A key American Primeval subplot offers an unofficial remake of classic John Wayne Western The Searchers. Netflix’s American Primeval is being noted for its unvarnished look at the Old West, and what a grimy, violent, and bleak era it was. Its depiction of the West is a far cry from the Westerns of John Wayne, who was the leading star in the genre from the 1930s to his final film in 1976. Wayne’s “Oaters” tended to feature good guys versus bad guys, with no sex, blood or foul language present – which is the opposite approach to American Primeval.
One of Wayne’s darkest roles came with The Searchers, where he plays bitter, racist Civil War vet Ethan Edwards, who spends years trying to find his missing niece. Debbie was taken by the Comanche and is later found to have joined the tribe and become the wife of Chief Scar (Henry Brandon). The Searchers was one of Wayne’s personal favorites and is both a great adventure whilst being a surprisingly grim character study. Tonally, it’s worlds apart from American Primeval, though one story appears heavily inspired by it.
American Primeval’s Abish And Pratt Story Mirrors John Wayne’s The Searchers
American Primeval’s take on the Wayne Western is considerably less fun
American Primeval’s first episode introduces Jacob (Dane DeHaan) and Abish Pratt (Saura Lightfoot-Leon), a Mormon couple traveling with their party across the frontier. When their group is attacked and slaughtered, Jacob barely survives being scalped while Abish is kidnapped by the Shoshone tribe. After Jacob gets stitched up, he insists on raising a search party to find his wife, but soon Jacob’s obsession and the trauma of his scalping see him becoming increasingly violent and dangerous.
Meanwhile, Abish – who always felt like an outsider within her Mormon community – starts to grow attached to the tribe’s way of life. In short, the Pratt storyline in American Primeval plays out like a dark remake of The Searchers, but one that gives Abish far more agency. This isn’t a rousing tale of good versus evil either; their arc is a chaotic, violent, and tragic one, and always feels headed toward a sad ending.
American Primeval takes the basic structure of The Searchers and uses it as a springboard to explore some complex issues…
While The Searchers explores Ethan’s mental state, Jacob feels one or two steps from madness as this story plays out. His grip on reality gets progressively looser during his search for Abish – and loosens further once he realizes members of the Mormon militia “helping” him actually led the massacre as a power play. American Primeval takes the basic structure of The Searchers and then uses it as a springboard to explore some complex issues from the time.
American Primeval Is Even Bleaker Than The Searchers
It’s not like The Searchers is a cakewalk either
While most of the violence in The Searchers happens offscreen, it’s still a challenging journey at times. After Ethan’s family is massacred during the first act, Wayne’s Ethan later shoots the eyes of a dead Comanche in revenge; this is to condemn his spirit to wander the land forever. There are also implied rapes, while Edwards’ racism sees him prepared to execute his niece after he learns she’s joined the trible – until he has a change of heart in the final scenes. Even with all of the above, American Primeval is a far bleaker experience than the Wayne film.
The massacre that ends episode one is truly horrifying, with men, women, and children being shot down. Across later episodes, major characters die unceremoniously, while others get maimed, assaulted, or betrayed. It’s a stark vision, but it speaks to the quality of the writing and performances that American Primeval never feels so overpowering that audiences would quit watching.
Still, Jacob and Abish’s story ends on a heartbreaking note. Jacob is recruited by the Mormon militia in a raid against the Shoshone tribe, which is predictably bloody. During the chaos, Jacob shoots down an attacking female warrior – who is revealed to be Abish in war paint. Jacob shares one last kiss with her before she dies, and in his anguish, takes his own life in the aftermath. Talking with Decider, DeHaan notes that Jacob is still “happy” he finally found Abish, thus completing his quest – even if American Primeval’s ending didn’t work out for either of them.
American Primeval’s Abish Plot Feels Inspired By The Real Kidnapping The Searchers Was Based Upon
Abish’s arc is one of American Primeval’s most affecting
The Searchers itself was inspired by the kidnapping of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was nine years old when she was taken by the Comanche. Cynthia was then taken in by the tribe and spent 24 years living with them. During that time, she married a war chief and had three children, before being rescued by Texas Rangers at the age of 33. She was rescued against her will, however, having been completely assimilated into the tribe. In the remaining years of her life, Cynthia longed to return to her tribe and struggled to adjust back into society.
… Debbie’s relationship with the Comanche isn’t explored in any great depth in the John Ford film, but American Primeval explores how Abish is seduced by the Shoshone tribe’s way of life.
Cynitha’s uncle also spent decades obsessively looking for her – just like Ethan in The Searchers. Whereas Debbie’s relationship with the Comanche isn’t explored in any great depth in the John Ford film, American Primeval explores how Abish is seduced by the Shoshone tribe’s way of life. Brutal as it can be, there is a dignity and familial warmth that she connects with and she even chooses to stay with them in the finale, instead of finding Jacob.
Her transformation is so complete that Jacob doesn’t recognize her until after he’s shot her. In the aforementioned Decider chat, DeHaan even states it’s almost as if this tragic finale with Jacob and Abish was fated, and they were meant to find each other again before the end.
The Searchers Has Been Remade Many Times
From Star Wars to Bone Tomahawk, The Searchers have traveled far
Steven Spielberg has claimed to rewatch The Searchers every time he sets out to make a new film, while the Western has many other admirers, like Martin Scorsese and George Lucas. In fact, the whole rescue of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) story in Star Wars is lifted from The Searchers. There are many stealth remakes of the Hawks films in existence too. Kurt Russell’s Bone Tomahawk is very much a horror riff on the concept, while 2011’s Priest takes the premise into a post-apocalyptic world filled with vampires.
Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) trying to save Iris (Jodie Foster) in Taxi Driver is another play on the concept, while Ron Howard’s underrated The Missing feels like the most direct remake of the bunch. The Searchers is (rightly) regarded as one of the best Westerns ever, so it’s no surprise it’s proven so influential on other filmmakers – including Peter Berg on American Primeval. There was even talk long ago of Bruce Willis fronting a sci-fi remake of The Searchers, but that idea didn’t come to pass.