* ActorAllusion: Creator/PaulDano [[Film/ThereWillBeBlood passes the hat]].
* AllStarCast: Creator/DanielCraig, Creator/HarrisonFord, Creator/OliviaWilde, Creator/SamRockwell, Creator/ClancyBrown, Keith Carradine.
* BoxOfficeBomb: Budget, $163 million. Box office, $100,240,551 (domestic), $174,822,325 (worldwide).
* CreatorKiller: The film put a nice dent in Creator/JonFavreau's career, but he would redeem himself in the tentpole film industry with the [[Film/TheJungleBook2016 remake]] of Walt Disney's Classic ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967'' in 5 years. In between those two films, he starred in and directed the low-budget ''Film/Chef2014'', which was met with a positive reception from critics.
* DuelingStarsMovie: Creator/HarrisonFord vs. Creator/DanielCraig. Franchise/IndianaJones vs. Film/JamesBond. 80's ActionHero vs. 00's ActionHero. One can only wonder how [[AwesomenessIsVolatile cinema screens don't catch fire]] when those two guys are in the same shot.
* ExecutiveMeddling: An averted example. Creator/DreamWorksSKG executives wanted the film to be shot in 3D, but Favreau refused since he wanted to shoot it in film and not be converted into 3D, and compared it to black-and-white films being colorized.
* FakeAmerican: Creator/DanielCraig is a Brit playing an American cowboy.
* GenreKiller: Eventually became this to the sci-fi/fantasy western with ''Film/TheLoneRanger'' (Creator/{{Disney}} almost canceled that movie when this one bombed) [[note]] Ironically, the [[Creator/DreamWorksAnimation other side of DreamWorks]] was a beneficiary for that movie due to becoming copyright holders to the ''Lone Ranger'' series a year before that film tanked [[/note]], sending it back to the grave that 1999's ''Film/WildWildWest'' dug for it.
* PlayingAgainstType:
** Creator/HarrisonFord is a SmallTownTyrant who rules the town with an iron fist.
** Also Creator/ClancyBrown, normally a villain actor, playing a "good guy" in a doctor encountered early in the film. It's one of only several of these types of roles he's done, with Captain Black from ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' [[note]](also Super Moose in the same series; this show also features a ShockAndAwe character who is a villain, Tchang Zu the Thunder Demon, whose voice sounds like Clancy Brown's voice for [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot3Warped Uka Uka somewhat]]; The Other Wiki credited the role to Creator/FrankWelker, but his name never showed up in the two episodes where Tchang Zu spoke) [[/note]], Sergeant Zim in ''Film/StarshipTroopers'' and Rayden [[note]] Another ShockAndAwe character like Tchang Zu, but a hero this time.[[/note]] in ''WesternAnimation/MortalKombatDefendersOfTheRealm'' [[note]] Also ironically, the lead actor from the ''Starship Troopers'' movie, Creator/CasperVanDien, became Johnny Cage in the second season of ''WebVideo/MortalKombatLegacy'' in 2013 [[/note]] being some of the few other good examples.
* SparedByTheCut: Most of the SpearCarrier posse members (mostly Dolarhyde ranch hands) decide to ScrewThisImOuttaHere offscreen after the aliens kill [[spoiler:Meacham]]. In the extended version, an alien attacks their camp and kills them instead.
* StarDerailingRole: The film did not do any good for actor Noah Ringer as a year before, he starred as Aang in ''Film/TheLastAirbender'', the film adaptation of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', which was disowned by longtime fans of the source material and the creators themselves. [[note]] That movie's also a Worst Picture UsefulNotes/GoldenRaspberryAward winner, the biggest career setback M. Night Shyamalan's ever received, a Stillborn movie trilogy, and dealt serious damage to the 3D movie, much to the dismay of the other [=DreamWorks=] run by Jeffrey Katzenberg, who ended their partnership with Paramount the year after ''Cowboys and Aliens'' hit theaters; it also helped ensure Viacom boss Philippe Dauman would exit Viacom on bad terms come 2016. [[/note]] As this film was a flop, he hasn't appeared in a film since.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Jake Lonergan was originally written as a former Union army gunslinger named Zeke Jackson with Creator/RobertDowneyJr playing the character. After Downey left, the character was rewritten after Creator/DanielCraig was cast.
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