Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

In 1873 Arizona, a man (Daniel Craig) awakens with no previous memory. When he arrives in the nearest town, he is arrested by the sheriff (Keith Carradine) for robbery and murder and put in jail. But when the town is suddenly attacked by alien spaceships which kidnap many of the town's citizens, the mysterious stranger becomes the town's only hope. Based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg and directed by Jon Favreau (IRON MAN). The high concept idea of combining a western with science fiction is tantalizing and one wonders why nobody ever thought of it before. The concept is rife with comic possibilities but although Favreau makes little use of them, at least he doesn't patronize the western genre. Of the actors, Harrison Ford gives a nicely etched character performance as a grizzled land baron by way of Walter Huston. There's a nice score by Harry Gregson-Williams that has to compete with the ear splitting sound effects. It's good fun but it never lives up to its potential. With Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Paul Dano, Adam Beach and Clancy Brown.