Westerns are defined as films that commonly feature heroes such as sheriffs, cowboys, gunslingers, and bounty hunters depicted as semi-nomadic wanderers, who wear stetson hats and fight outlaws and other antagonists in what is termed “outlaw justice.” Most take place in the Wild West, the region of the central U.S. characterized by its lawlessness. It’s also known as the frontier. Most westerns take place here, but not all. Some of the greatest films ever made have been westerns shot in different regions and time periods beyond the Old West. It’s not the place that makes a western, but the key traits of the people portrayed.