The Cowboy Way (1994) Universal/Action-Comedy RT: 108 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, violence, comic sensuality) Director: Gregg Champion Screenplay: Rob Thompson Music: David Newman Cinematography: Dean Semler Release date: June 3, 1994 (US) Cast: Woody Harrelson, Keifer Sutherland, Dylan McDermott, Ernie Hudson, Cara Buono, Marg Helgenberger, Tomas Milian, Luis Guzman, Angel Caban, Matthew Cowles, Joaquin Martinez, Kristin Baer, Christian Aubert, Emmanuel Xuereb, Francie Swift. Box Office: $20.2M (US)
Rating: ***
CINEMATIC MATH EQUATION: (Crocodile Dundee x 2) + 48 Hrs. + Midnight Cowboy = The Cowboy Way
The action-comedy The Cowboy Way isn’t just formulaic. It’s a combination of several formulas- i.e. fish out of water, buddy comedy, mismatched partners, etc. It isn’t terribly original nor is it put together in a way that makes it seem fresh. The plot and situations are fairly routine. Yet somehow it works (kind of). I had a great deal of fun watching The Cowboy Way. It takes a little while to kick into full gear, but once it does it’s an enjoyable ride.
Two cowboys from New Mexico, Sonny (Sutherland, The Lost Boys) and Pepper (Harrelson, White Men Can’t Jump), go to New York to find their friend Nacho (Martinez, Who’ll Stop the Rain) who disappeared after he went to pay the man, John Stark (McDermott, The Practice), who helped smuggle his daughter Teresa (Buono, 1992’s Gladiator) out of Cuba. Lifelong best friends and rodeo champs, Sonny stopped speaking to Pepper after he failed to show up for the National Rodeo Finals the year before. Despite this, they head to the Big Apple together where they soon learn their friend has been murdered. The pair sets out to find Theresa and the ones responsible for their friend’s murder. This means setting aside their differences and working together.
As you can see, The Cowboy Way isn’t a whole lot different than the other buddy action-comedies that came before it. It has its flaws. The teaming of Harrelson and Sutherland isn’t exactly inspired. There isn’t a lot of magic between the two. They do, however, work well together. Harrelson is the stand out of the two with his goofy facial expressions and lack of social filter (he thinks nothing of emptying the stones from his boot on the front desk at the Waldorf). In one scene, he attends a fancy fashion party where he country dances with reckless abandon to En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind”. Sutherland is okay as the straight man of the pair. He’s the one who gets fed up with his old pal’s irresponsible behavior. McDermott barely makes an impression as the bad guy. On the other hand, Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) is great as the New York mounted cop who helps the guys. This particular cop, an admirer of Bill Pickett, a major black figure on the rodeo circuit in the late 19th century/early 20th century, secretly wants to be a cowboy. Hey, wish granted!
As an action movie, The Cowboy Way really kicks into gear at the end when Sonny and Pepper swipe a couple of police horses to pursue Stark through Manhattan and its congested traffic. Yes, a lasso comes into play. I’m willing to cut The Cowboy Way a lot of slack. It isn’t the greatest action-comedy I’ve ever seen, but I still enjoy it very much. It’s well made. It’s funny. It has a high likability factor. Director Gregg Champion (Short Time) handles the material well. It’s a tad on the long side but I don’t really mind in this case. The Cowboy Way has an easygoing way about it. It’s ideal viewing for dull weeknight when there’s nothing but reruns and reality shows on. Even if it’s a prime example of been there-done that, it still beats the hell out of whatever the Kardashians are up to.
