A man named Jake

I had expected “Cowboys & Aliens” to be an entertaining turkey about drunken desperadoes fighting little green men from Neptune. In reality, the film is a surprisingly competent western/scyfy crossover. It begins as a typical western, with all the usual ingredients. Guns and guts are the law in the small town of Absolution, run by a sociopathic Civil War veteran and his handpicked sheriff. When the local despot's arrogant son shoots a deputy and is roughed up by a wanted gunfighter, we all expect the boys to gather at the OK Corral for a last stand-off.

Then, UFOs show up…

Surprisingly enough, the evil aliens and their space craft blend in perfectly with the Wild West universe, don't ask me how! Whoever made “Cowboys & Aliens” did it with an entirely straight face and got away with it. Indeed, there's less humor and one-liners in this flick than in most other Hollywood productions. I have seldom seen such a serious movie with such an impossible plot! I won't reveal all the plot twists, but they do include alien abductions, “missing time”, a lot of Apaches, a gold rush and a human who isn't what he/she seems to be…

“Cowboys & Aliens” will never beat Clint Eastwood alias Blondie, but it works pretty well as Friday night entertainment. I therefore give it the OK Corral rating, three stars!