Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Cowboys & Aliens is a 2011 American science fiction Western action thriller film directed by Jon Favreau, starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, and Noah Ringer. The film is based on the 2006 Platinum Studios graphic novel of the same name created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Set in the Southwestern United States in a retro-futuristic version of the 1870s, the film follows an amnesiac outlaw man named Jake Lonergan, a wealthy cattleman named Ford, and a mysterious traveler named Wilde who must ally to save a group of townspeople abducted by aliens.
The film follows Jake, Percy Dolarhyde, Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde, and other townsfolk as they fight against alien ships attacking the town. Jake’s bracelet transforms into a weapon, and he shoots down a ship, ending the attack. Meanwhile, Jake recalls being abducted with a woman named Alice and joins the posse to track an injured alien. They camp inside a capsized paddle wheel steamboat that the aliens dumped far from any large river.
By morning, most of the posse has deserted, and Jake’s former gang attacks the rest. Jake, who stole the gang’s loot after their last heist, attempts to retake control but is foiled. The aliens attack again and abduct Ella. Jake jumps aboard the ship and attacks the alien pilot, causing the ship to crash in a river. The pilot survives the crash and attacks Ella, fatally wounding her before Jake kills it with his wrist-blaster.
The Chiricahua Apache Native Americans capture the remaining posse of aliens, who blame them for the attacks. Ella, an alien from another race, reveals that the aliens are mining gold and abducting people to conduct experiments on them. They have superior weaponry and are stronger and more durable than humans. Ella claims that the previous attackers were scouts and that Jake holds the secret to the aliens’ whereabouts.
After taking medicine, Jake’s memory returns, and they plan to attack the alien base. Jake leaves to persuade his old gang to join the fight, while Dolarhyde takes command of the original group and the Apaches. After a ground battle, Jake and Ella board the ship and free the captives. Jake is captured, but Dolarhyde rescues him. Both men escape from the ship after killing the alien responsible for Alice’s death. Ella sacrifices herself by entering the ship’s core and turning Jake’s wrist weapon into a bomb, which detonates, obliterating the ship.
With the aliens gone, the rescued townsfolk begin remembering their pasts. Jake, still a wanted man, chooses to leave, and the sheriff and Dolarhyde claim he was killed in the invasion. The citizens intend to rebuild their town with the gold taken from the aliens.