Red River -- Matt C.

The story of Red River brings about the possible topic that maybe there are two alpha male cowboys in this movie. In the beginning, it is quite obvious to see that there is only one alpha male cowboy in the character Tom Dunson; however, by the end we see a shift between Dunson and his protege, Matt Garth, so that the line is blurred as to who is the true alpha male cowboy.

When the movie begins, Dunson is doing what alpha male cowboys do best, lead and work. He is a hard man who expects people to follow his commands the second he gives them. Dunson made himself the way a cowboy is supposed to be out in the West, as Sue Matheson puts it, "only the fittest, the strongest, and the most ruthless survive in the noir frontier" (Matheson 891). Soon though Fen, Dunson's love is killed by Native Americans driving the idea across the audience that because Dunson is the alpha male cowboy he is destined to be alone with only nature as his mistress. The death of his love does not stop Dunson from doing what is the right decision; he adopts Matt Garth toward his way of living and inevitably brings the dissolution of his own alpha male status and the transformation of Garth's cowboy status.

After years of working with Dunson, Garth has developed the same skill sets that Dunson has, being a leader and becoming able to draw a gun faster than anyone else. Yet, something still prevents Garth from becoming the true alpha male cowboy once and for all and that is the fact that he is still considered "soft". Rather than focusing on getting the task done on hand, he worries that all the men's feelings will become problematic. But when he mutinies against Tom and takes over control of the cattle drive we see a huge leap of independence from Matt and a desire to see the job done and everyone alive, or in other words following his own moral compass. When Matt goes back to face Dunson after all was said and done that's when he becomes the true alpha male cowboy because he stands up to Tom once and for all for doing what was the right choice. Matt knew that Tom wouldn't kill him after all they've been through and when he doesn't draw his weapon that's when he surpasses Tom. If Dunson had shot Matt right then and there then he would have been considered the alpha male cowboy again because he did what was necessary without worrying about other obstacles but because he didn't and Matt did do what was necessary to accomplish the goals Matt is considered the alpha male cowboy at the end.