Cowboys & Aliens

A sunbaked Western that's unceremoniously crashed by aggressive extraterrestrials, Cowboys & Aliens shouldn't work, but it does. Director Jon Favreau conveys the story in a steady, no-nonsense manner, rescuing the movie, loosely based on the graphic novel of the same name, from potentially clunky mash-up territory. Elevating the proceedings is the well-selected cast, which includes Daniel Craig as sullen outlaw Jake Lonergan, Harrison Ford as supremely cranky rancher Woodrow Dolarhyde, and Olivia Wilde as enigmatic beauty Ella Swenson. When Lonergan awakens in the middle of the arid wilderness with very little memory and a piece of distinctly non-Western technology around his wrist, it's not long before he has to deal with a number of adversaries, both human and otherwise. Impressively, Craig dons a cowboy hat nearly as well as he fits into Bond's tailored suits, and Ford proves equally at ease in the Old West. While Craig and Ford whittle away at their own entertaining takes on surly men of few words, the ensemble also features fine supporting players, most notably Sam Rockwell as an insecure town doctor/barkeep. With its terse rivalries, suspenseful sucker-punches, and big battles, Cowboys & Aliens isn't going for originality, but it sure is fun.