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Cowboy

Cowboy

Western · 1958

Chicago hotel clerk Frank Harris dreams of life as a cowboy, and he gets his chance when, jilted by the father of the woman he loves, he joins Tom Reece and his cattle-driving outfit. Soon, though, the tenderfoot finds out life on the range is neither what he expected nor what he's been looking for...

Movie details

Cowboy

“THE REAL, TRUE STORY OF THE WEST!”

1958 Western 1h 32m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

Chicago hotel clerk Frank Harris dreams of life as a cowboy, and he gets his chance when, jilted by the father of the woman he loves, he joins Tom Reece and his cattle-driving outfit. Soon, though, the tenderfoot finds out life on the range is neither what he expected nor what he's been looking for...

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Cowboy?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Delmer Daves

Written by

Edmund H. North · Dalton Trumbo

Glenn Ford

Glenn Ford

Tom Reese

Jack Lemmon

Jack Lemmon

Frank Harris

Anna Kashfi

Anna Kashfi

Maria Vidal / Arriega

Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy

Doc Bender, Trailhand

Dick York

Dick York

Charlie, Trailhand

Víctor Manuel Mendoza

Víctor Manuel Mendoza

Paco Mendoza, Ramrod

Richard Jaeckel

Richard Jaeckel

Paul Curtis

Court is in session

Put Cowboy on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Patience is part of the point.”

Duration becomes texture. The film asks you to inhabit its world instead of merely processing its plot.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“A test of endurance, your honour.”

Stillness keeps submitting itself as meaning. At some point, contemplation needs something worth contemplating.