The Western seems like a dead genre at times. The age of Clint Eastwood grit and John Wayne heroics has come and gone. In the halls of the Cinequest film festival, though, “Slow West” shows the west is still wild.

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Rory McCann, and directed by John Maclean, “Slow West” is the adventure tale of a Scottish boy seeking his love, Rose.

The movie is like a Scottish ballad of lost love, with the western plains serving as the backdrop of this Odysseus-like classic.

Chance encounters go awry for most, leaving our heroes stranded, near-drowned and with more blood on their hands than anyone should have to have.

Fassbender plays a perfect gruff cowboy. After gunning down men in Army fatigues, Silas (Fassbender), in his Southern drawl, is quick to remind the wide-eyed Scottish hero Jay (Smit-McPhee) that “wearing a dress don’t make her a lady.”

With just the right amount of Western archetypal fun, and just enough tongue-in-cheek humor, “Slow West” ends as a fun adventure for most.

When there is violence, though, some may be startled by the jarring viciousness of the film. Gunshots are not turned away from, and blood and gore selectively cover the screen.

Our characters aren’t impervious, and the film is better for it. Arrows through hands, bullets in legs, and heartbreaking revelations plague our title cast.

“Slow West” is slightly above the regular crop of Cinequest films. Because of its slightly star-studded cast and a more than notable budget, you’ll probably find this movie on DVD or in theaters before too long.

Keep an eye out for it, because this film is more than worth a trip west, and the wild is calling.