With the cast firming up at the end of last week, details have started to come in about Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens.” Originally set to reteam the director with his “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr, the sci-fi western is now being toplined by Daniel Craig, with Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, Noah Ringer, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine and Clancy Brown also among the cast. As it happens, we’ve gotten hold of the script, to see what we can expect from the starry cast, and from one of next summer’s biggest potential blockbusters.
The script (dated August 2009), by J.J. Abrams cohorts Damon Lindelof (“Lost”), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (“Star Trek,” “Transformers”), is an adaptation of a 2006 comic book, although it started as a movie pitch, and has been in development for over a decade. As far as we can tell, however, there aren’t a lot of similarities between the version we’ve read and the comic book, or indeed previous script drafts, besides the concept. Spoilers follow, as ever.
After the title card “1870. The Arizona Territory,” and a pre-title sequence where a mysterious force devastates an Apache village, we’re introduced to our hero (Craig), known at this point only as “The Man In Black” (gosh, those “Lost” guys do like that name). Wounded, without any memory and with a mysterious steel bracelet clamped onto his arm, he’s basically the 19th century version of Jason Bourne, gunning down the first three people he meets, barely realizing what he’s doing.
Frankly, the part’s kind of a dour one, and it’s surprising that Downey Jr. was ever linked; although it might have benefited from some of the actor’s ad-libbing charm, it would have undercut the seriousness of the character. Even this draft, written months before Craig came on board, feels better suited to the “Casino Royale” star.
The picture then turns into a surprisingly faithful, sci-fi-free Western for the next twenty pages, as The Man In Black enters the town of Absolution, where he meets Meacham, the town’s preacher (possibly Clancy Brown’s part, although we’d bet on him playing something more villainous), who stitches him up. The town’s being menaced by local landowner Woodrow Dolarhyde (Ford), and his son Percy (the part we reckon Dano’s playing), who our hero takes on in a confrontation, earning him the respect of Sheriff Taggart (Carradine).
We’re also introduced to some of the town’s other inhabitants, permanent or passing through, including the Sheriff’s young son Emmett (Noah Ringer, the bald kid from “The Last Airbender”), the town doctor, imaginatively named Doc (Rockwell, in a part written for a 300 pound Mexican), his wife, bar-owner Maria, and the mysterious, new-in-town Ella (Wilde).
Without giving too much away, circumstances change quickly, and The Man In Black, who turns out to be called Jake Lonergan, is taken into custody by the Sheriff. Just as Dolarhyde Sr. rides into town with his posse to free his son, the town is attacked in the same manner as the Apache village from the opening, leaving scores of townfolk, including Maria, Percy and the Sheriff, in the clutches of an alien race. An awkward alliance is made between enemies, including Jake, Dolarhyde, Ella, Doc, and later, the Apaches, in order to track down the alien menace and rescue their loved ones.
As you might expect from writers who’ve worked with Abrams for most of the last few years, pretty much every character has a secret to hide, and there’s enough mystery to keep you interested along the way. It’s a brisk read, at 113 pages, without a lot of fat, and it should make for a pacy watch, particularly with Favreau at the helm. There’s also a couple of cracking action sequences, including a horse/alien speeder/train chase — if nothing else, the director should be able to shoot these with his eyes closed.
The characters are mostly well-drawn; while we found Jake a little bland as a hero, his relationship with Ella is an interesting one, Wilde’s character proving far more complex than just a love interest (we’re not sure the actress is up to the challenge, based on previous work, but we live in hope).
Best of all are the villains, who are given an uncommon amount of texture. Dolarhyde, in particular, is the best character Ford’s had to play in 25 years, sneeringly villainous in one scene, strangely sympathetic the next. Again, we just hope that the star raises his game accordingly (it’s also worth noting that the official synopsis lists him as ‘Colonel Dolarhyde,’ so clearly more rewrites have taken place – hopefully the edges haven’t been smoothed off the character).
It’s well-versed in its Westerns too, with references to “The Searchers,” “Butch Cassidy” and Sergio Leone scattered throughout. It’s an enjoyable read, all in, and we’re sure the film’ll be good fun, but there’s something lacking in this draft. Whether it’s because of the familiar nature of its central character (can we please call a moratorium on amnesia in movies now?), or, as with “Iron Man 2,” that the script can’t decide if it’s a light, fun romp or a serious action picture, it’s not quite up there with the best of the blockbusters.
But we’re not worried and you shouldn’t be either, that’s what the redrafting process is for. We’re sure that the trio of writers are aware of the problems with this earlier draft and they have had almost a year to work on it, so presumably, it’s totally aces by now and the issues are solved. It’s certainly holds an awful lot more promise than “Wild Wild West” or “Jonah Hex,” with both of which it shares a certain surface similarity, but we’re pretty confident the end product will be miles better as much of the script quality is already there.