(7.5/10) Along with the Shootist, ranks as the best of the latter day John Wayne films. After his Oscar win in True Grit wrapped up his legacy as an American icon, his dozen or so films he did afterwards were more celebratory to his career as a whole. The theme of passing the torch to a younger generation is echoes in The Cowboys, and is a welcomed change to the typical Duke Western. Roscoe Lee Browne has an extremely memorable performance as the chef, and the Cowboys themselves were charming including the debut performance by Robert Carradine. Bruce Dern has never really impressed me, but he does a great job portraying the film's villainous coward. Director Mark Rydell did a fine job, but would have liked to see a marque director at the helm. Loved the ending and the movie in general.
Review of The Cowboys
