COWBOYS & ALIENS Review
It's been said that jazz music and film Westerns are the two most singularly American forms of artistic expression to emerge from the twentieth century. In many ways, the history of the American Western reveals the history of America. (Not to get too academic in the middle of summer, but without this, there's precious little left to say about "Cowboys & Aliens".) This has been said many times before, and can be read about in great detail elsewhere. For our purposes here, the questions are merely these: What does the tone and concept of "Cowboys & Aliens" have to say about the country that birthed it, and on a greater level, what does this slate of unconventional Westerns say about the way that country currently sees itself? At the risk of being oblique, I'll leave the latter question - one that may essentially and ultimately answers itself - for you to further ponder. As for the former question, I'll get back to it in a moment. For now it's time to focus on Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford playing Old West dress-up!
For me, the casting of Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford together in a movie sounded first tantalizing, then kind of draggy. After all, outside of the Indiana Jones role, everyone knows Ford to be a total curmudgeon in recent decades. As for Craig, what he boasts in terms of aloof charm and cold presence he lacks in approachability and warmth. With these dour sourpusses at the forefront, how could "Cowboys & Aliens" possibly live up to the implied fun and frolic of the title? Answer: It doesn't. In fact, it doesn't even try. With "Cowboys & Aliens", Jon Favreau has made his heaviest film to date, intentionally stepping away from the comparatively lighter touch he'd brought to his previous work, including "Elf" and "Zathura". Favreau's films generally do not disappoint, even as they simultaneously do not overwhelm. And while I may be at odds with the scores of negative-leaning critics with whom I saw "Cowboys & Aliens", I have to say that the movie is consistent with the filmmaker's track record.
By the way, Craig and Ford are fine in the leads, respectively playing an Eastwood-style Man With No Name type, and a morally challenged town official. What, on an ordinary day in Hollywood Western land, may've amounted to an "Unforgiven"-style showdown (in terms of visuals, this film owes a strange amount to Eastwood's "Unforgiven") instead becomes a battle for survival, human against other worldly invaders. Due to the high tech nature of the aliens, this is a battle that the humans of the 1860s simply cannot win - no matter how many of them cast aside their now-petty differences (lawman vs. outlaw, cowboy vs. Indian, etc.) in order to collectively oppose the neon & metal warships. No, for that, they need a little help from above - far, far above. As is the case with many classic Westerns, "Cowboys & Aliens" wallows in a certain vague masculine ideology, defined by the glory of the individual against lawlessness and the terrain that must be conquered. The old foggie preacher-man in this movie goes on and on about how one must earn favor with the good Lord in order to receive his blessings. From my point of view, this rhetoric is entirely off base. "Cowboys & Aliens" may be telling lies, but there's also reason to suspect that it doesn't really believe any of them. To go any further would be a trip to spoilerviller, so since this is supposed to be a review and not an analysis, I'll jump off this thought train right now.
But here's another thought, one that won't spoil anything. Its not the notion of cowboys vs. aliens that kept this movie interesting to me. What kept it interesting was the nature of the insurmountable threat, and the sheer otherness of that threat. Intended or not, the metaphoric parallels to the headlines of today are eerily noteworthy. As "Cowboys & Aliens" arrives in theaters, the highest elected officials of the U.S. are gridlocked in a battle over the country's debt ceiling/budgetary crisis. Across the great pond, a madman in Norway has killed over 80 people in acts of random violence. The problems we face today can no longer be settled at the barrel of a six-shooter. They are insurmountable and almost impossible to fully comprehend. They can be arbitrary and sometimes sudden - much like a high tech alien invasion in the Old West would've been. Even as "Cowboys & Aliens" asks and answers (to varying degrees) questions about who the aliens are and what they want, there of course remains more questions of just how responsible the individual people are for what is happening. Greed, insecurities, and misplaced attachments are the bullet points the new Wanted poster.
"Cowboys & Aliens" isn't nearly as sober as all of this, although it is more sober than one would ever expect from a summer blockbuster, particularly one with that title. The aliens are appropriately scary - much scarier than whatever that thing was in "Super 8", back in June. Likewise, the cowboys are appropriately gruff and tough, as Craig and Ford both appear to having a lot of fun here. The supporting cast, featuring the all-around wondrous Olivia Wilde, as well as the talents of Paul Dano and Sam Rockwell, is terrific as well. Also noteworthy is Favreau's always-satisfying utilization of props and visual effects. His CGI doesn't look artificial the way most CGI tends to look. His alien metals have a cool scraped texture about them, even as they are adorned with blue neon.
As popcorn entertainment, "Cowboys & Aliens" is immediately forgettable. As science fiction, it's negligible. As a Jon Favreau film, it's a competently made deviation into darker territory. As a Western, it works most thoroughly. And in today's world, that may be the most unconventional aspect of all.
- Jim Tudor
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