western movie

A western movie is a film set in the American Old West, typically during the late 19th century, featuring cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, and frontier life.

The genre emphasizes themes of lawlessness, justice, and rugged individualism against landscapes of deserts, ranches, and small towns.

Classic westerns pit heroes against villains in shootouts and showdowns; revisionist westerns subvert these conventions.

Often shortened to simply western: We watched an old western last night.