They advised on the intricacies of the war dance and the singing of the song in the wiki-up when Jake takes medicine to remember who he is and what's happened to him. The men consulted on everything from the script to set, prop and costume design…down to the choice of horses for the Indians. The consultants offered their advice on everything from traditional American Indian ceremonies to local garb and wiki-ups-the thatched huts that Chiricahua women made from brush, leaves and rushes. Scott Rushforth, who consulted with producers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer on The Missing, and Enjady were invaluable resources to the production. The filmmakers knew that they wanted their interpretations to be respectful and authentic. For information about the Chiricahua, the team turned to New Mexico State University scholar Scott Rushforth and Oliver Enjady, an Apache from the Mescalero Apache reservation. Those who weren't killed were forcibly removed from their lands, and relocated or imprisoned on the other side of the country, where many of them perished.įor Cowboys & Aliens, the filmmakers wanted the representation of American Indians to be as historically and culturally accurate as possible. Nonetheless, under the leadership of Geronimo, this small group waged one of the most powerful resistances to the continued Mexican- and U.S.-led incursions into their land. The American Indians depicted in the story are Chiricahua Apache, who by 1886 numbered less than three-dozen men, women and children. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents-townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors-all in danger of annihilation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realises he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. It's a town that lives in fear.īut Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. Cowboys and Aliens Cast: Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde