SimilarScreen
The Cowboys

The Cowboys

All they wanted was their chance to be men... and he gave it to them.

19727.12h 14m

Overview

When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage, however, neither he nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.

Directed by Mark Rydell
Written by Irving Ravetch, William Dale Jennings, Harriet Frank Jr.
Produced by Mark Rydell
Box OfficeBudget: $6.0MRevenue: $7.5M

Top Cast

John Wayne

John Wayne

Wil Andersen

Roscoe Lee Browne

Roscoe Lee Browne

Jebediah Nightlinger

Bruce Dern

Bruce Dern

Long Hair

Colleen Dewhurst

Colleen Dewhurst

Kate

Alfred Barker Jr.

Alfred Barker Jr.

Cowboy Fats

Nicolas Beauvy

Nicolas Beauvy

Cowboy Dan

Steve Benedict

Steve Benedict

Cowboy Steve

Robert Carradine

Robert Carradine

Cowboy Slim Honeycutt

Norman Howell

Norman Howell

Cowboy Weedy

Stephen R. Hudis

Stephen R. Hudis

Cowboy Charlie Schwartz

Themes & Keywords

based on novel or bookmontanaranchbeefcattle driveunderage drinkinggun battlecattleschoolboycattlemancattle rustlingkids on their owncattle stampede

About The Cowboys

The Cowboys is a western, adventure, drama, action film released in 1972 exploring themes of based on novel or book, montana, ranch, beef, cattle drive, underage drinking. Directed by Mark Rydell, it stars John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern. When his cattlemen abandon him for the gold fields, rancher Wil Andersen is forced to take on a collection of young boys as his cowboys in order to get his herd to market in time to avoid financial disaster. The boys learn to do a man's job under Andersen's tutelage, however, neither he nor the boys know that a gang of cattle thieves is stalking them.

Movies Similar to The Cowboys

Discover titles like The Cowboys — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to The Cowboys

If you enjoyed The Cowboys, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of The Cowboys.

Chisum
27% Match

Chisum(1970)

Movie6.7/10

Cattle baron John Chisum joins forces with Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett to fight the Lincoln County Land War in the New Mexico Territory of 1878.

Old Yeller
25% Match

Old Yeller(1957)

Movie6.9/10

Young Travis Coates is left to take care of the family ranch with his mother and younger brother while his father goes off on a cattle drive in the 1860s. When a yellow mongrel comes for an uninvited stay with the family, Travis reluctantly adopts the dog.

Jeremiah Johnson
23% Match

A mountain man who wishes to live the life of a hermit becomes the unwilling object of a long vendetta by Indians when he proves to be the match of their warriors in one-on-one combat on the early frontier.

The Big Country
23% Match

Retired wealthy sea captain Jim McKay arrives in the Old West, where he becomes embroiled in a feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannasseys over a valuable patch of land.

The Way West
23% Match

In the mid-19th century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western US. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy.

The Far Country
23% Match

During the Klondike Gold Rush, a misanthropic cattle driver and his talkative elderly partner run afoul of the law in Alaska and are forced to work for a saloon owner to take her supplies into a newly booming but lawless Candian town.

Cowboy
22% Match

Cowboy(1958)

Movie6.3/10

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...

Shane
22% Match

Shane(1953)

Movie7.3/10

A weary gunfighter attempts to settle down with a homestead family, but a smouldering settler and rancher conflict forces him to act.

The White Buffalo
22% Match

In this strange western version of Moby Dick, Wild Bill Hickok hunts a white buffalo he has seen in a dream. Hickok moves through a variety of uniquely authentic western locations - dim, filthy, makeshift taverns; freezing, slaughterhouse-like frontier towns and beautifully desolate high country - before improbably teaming up with a young Crazy Horse to pursue the creature.

Red River
22% Match

Red River(1948)

Movie7.3/10

Following the Civil War, headstrong rancher Thomas Dunson decides to lead a perilous cattle drive from Texas to Missouri. During the exhausting journey, his persistence becomes tyrannical in the eyes of Matthew Garth, his adopted son and protégé.

Alvarez Kelly
21% Match

In 1864, during the American Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until unexpected circumstances force him to change his customers.

Rooster Cogburn
21% Match

After a band of drunken thugs overruns a small Indian Nation town, killing Reverend Goodnight and raping the women folk, Eula Goodnight enlists the aid of US Marshal Cogburn to hunt them down and bring her father's killers to justice.