RT Matheson

In Sue Matheson's article, The West-Hardboiled: Adaptations of Film Noir Elements, Existentialism, and Ethics in John Wayne's Westerns, she reflects her opinion on John Wayne westerns and film noir. In regards to John Wayne, Matheson explains, "he necessarily modernizes-and in some cases radically revises-the western with which he is popularly identified. As a result, the Westerns in which he appears transmit cultural information that calls for an understanding of that popular and radical art form, film noir. " Matheson pushes the idea that a "John Wayne western" is not a stereotypical western film. She pushes this notion through examples such as a scene from the film, The Searchers, where, "Horse and rider are not dwarfed by the land as so often happens in the traditional Western. Rather...they are part of the blood-colored landscapes." John Wayne is a man living amongst nature, unlike other westerns where this character may be portrayed as one in a constant battle against nature. Additionally, "In the traditional Western, men domesticate and regulate nature, and if they are not careful, they too are domesticated...In such movies, the rugged individualist conforms to civilized norms. In Wayne's West...the moral individualist is the norm." Matheson explains that while in a traditional western film the individual focuses too much on regulation and social norms, while in a Wayne film, the individual is the norm. John Wayne is the law and sets the social standards, unlike in a typical western where the individual focuses on previously set social norms. Matheson describes Wayne as one whose, "characters achieve their full human potential, living what may be considered a hardboiled, existential version of the good life, a life that is in its completeness is both admirable and desirable to others." Wayne often lives above the law, but his actions are motivated out of devotion to others with deep and sincere intentions. Simply put, "the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law".
Matheson also spends a long time describing the perfect Wayne character. He has to be able to "draw a gun faster then anyone else" and "only the fittest, the strongest, and the most ruthless survive in the noir frontier" this elaborates on their superior persona. Additionally, Matheson quotes Martin Pumphrey in Why Do Cowboys Wear Hats in the Bath?:Style Politics for the Older Man, which explains that the individual "may be dusty but not dirty. Their clothes may be worn but not greasy. They seldom sweat. Above all, they have always just shaved"(53). This fine balance between dirty and clean creates an illusion of a busy man but one that also exemplifies his good looks.
One of the other main points that Matheson brings up is the focus in Wayne movies on their significance to history during the filming of the actual movies. She explains that a Wayne film may, "reflect the postwar disillusionment and realism characteristic of the twentieth century" going on to state that, "In Wayne's Westerns, the American frontier is a violent place. As such, it is a perfect locale in which to house the types of characters and narratives found in noir films, stories that reflect postwar disillusionment". Many of the ideals and values found in a Wayne movie are directly related to the violence that was currently going on in American history. With constant wars waging and a violent atmosphere, the antihero of a Wayne movie must balance his violence with his good intentions, much as the rest of the world was.