Rogan & Franco; Today's cowboy

Warning: Adult Content & Spoilers

Cowboy movies struck a chord with the modern, everyday man. In the 50’s-60’s they were called, ‘Spaghetti westerns’. 


Spaghetti westerns were pumped into televisions and watched by millions of people that identified with the main characters. Generally, there was a good guy, a bad guy, a clear objective and an independent moral code by which the leading characters lived. 

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Spaghetti westerns aren’t popular by name anymore, but they are still being produced and watched by millions, specifically the movies of Seth Rogan and James Franco. 

Seth Rogan and James Franco are Modern Day Cowboys.

Let me explain.
In the movie ‘The Interview’ we have two stock characters: friends, 30 something, male, values that reflect mainstream society, underdogs, driven and single.

The main characters in ‘The Interview’ and the characters found in the westerns of the 1960’s are supposed to bring the audience a sense of uniformity as we rally behind our hero. 

“The Interview” does this brilliantly similarly to “Inglorious Basterds”. 

Below is a character outline for the stereotypical cowboy in 1960’s westerns by Creighton University. In parentheses is how these characteristics manifest in ‘The Interview’.

• Macho banter 
  

           (The dialogue between Rogan and Franco is frequently ‘bro’ talk. Women, guns, sex.)

• Most important quality:  courage or daring.  Fears nothing.
  

           (‘The Interview’ shows the main characters being afraid, but they don’t back down from it. They do            what they have to.)

• Has superhuman powers, skills, courage, and motivation: is implacable.                                              (The power to interview.)

• Is often obsessed, driven
  

           (Obsessed with getting the interview and having it be a success.)

• Revenge is often his motivating force.
  

            (The revenge takes many forms in the movie but it is ultimately always the driving force for the reason to take out Kim Jong Un.)

• May kill for hire, but has his own standards;  can not be controlled.
  

            (The exact plot of the movie.)

• Has no attachments or family.
  

           (Both characters are single.)

• Is alone: rides in from nowhere, and rides into the sunset
  

           (In North Korea, they are very much alone and eventually ride into the sunset.)

• Family often becomes a key conflict in the drama.
  

           (The shared feelings of inadequacy between Franco and Un in regards to their relationships with their fathers. Rogan’s character’s love story becomes a driving point in the plot.)

Apart from these characters breakdowns, the film itself is filled with through lines that point back to classic westerns. Including but not limited to: the rescue of a damsel in distress, a showdown and set in the ‘wild west’. I say the ‘wild west’ because to the target audience, that is exactly what North Korea represents. A place to show how tough life is and how much it needs a hero. 

-North Korea = Wild West
-Damsel in distress
-Showdown

The ultimate reason we find is that at the end of the movie we think, “that cold be me.” We think that in a different way than after a James Bond or a Borne Identity. With westerns, you don't need special training. Most of the time there is no identifying characteristic other than honor, duty and being in the right place at the right time. 

As much as it saddens me that our generations equivalent to John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Jimmy Stewart are Seth Rogan and James Franco, it makes sense. Our idols exude the characteristics our society values. Those values are found in the characters played by Seth Rogan and James Franco. 

What do you think? Am I right, wrong or not even close. 

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