Where men are men, boys learn to be men, and the good guys always win

Over the weekend, I watched Cowboys & Aliens. If you haven’t seen the movie and plan to, you might want to stop reading now. :-)

For how much I wanted to see this movie with Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford on screen at the same time, I was hesitant to see it at the movie theater. So, I waited until I could order it on television. I was afraid I’d be disappointed. I didn’t want the alien part of Cowboys & Aliens to ruin my chance of seeing two men who had the potential to be the perfect cowboy.

I’m happy to say that I enjoyed the movie. Sure, the first 1/2 hour was long and drawn out. The flashbacks (that appeared to really be flashforwards because of the weird techno color they used) were hocky. But the movie picked up, and I’m happy to say that the cowboys stayed true to a western. There were certain things that made this a western for me.

- Harrison Ford spoke with a boy, and told him to “be a man”. Classic!


- There was a dog in the movie.


- There was a wanted man. 


- The cowboy saved the woman. Daniel Craig’s character risked his own life, then carried the injured woman, never giving up.


- Daniel Craig’s character stayed true to his woman who died, took the blame for her death, and remained the “lone” cowboy at the end of the movie…and riding off into the sunset.


- There were rustlers, a powerful cowboy who ruled the area, his henchmen, and at the end a turnaround from bad to good.


- The “Indians” came. The Native Americans banded with the cowboys.


- There was a holdup.


- By the end of the show, the world was going to change because the train was coming to the area.

All in all, Cowboys & Aliens left me remembering why I love cowboys. Where men are men, boys learn to be men, and the good guys always win.