

The Cowboys
All they wanted was their chance to be men... and he gave it to them.
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.
TMDB
7.1/10
278 votes
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $6M
- Box office
- $7.5M
- Language
- English
- based on novel or book
- montana
- ranch
- beef
- cattle drive
- underage drinking
- gun battle
- cattle
- schoolboy
- cattleman
- cattle rustling
- kids on their own
Top billed cast















Behind the camera
Director
Music
Produced in
United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalPG13 Jan 1972
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical1126 Mar 1972
FranceFR
- TheatricalU22 Mar 1972
- TVArte29 Dec 2025
GermanyDE
- Theatrical1627 Jan 1972
IrelandIE
- Theatrical1214 Apr 1972
ItalyIT
- Theatrical26 Feb 1972
JapanJP
- TheatricalPG1229 Apr 1972
NetherlandsNL
- PhysicalALDVD26 Jul 2000
Frequently asked questions
The Cowboys was released on 13 January 1972.
Audience reviews
2- J8/10
John Chard
5/29/2019
The Breaking of Boys and the Making of Men. The Cowboys is directed by Mark Rydell and adapted from the novel written by William Dale Jennings; who co-writes the screenplay with Irving Ravetch & Harriet Frank Jr. It stars John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern and Colleen Dewhurst. John Williams scores the music and Robert Surtees is the cinematographer. Plot sees Wayne as tough cattleman Wil Andersen, who aft…
- C7/10
CinemaSerf
2/26/2025
“Anderson” (John Wayne) is left short-handed by a gold rush and with his herd to get to market has to resort to engaging the services of a class of school boys who are offered $50 each if they help out. None of those lads are much over fifteen and few have any experience wrangling, so it’s going to be a tough challenge. Fortunately the veteran “Nightlinger” (Roscoe Lee Brown) happens by and agrees to bring along his …
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