age

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • coming-of-age
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
118 min
Details In your watch list
ShaneHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Sons of Katie Elder

1965

A warm, old-fashioned western that mixes brotherly banter with a somber quest for justice, easy to settle into.

Earnest, warm · about grief and revenge · ensemble

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • grief
  • revenge
  • ensemble
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
122 min
Details In your watch list
The Sons of Katie ElderHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Captains Courageous

1937

A stirring, heartfelt voyage that balances salty adventure with a tender, tear-jerking bond between a spoiled boy and a gentle fisherman.

Earnest, warm · about coming-of-age and found family

Via
  • earnest
  • warm
  • coming-of-age
  • found family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
115 min
Details In your watch list
Captains CourageousHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Once Upon a Time in the West

1968

A slow, operatic Western that builds tension through long silences and sweeping vistas, leaving a lingering sense of loss and inevitability.

Earnest, melancholic · about grief and revenge · ensemble

Via
  • earnest
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • revenge
  • ensemble
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
166 min
Details In your watch list
Once Upon a Time in the WestHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
western, adventure, drama, action
Directed by
Mark Rydell
Written by
Harriet Frank Jr., Irving Ravetch, William Dale Jennings
Starring
John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Colleen Dewhurst, Alfred Barker Jr., Nicolas Beauvy, Steve Benedict, Robert Carradine
Music
John Williams
Cinematography
Robert Surtees
Runtime
134 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.