Even when I didn't know that the genre was called Westerns, I had already had the theme written into my head. The classic lonely, crazily good shot, outlaw was the hero, and the Indians or some idiot who shot people for no reason being the antagonist. Westerns all generally have the same theme or ideas. For example, the laws of the West never change. The law of lex talionis, of "an eye for an eye", is existent in all Westerns. The people acted their own laws. A great example is the Ringo Kid, played by John Wayne(pictured left), shooting the Plumber Boys in StageCoach.
This leads me into the next theme of the Western. Everyone is a great shot, but the bad guys. The antagonists can't shoot worth beans, while all the hero needs is one bullet per person.
In a 3v1 duel, Ringo guns down 3 people with 3 bullets, while all three shoot at Ringo simultaneously. It is also absolutely hilarious how accurate they are with shotguns at a range. I mean....all the shells that come out are supposed to spread out, but in movie Unforgiven, there is a huge explosion of shells in the chest of the people when shot. All in all, Westerns are great when you want to see some action flicks, but the traditional Westerns do nothing for the folks who want a meaningful plot.
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