The Cowboy Way * (1994, Woody Harrelson, Kiefer Sutherland, Dylan McDermott, Ernie Hudson, Cara Buono, Marg Helgenberger, Tomas Milian, Luis Guzmán) – Classic Movie Review 11,533

Director Gregg Champion’s unreal, drossy 1994 American action comedy thriller The Cowboy Way stars Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland as Pepper Lewis and Sonny Gilstrap, a couple of modern-day cowboy best buddies up from New Mexico to help out their missing Mexican buddy Nacho Salazar (Joaquin Martinez) and his illegal immigrant daughter Teresa Salazar (Cara Buono) in New York City.

Harrelson has got a semi-secure handle on the comedy part, but Sutherland is totally lacklustre as the serious half of the bickering buddy team. The comedy about hick manners shocking New Yorkers is stale and flat, and the thriller element with Dylan McDermott as the bad guy John Stark killing for a mere $5,000 and with Ernie Hudson as nice cop Officer Sam ‘Mad Dog’ Shaw continually helping the lads out of trouble lacks credibility and excitement.

The naff script by Bill Wittliff is to blame, looking like a series of concept scenes uneasily linked into a narrative rather than a coherent story. The two lads pinching police horses to chase a subway train is a good enough idea capably executed, but it produces no frisson except the thought that here is a group of hard-working professionals going through the motions.

The realistic settings, tough tone and intriguing New York sleazy locations should help, but they only set up a conflict with the absurdly unrealistic fantasy of the story.

There’s a good cast in support: Tomas Milian as Manny Huerta, Marg Helgenberger as Margarette, Travis Tritt in a cameo appearance, Luis Guzmán as Chango, Allison Janney as NYPD Computer Operator, Angel Caban as Boca, Matthew Cowles as Pop Fly, and Christopher Durang.

Music by David Newman and songs by Bon Jovi.

Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,533

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