Hardboiled Elements in The Man who Shot Liberty Valance

In The Man who Shot Liberty Valance, the two alpha male cowboys and Rance Stoddard eximplify some of the elements Sue Matheson speaks of in "The West Hardboiled." Each of the three characters has his own goal that contradicts the goals of the others and a different perception of ethical behavior. Tom Doniphon and Liberty Valance are hardboiled in that they are both tough, isolated, morally ambiguous, pessimistic, and cruel, while Rance is not. Tom shuts down Rance's law argument by saying, "You'd better start packing a handgun. ... I know those law books mean a lot to you but not out here. Out here a man settles his own problems." Liberty also supports this idea, although the film clearly portrays him as the bad guy.

Because all three main characters have three different viewpoints, the concept of existentialism is significantly relevant in the film. Existentialism entails being over essence, whereby material existence and individual consciousness is superior to a broad spirituality. The world only exists as one perceives it. Therefore, there is no way to determine who is right or wrong if only each man's opinion matters. Matheson states, "In Shinebone, the individual does not enforce the law; he is the law" (Matheson). This means that even the law, the code that all individuals are supposed to abide by, isn't superior to the perception of the individual What is clear is that only the strong survive, so whether or not someone is right or wrong in the west doesn't matter as long as a goal is achieved. Ethics are irrelevant.

Matheson would consider the three characters to be the perfect enemies to illustrate her point. The elements of film noir, existentialism, ethics, and the hardboiled cowboy are clearly given in The Man who Shot Liberty Valance.