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Title: Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Daniel Craig | ... | Jake Lonergan | |
| Abigail Spencer | ... | Alice | |
| Buck Taylor | ... | Wes Claiborne | |
| Matthew Taylor | ... | Luke Claiborne (as Matt Taylor) | |
 |
Cooper Taylor | ... | Mose Claiborne |
| Clancy Brown | ... | Meacham | |
| Paul Dano | ... | Percy Dolarhyde | |
| Chris Browning | ... | Jed Parker | |
| Adam Beach | ... | Nat Colorado | |
| Sam Rockwell | ... | Doc | |
| Ana de la Reguera | ... | Maria (as Ana De La Reguera) | |
| Noah Ringer | ... | Emmett Taggart | |
| Brian Duffy | ... | Deputy | |
| Olivia Wilde | ... | Ella Swenson | |
| Keith Carradine | ... | Sheriff John Taggart | |
The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. New Mexico Territory. A stranger with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a ... Written by Universal Pictures
Wow i enjoyed this, partially due to the negative reviews here on IMDb (thanks guys) and in part due to Harrison Ford clearly having more fun with a character than he has in a long time.
Its not a perfect film and there are questions that could be asked of some of the plot points, but the questions, such as they are, would require irrelevant exposition, which would only serve to hobble the pace of what is essentially a "Men (and Woman) on a mission" movie.
What really stands out for me were the scenes at the beginning of the film, Jon Favreau introduces the characters, locations and situations in such a manner that when the real threat manifests itself, despite the films title, it catches you as off guard as the characters are.
The cast are all great, some nice character work from Clancy Brown and Keith Carradine. Daniel Craig brings the stoic, no nonsense aspects of his Bond to Jake and as i said earlier Harrison Ford obviously relishes the role of Dolarhyde.
It reminds me of the films i used to enjoy about twenty years ago, that had lively pace, but were'nt frantic. The effects are special, but not overblown or overwhelming to the point where they become the focus thereby obviating any interest in the characters stories.
I don't want to talk about the story too much and spoil it, i'd just urge you to go and watch it, because this movie is an honest attempt to try something a little different. Its not Superheroes, its not a TV show, its not a line of toys and its not cute animated whatevers. Its an unlikely, but successful fusion of two genres to produce a film with humour, drama, action and a refreshing amount of practical effects work. Give it a chance, i really was surprised how much i enjoyed it.