Red River

In Red River, we see two main male figures, Matt and Dunson. In the beginning of the film, Dunson is clearly marked as the alpha male. However, as the film goes on, this title is questioned. Matt, who began the story, as a strong boy, ends the movie by becoming a strong alpha male. The presence of two alpha males seems new for a western film, but by looking at the actions of Dunson and Matt, it is clear that they both have the skill, ruthlessness, and grit for the title.
The film starts out with Dunson breaking away from the wagon train, leaving his love, and starting a new life. It is clear from the moment that he kills one of the two Mexicans who say the land belongs to their boss that he is both dangerous, and a man to respect. While running the wagon train, he shows the ruthlessness that Matheson describes as making a cowboy hardboiled. Dunson drives his men hard, kills anyone who disobeys him, and embodies the ruthless environment that he lives in. All these things make him the stereotypical alpha male.
When looking at Matt, it is clear that he does not start off as the alpha male. While he does have the talent, shown by him drawing faster than Dunson, he still plays a back seat to him. While he often doesn’t agree with everything Dunson is doing, it is clear that he is not willing to challenge him. Eventually, this starts to change. As the men become more and more restless, and rebelling against Dunson starts to quell up, Matt is forced from the alpha male’ apprentice to the role as the new alpha male. In the starting parts of the film, Matt was shown to be a hard cowboy, but never truly ruthless. This changes when Matt takes over the cattle against Dunson’s wishes. Matt sends an injured Dunson away, and takes his cattle. Matt does this to make sure that the cattle safely get to a place where they can be sold. By committing this ruthless act, Matt shows that he is adapting to his environment, with the goal of surviving in mind. Matt must be ruthless, and this involves going against the man who raised him.