COWBOYS & ALIENS
DIRECTED BY JOHN FAVREAU
UNIVERSAL/ DREAMWORKS PICTURES
Information from IMDb
Plot Summary
The Old West.. where a lone cowboy leads an uprising against a terror from beyond our world. 1873. Arizona 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
Written by Universal Pictures
Full Cast
Daniel Craig ... Jake Lonergan
Harrison Ford ... Woodrow Dolarhyde
Abigail Spencer ... Alice
Buck Taylor ... Wes Claiborne
Olivia Wilde ... Ella Swenson
Sam Rockwell ... Doc
Matthew Taylor ... Luke Claiborne
Cooper Taylor ... Mose Claiborne
Clancy Brown ... Meacham
Paul Dano ... Percy Dolarhyde
Chris Browning ... Jed Parker
Adam Beach ... Nat Colorado
Ana de la Reguera ... Maria
Noah Ringer ... Emmett Taggart
Brian Duffy ... Deputy
Keith Carradine ... Sheriff John Taggart
Brendan Wayne ... Charlie Lyle
Gavin Grazer ... Ed
Toby Huss ... Roy Murphy
Wyatt Russell ... Little Mickey
Jimmy Jatho ... Saloon Patron
Kenny Call ... Greavey
Walton Goggins ... Hunt
Julio Cedillo ... Bronc (as Julio Cesar Cedillo)
Garret Noel ... Gang Member (as Garret James Noel)
David O'Hara ... Pat Dolan
Troy Gilbert ... Red
Chad Randall ... Bull McCade
Scout Schoenfeld Hendrickson ... Jake's Gang Member (as Scout Hendrickson)
Raoul Trujillo ... Black Knife
David Midthunder ... Apache Warrior 1
Moses Brings Plenty ... Apache Warrior 2
Phillip Pike ... Apache Singer
Calum Blaylock ... Apache Singer
Paul Ortega ... Medicine Man
David Chee ... Apache Dancer
Simon Choneska ... Apache Dancer
Nathaniel Chee ... Apache Dancer
Vonda Tso ... Apache Dancer
Lariat Geronimo ... Apache Dancer
Freddy Apache ... Apache Dancer
Oliver Enjady ... Apache Dancer
Hoyle Osborne ... Pianist
Rex Rideout ... Fiddler
Kelly Ruble ... Wealthy Man (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Roberto Orci (screenplay) &
Alex Kurtzman (screenplay) &
Damon Lindelof (screenplay) and
Mark Fergus (screenplay) &
Hawk Ostby (screenplay)
Mark Fergus (screen story) &
Hawk Ostby (screen story) and
Steve Oedekerk (screen story)
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg (Platinum Studios comic book)
Production Companies
Universal Pictures (presents)
DreamWorks Pictures (presents)
Reliance Entertainment (presents)
Relativity Media (in association with)
Imagine Entertainment
K/O Paper Products
Fairview Entertainment
Platinum Studios
Produced
Bobby Cohen .... executive producer
Jon Favreau .... executive producer
Daniel Forcey .... co-producer
Brian Grazer .... producer
Randy Greenberg .... executive producer
K.C. Hodenfield .... co-producer
Ron Howard .... producer
Karen Johnson .... associate producer
Ryan Kavanaugh .... executive producer
Alex Kurtzman .... producer
Damon Lindelof .... producer
Roberto Orci .... producer
Scott Mitchell Rosenberg .... producer
Steven Spielberg .... executive producer
Denis L. Stewart .... executive producer
Chris Wade .... co-producer
Original Music
Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography
Matthew Libatique
Trivia
Robert Downey Jr. was set to play Jake Lonergan, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.
Daniel Craig was chosen because of his distinct likeness to Yul Brynner, who starred in the cowboy epic The Magnificent Seven.
Daniel Craig recommended Eva Green for the role of Ella after working with her in Casino Royale. However, Eva turned the role down and Olivia Wilde was cast.
An early draft of the screenplay was written by Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer.
This is DreamWorks's third comic-book adaptation, after Road to Perdition and Over the Hedge.
The filmmakers cite Alien and Predator as an influence on the look of aliens in the film.
Screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman described the film as "Unforgiven with aliens landing."
Director Jon Favreau was constantly harassed with demands to shoot/convert the film in 3-D, but he held his ground, claiming Westerns should only be shot on film.
Steven Spielberg screened The Searchers and Close Encounters of the Third Kind for Roberto Orci and Jon Favreau so that they could get the atmosphere of the film.
Roberto Orci feels that the title, humorous as it may sound, will raise interest and put people off guard about the film, which will surprise them.
Harrison Ford wanted to go bareheaded in the film and not wear a hat (he is most famous for his performance in Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones films, where Jones wore a fedora), but since it was a Western film he was convinced to wear a hat. In American Graffiti , Harrison Ford was asked to cut his hair (to go bareheaded with a period haircut) for the film. He refused, stating that his role was too short, and offered to wear a hat instead.
Once again, with the involvement of Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford is cast opposite a James Bond, in this case, Daniel Craig. The last time was when he worked opposite Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Craig has also appeared in 'The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Daredevils of the Desert (1999)'.
In the final scene of the movie, a "Southland Ice Company" ice wagon is shown. Southland Ice Company is the predecessor company to 7-11 stores.
As with most films distributed by Universal Pictures, there is a brief promo after the end credits for Universal Studios. However, the promo used at the end of this movie uses the decidedly 1960s era ad to promote the Universal Studios back lot tour in Hollywood, California. This promo was replaced in 1990 when Universal Studios opened a second location in Orlando, Florida and changed its logo.
Goofs
Continuity: When Jake is at the bar pouring numerous shots of whiskey, his last one was poured without him drinking the previous shot therefore pouring it twice without drinking.
Revealing mistakes: In the opening scene, Jake tries to remove the bracelet by hitting it several times with a rock, but the rock never actually strikes the prop.
Plot holes: Ella tells Jake to remove the arm gun he only needs to clear his mind, but at no time when he was knocked unconscious did it slip off.
Revealing mistakes: The morning after the first alien attack, the posse follows the trail left by the alien which, according to the dialog, headed North. However, the early morning shadows cast by the sun on the the riders and their horses are on their right, which indicates that they're riding Southward.
Anachronisms: When dynamite is about to be lit they grab a matchbox made of cardboard, up until well into the 20th century (around the 1940s) matchboxes were made of wood.
Anachronisms: Nat Colorado mentions being found by Dollarhyde as a child after the Mexican American War, but he is also supposed to have grown up alongside Dollarhyde's son Percy and mentions as a child hearing stories of the Colonel's exploits at Antietam during the Civil War. The two wars are a decade and a half apart
Revealing mistakes: SPOILER: The three cowboys Lonergan meets after first waking up appear very dirty and sweaty, and all of their equipment is old and used. The cowboy hat he later takes from one of them is obviously new, as it doesn't appear dirty and doesn't have a sweat salt stain where it would rest on ones head.
Memorable Quotes
Filming Locations
Abiquiu, New Mexico, USA
Randsburg, California, USA
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Trailer