Based on a graphic novel and directed by Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau, Cowboys and Aliens is a weird mix of genres. And even if you’re not into the source material, the fact Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford star in this Western-ish alien film should put it on your radar.
The sci-fi action film also stars Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, Clancy Brown, Abigail Spencer, and Chris Browning. Ana de la Reguera, Noah Ringer, Keith Carradine, Toby Huss, Walton Goggins, David O’Hara, and Raoul Trujillo also star.
The PG-13-rated film opens in theaters on July 22, 2011.
Official Synopsis: 1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) 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, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents – townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws, and Apache warriors – all in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.
