Few things tickle an audience more than a good fish-out-of-water story. It can be as straightforward as something like Beverly Hills Cop or as high-concept as Back to the Future. With the right performers and the right script, nearly any situation can be churned into gold. In the case of the 1994 comedy The Cowboy Way, the film had the right performers but may have been slightly lacking in the script department. Woody Harrelson was already a known entity with many seasons of Cheers under his belt and parts in various features like Doc Hollywood in his cap. Kiefer Sutherland may have been a few years away from becoming Jack Bauer on 24, but the love for works such as The Lost Boys and Young Guns was real. The two of them together was inspired casting, but the script from Rob Thompson never rose to the level of their talent. Audiences apparently agreed, as this one was a bit of a money loser for Universal. Nevertheless, with a new release afoot it is time to see if there is any hidden charm to this film.
Cowboys Pepper Lewis (Woody Harrelson) and Sonny Gilstrap (Kiefer Sutherland) are lifelong friends residing in New Mexico who happen to be in a bit of a rough patch. Sonny resents Pepper for missing a big event that could have secured him the money to finally buy the ranch of his dreams. Pepper will only say that he had his reasons for missing, but the conversation never goes much further than this. The friendly feuding does not last too long once their friend Nacho (Joaquín Martínez) reveals that his daughter Teresa (Cara Buono) is being held for ransom in New York City. Being the noble cowboys that they are, they head to The Big Apple in hopes of finding Teresa and setting everything right for their friend. Maybe along the way they could even remember why they were friends in the first place and grow back together?
While not incredibly consistent, there are some decent attempts at humor in the film stemming from the culture-shock aspect of the story. The shock is not really for them, though, as it is New York City that has to reckon with their ole, dusty ways that at best seems uncouth. Most of the gags are fairly predictable but land thanks to the hilarious intensity of Woody Harrelson. Pepper is a character who gets to have a lot of fun due to his impulsive nature which gets him into hot water with criminals and steamy situations with the ladies. Harrelson makes a meal out of this at every turn which helps even out the rather dull character of Sonny. Sutherland does the most with this character who does not have much personality outside of having a stoic nobility and is not afraid to get into a scrape if need be. Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story) is great at inhabiting the jerk, which makes him very effective in the lead antagonist role that is the definition of one-note. Outside of Harrelson, the best performance in the film may be from Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters) as a police officer who helps the guys while they are in the city.
If you take one glance at the plot description, you are likely to have a good sense of what will go down throughout the film – and you will very likely be correct. This is not a film meant to be incredibly surprising; The Cowboy Way is simply a solidly crafted comedy that lacks originality but remains entertaining enough to pass the time. There are some moments that stand out more than others, such as a cringeworthy sexual role-playing dynamic between Pepper and his wife that brings race into the picture. There are also plot holes that you could drive a truck through if you wanted to (let’s just say that our main characters would probably be in jail for murder by the end if things were realistic). Yet here we are, laughing at the easy jokes and generally not hating the time being spent viewing this. The Cowboy Way is no great work of art, but thanks to the performances it works enough to get the job done.
Video Quality
The Cowboy Way gets somewhat of an upgrade to Blu-Ray courtesy of Mill Creek Entertainment, but with it comes many issues baked into this particular master. The transfer is sourced from a flawed older master provided by Universal Pictures for its Blu-Ray debut. The biggest issue with this disc is not the occasional speck of damage to the print, but rather the ugly digital manipulation that plagues most of the film. The presentation is not the worst when it comes to textural detail, but facial details in particular struggle as the underlying transfer has been greatly smoothed over with digital tools. The resulting image loses much of the precise detail found in the beautiful photography. The colors are very bold but not exactly nuanced and pinpoint accurate to reality. Skin tones fair a bit better and mostly appear accurate, but the presentation offers up some fairly weak black levels. The disc experiences a significant amount of black crush that can be unsightly. Mill Creek Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray disc that is a step up from DVD, but not the massive improvement you might expect thanks to digital tinkering with the master. This could certainly use a fresh master.
Audio Quality
The film comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that is quite powerful and well balanced. Environmental effects play a substantial role in the film, and this track brings these elements to life quite splendidly. The use of the rear channels to create a fully enveloping New York City works quite well. The directionality is quite precise so sounds always present as natural when coming from their respective points. Dialogue mostly comes through crisp and clear with only a few moments when it gets overwhelmed by competing sounds. The movie can get quite lively and bombastic, but it does not always hold together with perfect fidelity. This movie is not an action powerhouse, but there are some kinetic moments and intense gunshots late in the film. Mill Creek Entertainment has delivered a solid track for a film that capably brings this journey to life.
Special Features
There are no special features included on this disc.
Final Thoughts
The Cowboy Way is a standard-issue forgettable comedy that works somewhat thanks to its star power but does not prove to have a long shelf life. Fans of Woody Harrelson and Kiefer Sutherland are likely to enjoy their effort to bring some fun to this picture, but even they will probably rank this no higher than “average.” Mill Creek Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray with an unremarkable A/V presentation and no special features. If you are willing to overlook glaring plot holes and love these performers, have fun checking out this bargain-priced disc.
The Cowboy Way is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Mill Creek Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
