Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of western and sci-fi action and violence, some partial nudity and a brief crude reference
Cast: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano
Director: Jon Favreau
Like its title suggests, "Cowboys and Aliens" won't summon a whole lot of middle ground expectations. You'll either be compelled to see it or you won't. I was intrigued, as a premise like this seems a springboard to cheerful goofiness. Yet the movie didn't appear to be having the kind of fun I expected. The filmmakers don't seem in on their own joke.
As the story opens, we see a cowboy jolt awake in the barren New Mexico Territory desert. He brandishes no firearm, possesses no horse, and is minus a memory... but has acquired a flesh wound, seems to have inherited a knack for fisticuffs and sports a shiny bracelet of possible otherworldly origins which may or may not be a weapon. This is Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), a former outlaw whose only target now is his own recollection. He stumbles into a small mining town, receives medical attention from a local clergyman (Clancy Brown), befriends a kind but oddly curious barmaid (Olivia Wilde) while patronizing the local saloon run by a self-effacing proprietor (Sam Rockwell). When the sheriff (Keith Carradine) discovers that Lonergan is wanted, he arrests him.
Meanwhile, a former war hero-turned-cattle baron named Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) wants Lonergan for himself, both for stealing his gold and assaulting his perpetually-drunk, imbecilic son (Paul Dano). Just as Dolarhyde is about to seize his opportunity, a surge of bright lights shoots through the sky, attacks the unsuspecting onlookers, kidnaps several of the townspeople and flees into the pitch-black night. Shaken from the encounter, Dolarhyde now offers to work with Lonergan and other townfolk, as his son is one of the captured. They join forces, procure the assistance of rival outlaws and the local tribes, and set out to recover those lost.
While devoid of the kind of cinematic joy I had anticipated, the movie is nonetheless competently directed and does contain some strong elements. (I liked how the aliens attacked and secured their prey... not with a tractor beam, but a cable that shoots from their respective crafts and lassoes their target, as though roping cattle.) Other elements, however, fall short. The alien creatures themselves seem uninspired in appearance and despite a monstrous supporting cast, the team of screenwriters doesn't imbue them with a whole lot of endearing eccentricities. Many of the personalities are as barren as the landscape.
I have a bad feeling the filmmakers sat in their production meetings and asked the unfortunate question: "What might actually happen if a close encounter of this kind occurred?" I think that is the wrong approach for this type of movie. Director Jon Favreau seems wary of his own cognizance toward the concept's welcoming silliness. Someone like Gore Verbinski (the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, "Rango") would have had a field day with the idea. Favreau, a great director in his own right, appears more intent on remaining true to both the Western and the science-fiction genres than in simply playing up the requisite outlandishness. Remaining true is a noble endeavor, but one that runs counter to the gleeful exuberance a movie like this requires.
(Or let me put it to you this way: Favreau has said in interviews that he wanted to make a sci-fi "Unforgiven." I think I would have preferred a sci-fi "Silverado." Both Westerns were great, but the former reveled in its dark tone while the latter was open to being a little more fun.)
As for the cast, some fare better than others. Harrison Ford comes off the best, chewing the scenery with salivating acerbity as a bitter warrior who answers to no one after the government's perceived incompetence caused him to lose hundreds of men in the Civil War. Daniel Craig brings the same kind of taciturn approach as he did portraying James Bond. That method works for 007 and would have been terrific in a Sergio Leone Western, but this isn't a Sergio Leone Western. His reserved demeanor could have really benefited had the movie surrounded him with more interesting supporting players. And Olivia Wilde stays easy on the eyes while so obviously harboring a secret that it's a testament to obliviousness that she lasts two-thirds of the running time before finally being forced to spill what she knows.
As strict popcorn action entertainment, the movie more or less works, even if it does miss an opportunity to be something completely off the wall and memorable. The trailer, the premise, even the title promise a zany romp that the film itself falls just short of delivering. But the film is compentent enough and, despite a few slow spots, offers enough action to satisfy the summer movie crowd. If this seems like your kind of thing, by all means, have at it.
* * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
As the story opens, we see a cowboy jolt awake in the barren New Mexico Territory desert. He brandishes no firearm, possesses no horse, and is minus a memory... but has acquired a flesh wound, seems to have inherited a knack for fisticuffs and sports a shiny bracelet of possible otherworldly origins which may or may not be a weapon. This is Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig), a former outlaw whose only target now is his own recollection. He stumbles into a small mining town, receives medical attention from a local clergyman (Clancy Brown), befriends a kind but oddly curious barmaid (Olivia Wilde) while patronizing the local saloon run by a self-effacing proprietor (Sam Rockwell). When the sheriff (Keith Carradine) discovers that Lonergan is wanted, he arrests him.
Meanwhile, a former war hero-turned-cattle baron named Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) wants Lonergan for himself, both for stealing his gold and assaulting his perpetually-drunk, imbecilic son (Paul Dano). Just as Dolarhyde is about to seize his opportunity, a surge of bright lights shoots through the sky, attacks the unsuspecting onlookers, kidnaps several of the townspeople and flees into the pitch-black night. Shaken from the encounter, Dolarhyde now offers to work with Lonergan and other townfolk, as his son is one of the captured. They join forces, procure the assistance of rival outlaws and the local tribes, and set out to recover those lost.
While devoid of the kind of cinematic joy I had anticipated, the movie is nonetheless competently directed and does contain some strong elements. (I liked how the aliens attacked and secured their prey... not with a tractor beam, but a cable that shoots from their respective crafts and lassoes their target, as though roping cattle.) Other elements, however, fall short. The alien creatures themselves seem uninspired in appearance and despite a monstrous supporting cast, the team of screenwriters doesn't imbue them with a whole lot of endearing eccentricities. Many of the personalities are as barren as the landscape.
I have a bad feeling the filmmakers sat in their production meetings and asked the unfortunate question: "What might actually happen if a close encounter of this kind occurred?" I think that is the wrong approach for this type of movie. Director Jon Favreau seems wary of his own cognizance toward the concept's welcoming silliness. Someone like Gore Verbinski (the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, "Rango") would have had a field day with the idea. Favreau, a great director in his own right, appears more intent on remaining true to both the Western and the science-fiction genres than in simply playing up the requisite outlandishness. Remaining true is a noble endeavor, but one that runs counter to the gleeful exuberance a movie like this requires.
(Or let me put it to you this way: Favreau has said in interviews that he wanted to make a sci-fi "Unforgiven." I think I would have preferred a sci-fi "Silverado." Both Westerns were great, but the former reveled in its dark tone while the latter was open to being a little more fun.)
As for the cast, some fare better than others. Harrison Ford comes off the best, chewing the scenery with salivating acerbity as a bitter warrior who answers to no one after the government's perceived incompetence caused him to lose hundreds of men in the Civil War. Daniel Craig brings the same kind of taciturn approach as he did portraying James Bond. That method works for 007 and would have been terrific in a Sergio Leone Western, but this isn't a Sergio Leone Western. His reserved demeanor could have really benefited had the movie surrounded him with more interesting supporting players. And Olivia Wilde stays easy on the eyes while so obviously harboring a secret that it's a testament to obliviousness that she lasts two-thirds of the running time before finally being forced to spill what she knows.
As strict popcorn action entertainment, the movie more or less works, even if it does miss an opportunity to be something completely off the wall and memorable. The trailer, the premise, even the title promise a zany romp that the film itself falls just short of delivering. But the film is compentent enough and, despite a few slow spots, offers enough action to satisfy the summer movie crowd. If this seems like your kind of thing, by all means, have at it.
* * 1/2 out of * * * * stars
