67
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisThe New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisUnfolding with a reticence that’s occasionally confusing, Les Cowboys presents a suggestive, almost abstract take on terror and the generational toxicity of bigotry.
- 80Village VoiceMichael NordineVillage VoiceMichael NordineThe strange, ever-changing result is, at times, as original as loose remakes come, with Bidegain using his hallowed source material as a springboard for something rare: a "writer's movie" that loses nothing in the jump from script to screen.
- 80Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangLos Angeles TimesJustin ChangIts strength lies in the way it continually collapses the distance between people and cultures, forcing its characters to reckon with what they perceive as strange and unfamiliar.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisSan Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisAn absorbing, multilayered story about the search for a French girl who goes missing with her Muslim boyfriend, starts in a very un-French way: with cowboys, horses, a Marlboro Man-like billboard and country-and-western music.
- 75Rolling StonePeter TraversRolling StonePeter TraversLes Cowboys pulls in with no intention of letting you go. It's a workout worth taking.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijThe Hollywood ReporterBoyd van HoeijUnlike the films he’s co-written for Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust and Bone…), which often rely on Audiard’s stunning capacity to foreground grand emotional sweeps, this is a much more constructed narrative that could only be described as a writer’s film, though one with several pleasant — if shocking is your idea of pleasant, that is — surprises up its sleeve.
- 67The Film StageNick NewmanThe Film StageNick NewmanWill it change my consideration of European-Islamic relations? No. Have I thought about its moral quandaries in the days since seeing this film? More than most others, at least. Does Les Cowboys create an itch to again see The Searchers? Absolutely — and that alone is a fairly strong end result.
- 60TheWrapRobert AbeleTheWrapRobert AbeleThough Bidegain’s effort has its moments, it never gels into a cohesive, intimate-yet-expansive whole.
- 42The PlaylistOliver LytteltonThe PlaylistOliver LytteltonBidegain certainly scores points for ambition with his first film, and in scenes or snippets...you can see what he was aiming for. Unfortunately, by the time it’s done, Les Cowboys feels like a missed opportunity.
- 12Slant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneSlant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneNever content to suffice as a mediocre thriller, Les Cowboys is a wellspring of embarrassment for all parties involved.