A surrealistic story of two credible typical men with a tendency to loneliness, which is made even more intensive through chance events, to meet, and then, despite their dissimilar characters, proceed to get to know and like each other even though the circumstances of their first encounter are extremely inauspicious. Sergi López, playing the Catalonian Paco Cazale, and Sacha Bourdo, playing the Russian Nino, do not put in brilliant acting performances, but they are sufficiently good to convey the pathos in their roles, which becomes more apparent as the film progresses.The women they meet all behave credibly, but the sum of all the encounters is so unrealistic as to appear nonsensical, even with the anchor of a picturesque background of rural western France and many of its aspects. This surrealism, or irreality, is mercifully not nearly as pronounced as in 'Buffet froid', and is even somewhat entertaining, but it detracts from the otherwise fascinating character studies of both the two travelling companions and the various people they meet.The double date and the game of 'Bonjour, la France' are highlights in this film, but many other scenes are also of good quality and entertainment value. These two scenes and the survey scenes are particularly well acted.The dialogue reminds the viewer of the announced purpose of the journey and the event which one can expect when the two men return. When this stage is reached, a characteristically unexpected turn leads to a refreshingly unexpected but unfortunately unrealistic conclusion.Good ideas and good dialogue are woven rather weakly into a rather good story.

Beware with the title of this movie! It isn't a western at all. Besides, French westerns don't exist. It's just a road-movie. Unlike to the USA, France isn't really specialized with this kind of movie. Nevertheless, I think that the few French road-movies can rival their American fellows. "Western" ranks among them and it's with this movie that Manuel Poirier went down in history by imposing his talent to the general public.Like in a major part of road-movies, what interests the film-maker is the behavior and especially the evolution of his character(s). Here, in the very beginning of this movie, nothing can anticipate a friendship between the two main characters. However, as the movie goes along, by traveling the country, they learn to know each other. Poirier makes his two main actors nice and at the end, if Paco failed to win Marinette's love, he could gain the friendship and the comfort of his partner.But "Western" is also an occasion for Poirier to take a realistic and sometimes ironical look on the France of the nineties, especially through Baptiste's zany game: "Bonjour, la France".The only fault of this movie is that sometimes it drags on due to tiresome and a little pointless sequences that bring really nothing to the movie. But if you take away this fault, "Western" is a successful road-movie where you find again the omnipresence of the country, a landscape dear to Poirier.

Anyone who's seem this film will agree its charm is uniqe. It's a very simple story, involving two men who meet in bizarre circumstances and who end up travelling together. For some reason, the film is SO organic and human that it drags you in right away. There's something in all characters that reminds us about the simple pleasures in life.

'Western' shows all different walks life can have in store. Two immigrants, a Russian and a Spaniard, travel throughout western France. Not only the landscapes look a bit British, but also the dialogues and characters remind of British movies. The scene shot on a terrace with an Ivory Coaster from Bretagne is very funny. But other scenes show how senseless life can be.I like road movies and this one of the best movies in its genre.