The Cowboys (1972)

I hadn't meant to watch this so soon after my last '70s western. But when I read the Netflix jacket, the timing seemed vaguely appropriate: chasing a controversial western that John Wayne hated with Wayne's most controversial western from late in his career.

The title may sound generic for the genre, but the emphasis is on the last syllable: In the 1870s, when gold fever has taken all the usual local candidates for drovers out of the running, Wil Andersen (Wayne) resorts to recruiting 11 boys no older than 15 to help him drive cattle 400 miles. Yes, their parents approve. The only other adult on the journey is the cook, Jeb Nightlinger (Roscoe Lee Browne). Some other adults do offer their services, but Andersen rejects them for their initial dishonesty regarding their background. Those men, led by one Asa Watts (Bruce Dern in a well-done yet surprisingly reviled role), decide to stalk the party in the hope of rustling.

You can guess why this was controversial. Andersen works the boys as hard as he used to work men, but I wouldn't call him abusive until he chews one (Sean Kelly) out for stuttering at an important moment. The fact that the stutter clears up afterward may send an unhelpful message. More troubling is the fact that, as in nearly all westerns, not everyone comes out alive. There are ways kids shouldn't "grow up fast." Some contemporary viewers drew a parallel to the Vietnam War draft, but that's a stretch: These kids volunteered and are never instructed to engage in violence. Indeed, one of the first things Andersen does is lock their weapons in a trunk, hoping they won't need any.

Other aspects make me think that a PG-13 rating would have been appropriate if it existed at the time. There's more swearing than I anticipated, and one scene involves implied prostitutes beckoning to some of the older boys. Thankfully, that particular line is never crossed.

I can't say that most of the boys have distinct personalities. The main standout is the eldest, Cimarron (A Martinez), who has no known father, no last name, and no schooling. What he does have are excellent relevant skills, but his roughness toward the others keeps him out of employment for a while.

The most interesting character is probably Andersen, unless you're sick and tired of the perennial Wayne type. At least this time, he doesn't seem impossibly competent. That said, Nightlinger may give him a run for his money, adding a bit of color in more than one sense. I'm afraid you'll hear the N-word, and not just from haters, but he treats no one as a superior. Even inches from death, he shows no fear and is a force to be reckoned with.

The 131 minutes include a prelude and entr'acte, but I don't recommend skipping, because the score comes from John Williams, back before he tried his hand at a space western. It has something of a Magnificent Seven sound, with a little extra energy.

If you accept, for the nonce, the idea that early teens if not tweens are ready enough for the job, then TC is actually pretty sweet. Just don't take any lessons from it, historical or otherwise.