Cowboys and Aliens (2011)

This film starts out looking like any other classic Western Movie with sand ravaged cliffs and dry desolate land. A stranger (Daniel Craig) wakes alone in the hot desert sun, his body bloodied and bruised, but on his wrist, an iron shackle the likes of which no one has seen before. After a brief confrontation with a small group of hustlers, he gains a clean attire and a horse, and rides into the small old mining town of Absolution. He walks into what appears to be a vacant home and begins to clean himself when he gets surprised from behind by a man with a shotgun. A few questions later and it seems this stranger doesn’t know who he is, where he’s been or what has happened to him. Sensing no threat, the preacher man (Clancy Brown) lays him down and tends his wound. Outside, the silence is broken by gunfire as Percy Dolarhyde (Paul Dano) decides to have some fun bullying the local residents in the street. But Percy goes too far when he accidentally shoots a deputy while trying to intimidate the stranger, now sheriff Taggart (Keith Carradine) has to arrest and hold him for the federal marshal. It is in fact, the sheriff, who identifies the stranger as being Jake Lonergan, a fiercely known man wanted for many crimes including arson, robbery and even murder.

Meanwhile, over at the saloon, Jake walks in and meets Ella (Olivia Wilde). She is beautiful, and very interested in him and his unique iron wristband, she seems to know more about him, than he even knows of himself. Suddenly the saloon empties as sheriff Taggart calls out Jake’s name, there is a scuffle, but all it takes is a blow to the head, by Ella, to knock him out so the sheriff can lock him up in the jail. Now both he and Percy will await the federal marshal’s arrival. Later that evening, after the sheriff manages to gets both men loaded into the marshal’s wagon, Percy’s father, Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) rides into town with his ranch hands. He lays claim, accusing Jake of steeling his gold, and demands custody of both men. But there comes a lull before sheriff Taggart can reply as strange tiny lights appear on the dark horizon and begin to approach the town. Jake’s wristband comes to life with beeps and flashing lights of it’s own. And then blue light beams from above deliver flaming fire bombs and the dirt street begins to burn as people are being lassoed like cattle. Doc (Sam Rockwell) watches helplessly while his wife gets snatched up into the night sky and whisked away. Then the Colonel is next to feel the wrath as Percy gets snatched, next Emmet (Noah Ringer) freezes in horror as he watches his grandfather, sheriff Taggart, get drug out and snatched up. The town is defenseless against these invaders because bullets have no affect, but Jake ends this battle when he walks out into the street and uses his wristband to shoot one attacker out of the sky. The rest retreat as the lone ship crashes to the ground. Although clearly injured, the demon inside has survived and escaped and is a force to be reckoned with again, perhaps later in the daylight. Colonel Dolarhyde orders his hands to gather supplies and he announces his intention to track the demon at first light, and retrieve their abducted kin, he expects Jake to join his posse because his wristband is the only weapon that works against these creatures. But Jake declines, he wants nothing to do with Dolarhyde or any one else for that matter, so he disappears alone out into the darkness and sets off on his own quest.

But don’t worry! They all meet up again later out in the desert, where they run into Jake’s old heist gang, and even manage to stumble onto a band of Apache Indians, who agree to join forces to recover their lost family members as well.

OMG! I nearly choked at the boat scene, where Emmet thought the Alien had passed by, without seeing him. I could feel my heart race while they were face to face! And I cried watching Jake carry Ella across the hot desert, I knew she had died. And then again later, while Jake laid helpless in the sand watching the Indian throw her body into the fire. Holy Resurrection ! Opps, this is where I stop, you’ll simply have to watch to see the end!

AWESOME MOVIE!!