How The Power of the Dog Subverts The Masculinity Trope In Westerns

The Power of the Dog, Netflix’s Oscar-buzzy Western, subverts and criticizes the traditional depiction of masculinity within the genre. The film establishes the typically self-sufficient, ranch-owning cowboy as a cruel, domineering bully that meets his downfall as soon as he allows a hint of intimacy and emotional vulnerability into his life. Ultimately, that makes the story a tragedy about the toxically masculine nature of the Western cowboy trope.

The “lone cowboy” archetype has been a central part of Western movie storytelling since its earliest days, influencing films far outside the genre and establishing one of the preconditions for the modern American hero. The hard and hands-on work of herding cattle reflects the determination and self-sufficiency that American culture has traditionally celebrated as “good and honest work.” A strong sense of independence and ruggedness are key elements of traditional masculinity in the characterization of the cowboy, as he seeks to build a life for himself on the frontier through brass-knuckled fortitude.

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That depiction may seem outdated in today’s era, but modern Revisionist Westerns have re-interpreted these themes to deconstruct masculinity and gender roles. Director and screenwriter Jane Campion tackles this issue particularly aggressively in The Power of the Dog, portraying its central cowboy, Phil Burbank (Doctor Strange‘s Benedict Cumberbatch), as a cruel, domineering bully instead of a humble hero. Phil’s frontier machismo makes him a controlling tyrant of his ranch, as he belittles those close to him, maintaining only a distant camaraderie with his employed cowherds who mimic his mocking behavior.

However, Phil is full of secrets, dismissing his genteel, Yale-educated background in order to model himself after the hardened, working-class American cowboy who isn’t afraid to get dirty. The mysterious cowboy archetype that Phil strives for is a delusion as the film gradually reveals his vulnerabilities and suggests that his hostility is due to his repressed sexuality. Phil is both a perpetrator and a victim of toxic masculinity, using his behavior to overcompensate for his insecurities. The sexual innuendoes and imagery related to “Bronco Henry,” Phil’s idol and former lover, become so blatant that Campion’s depiction of cowboy tropes borders on parody.

The satire gives way to tragedy, however, as Phil develops a bond with the most anti-male cowboy in the film, his sister-in-law’s son Peter (Kodi Smitt-McPhee). Initially ridiculing Peter for his effeminate nature, Phil starts to mentor him as the boy shows his willingness to work on the ranch. Phil tells Peter that he can improve his manliness, but it’s ironically an emotional and romantic connection that Phil truly craves. However, Peter uses his newfound relationship with Power of the Dog‘s Phil to kill him, ending the cowboy’s life not in a heroic gunfight or even a cattle-rearing accident but through a quiet poisoning.

Phil’s journey acts as a deconstruction of the traditional American cowboy as the archetype is presented in the Western genre. The Power of the Dog may be located in the year 1925, but Phil’s attitude is still very much rooted in the Wild West of the past century, an era that defines personal fulfillment through hard work and independence with no time for emotional connections. The cowboy may strive to be self-sufficient, but he really craves a companionship that his ideals can never allow. The Power of the Dog ultimately shows how the Western’s idea of masculinity annihilates true intimacy, encouraging a culture of repression and revenge.

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