Cowboys & Aliens is a film about a man with no memory. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the Arizona desert in 1873 with a missing eye, a strange bracelet on his wrist, and no idea who he is. He is quickly captured by the local marshal, Woodrow Lane (Harrison Ford), who believes he is a wanted outlaw named Doc. Jake fights back and escapes, only to find himself pursued by both the marshal and a group of Native Americans led by Chief Orenda (Adam Beach).
It soon becomes clear that Jake is not alone. Aliens are coming, and they are kidnapping humans to feed their young. The bracelet Jake wears turns out to be a weapon, one that can summon lightning. The film spends its first half setting up this collision between the Old West and the alien threat.
Trailer, via cowboysandaliensfilm.
Jake’s Capture in the Desert
The story opens in 1873, in the Arizona desert. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up with no memory, a missing eye, and a strange bracelet on his wrist. He is quickly captured by the local marshal, Woodrow Lane (Harrison Ford), who believes he is a wanted outlaw named Doc. Jake fights back and escapes, only to find himself pursued by both the marshal and a group of Native Americans led by Chief Orenda (Adam Beach).
It soon becomes clear that Jake is not alone. Aliens are coming, and they are kidnapping humans to feed their young. The bracelet Jake wears turns out to be a weapon, one that can summon lightning. The film spends its first half setting up this collision between the Old West and the alien threat.
Craig Carries the Weight
Craig plays Jake with a weary intensity that grounds the film’s absurd premise. His performance is the best reason to sit through Cowboys & Aliens. He carries the physical comedy, the action set pieces, and the quiet moments of confusion with equal weight. Ford, as Lane, is more gruff than memorable. Their chemistry is fine, but it never reaches the heights of the films they made together before.
The supporting cast is decent. Sam Rockwell plays the comic relief as a cowardly deputy, and Olga Kurylenko shows up late as a scientist who helps Jake understand the aliens. Neither gets enough screen time to justify their presence.
The Tone Problem
The film’s biggest failure is its tone. It wants to be a gritty Western and a summer blockbuster. It ends up being a film that treats the aliens as a McGuffin and the frontier as a backdrop. The cowboys ride horses and shoot guns. The aliens fly spaceships and zap with energy beams. The two worlds never really connect.
Favreau directs with confidence, but his instincts are those of a studio filmmaker. He knows how to stage a big action sequence and how to frame a wide shot. What he does not know is how to make these two genres talk to each other. The result is a film that feels assembled rather than written.
The Action and the Slow Middle
The action sequences are the film’s strongest moments. A fight between Jake and a group of aliens in a cave is tense and well-choreographed. A chase across the desert involving horses and a steam train is a highlight. These scenes work because they commit to the material fully, even when the logic strains.
The middle of the film drags. Once Jake and Lane team up, the story slows to a crawl. There are too many shots of empty desert, too many conversations about honor and revenge, and too little forward momentum. The film’s climax, which involves Jake facing off against the alien queen, is rushed. It feels like a director cutting to the end credits early.
A Score Worth Watching
Cowboys & Aliens is a flawed film with a few strong scenes. Its ambition is admirable, but its execution is uneven. The performances are solid, the action is watchable, and the premise is genuinely silly in a fun way. But the film never coheres into a satisfying whole.
| Sequence | Quality |
|---|---|
| Opening capture | Strong setup |
| Cave fight | Best action |
| Desert chase | Fun |
| Mid-movie lull | Slow |
| Climax | Rushed |
The film is best enjoyed in small doses. The slow middle and the rushed finale keep it from being anything more than a curiosity.
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