Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

This is an okay movie. In 1873 Arizona Territory, Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the desert injured, with no memory, and a strange metal shackle on his wrist. After killing three drifters who try to rob him, he takes their clothes, weapons and a horse. He wanders into the small town of Absolution, where the local preacher treats his wound. Sheriff Taggart recognizes the stranger as a wanted outlaw. Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) arrives and demands he be given custody of Jake for stealing his gold. During the standoff, alien craft begin attacking the town. Several men decide to go in search of the aliens’ hideout.

The film is based on the 2006 graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Ford had previously acted in three Western films: A Time for Killing (1967), Journey To Shiloh (1969) and The Frisco Kid (1979). The aliens were loosely based on the Anunnaki gods of Zecharia Sitchin's interpretation of the Babylonian religion, who have a distinct interest in gold. The heads of the aliens were based on those of sea turtles. The technological difference between the humans and aliens has been compared to the Europeans' advanced military technology against the Native American tribes. John Wayne's grandson Brendan appears as Charlie Lyle, deputy to the town's sheriff.