Cowboys & Aliens

44%

Tomatometer

259 Reviews

43%

Audience Score

100,000+ Ratings

Bearing a mysterious metal shackle on his wrist, an amnesiac gunslinger (Daniel Craig) wanders into a frontier town called Absolution. He quickly finds that strangers are unwelcome, and no one does anything without the approval of tyrannical Col. Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). But when Absolution faces a threat from beyond Earth, the stranger finds that he is its only hope of salvation. He unites townspeople, outlaws and Apache warriors against the alien forces in an epic battle for survival.

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Cowboys & Aliens

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Critics Consensus

Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are as dependably appealing as ever, but they're let down by director Jon Favreau's inability to smooth Cowboys & Aliens' jarring tonal shifts.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

From the cool special effects, to its top-notch acting and wickedly fun concept, Cowboys and Aliens is just that film that you may in fact hate to love. But it is really enjoyable.

Rated: B+

Sep 8, 2017

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Roger Moore

Tribune News Service

Expensive, a misfire, but perfectly servicable for what it is

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 14, 2013

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

It must be said upfront that, for all its problems and script deficiencies, Cowboys & Aliens is probably the most continually entertaining effort of director Jon Favreau's still relatively young career.

Rated: 2.5/4

Jan 27, 2012

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Bill Newcott

AARP Movies for Grownups

If Sam Peckinpah had made Close Encounters of the Third Kind...(or)...if Steven Spielberg ...had directed The Wild Bunch, I could imagine it turning out a lot like this.

Rated: 4/5

Apr 1, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

The film serves up a serious-minded genre experiment that works, despite some lingering feelings of disappointment for its lack of raw, popcorn-munching silliness.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 9, 2023

Full Review

Martín Rodríguez

En Filme

If you're into action movies in which a hero overcomes multiple difficulties in spite of his tumultuous past, then Cowboys & Aliens is for you... [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Feb 1, 2023

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

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Audience Member I tried to like this movie but every 15 minutes something dumb happened. Plus the scale of the battles scenes are extremely inconsistent . Anyway it's a lousy movie not the worst ever but certainly not a good movie. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/23/24 Full Review Mary G It was very strange. I tend to have to finish what I start with books and movies, even if they aren't so great. I also thought that the introduction and treatment of the indigenous people was questionable. The message of cooperation across different groups in the face of a common enemy was pretty heavy-handed. Nonetheless, I am a sucker for aliens and special effects. Certainly I will not watch it again. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/24 Full Review Terry H For a strange premise it was a surprisingly entertaining, fun watch. Would love to see Daniel Craig in other Westerns. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/30/24 Full Review Jeff C GREAT MOVIE to SEE: "Cowboys & Aliens"(2011,PG-13)! (I saw it many times the last years, and I just saw it tonight on TV[channel 12(KNVA1,"The Austin CW")] at (7:00-9:00)pm(CT) on Saturday November 04, 2023; [and before(in Austin, Texas(TX)), I saw it, at GREAT movies places named: "Alamo Drafthouse Cinema"]! (I wrote my latest comments here at 10:04pm(CT) Saturday November 04, 2023.) Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/05/23 Full Review Rea K I thought this movie was fantastic. Great storyline. Amazing actors.An I really feel in love with all the characters. The ending was really good. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/14/23 Full Review Craig S One of our favorites.Pure fantasy, but a real fun ride. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Cowboys & Aliens

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Cast & Crew

Jon Favreau Director Daniel Craig Jake Lonergan Harrison Ford Woodrow Dolarhyde Olivia Wilde Ella Swenson Sam Rockwell Doc Adam Beach Nat Colorado

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Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens: Official Clip - We Got One