NH Red River

In the film Red River, Tom Dunson plays the character of the alpha male cowboy. As the movie begins it is quite clear that Dunson is the alpha male cowboy. He murders people who get in his way without any hesitation and he is clearly the man calling the shots. As the movie carries on and Dunson gets older, the young man he once took under his wing, Matt, is beginning to emerge as an alpha-male cowboy.

As Matt's new possible emergence as an alpha-male cowboy is on the rise, it appears that Dunsons is falling quickly. On the wagon ride to Missourri Dunson loses control of his men multiple times and eventually loses complete control of his own journey. Dunson losing control of the wagon to Matt is a clear representation of Dunson being old and washed up. An alpha-male cowboy never lets his surroundings affect him for the worst, they always embrace the land and take full control of every situation.

"In the traditional western, men domesticate and regulate nature, and if they are not careful, they too are domesticated and regulated by the agents of civilization: lawmen, ministers, town sheriffs and especially women(Matheson, 902)." In this case, Matt and Dunson were domesticated by Ms. Millay. At the peak of Matt entering his opportunity to become an alpha-male cowboy he falls in love with Ms. Millay. He let his emotions for a woman take him over which is one thing that we never see a true alpha male cowboy do. Also, in the final scene of the movie, when Matt and Dunson fight after Dunson shoots at Matt and punches him twice, they both stop when Ms.Millay talks some "sense" into them. For this reason I feel that neither of these men are alpha-male cowboys by the end of this film. Although Dunson was surely one when he was younger before he settled down on his ranch, he is no longer. Listening to the advice of a woman is the ultimate characteristic that an alpha-male cowboy lacks, and I'm sure that Matheson would agree that this is definitely the softer side of John Wayne that we see at the end of Red River.