▁C ody ' s ▁famous ▁" W ild ▁West ▁Show ", ▁a ▁h ug ely ▁popular ▁ 1 8 8 0 s ▁entertain ment ▁spect ac ular ▁that ▁star red ▁the ▁former ▁Indian ▁f ighter , ▁sc out ▁and ▁buff alo ▁h unter . ▁Alt man ▁uses ▁the ▁setting ▁to ▁critic ize ▁Old ▁West ▁mot ifs , ▁present ing ▁the ▁e pon ym ous ▁western ▁hero ▁as ▁a ▁show - b iz ▁creation ▁who ▁can ▁no ▁longer ▁separate ▁his ▁invent ed ▁image ▁from ▁reality . ▁ ▁Alt man ' s ▁C ody ▁is ▁a ▁loud - mouth ed ▁buff oon , ▁a ▁man ▁who ▁claims ▁to ▁be ▁one ▁with ▁the ▁Wild ▁West ▁but ▁lives ▁in ▁lux ury , ▁play - act ing ▁daily ▁in ▁a ▁western ▁circ us ▁of ▁his ▁own ▁making . ▁C ody ' s ▁long ▁hair ▁is ▁a ▁w ig , ▁he ▁can ' t ▁shoot ▁straight ▁any ▁more ▁or ▁track ▁an ▁Indian , ▁and ▁all ▁his ▁st aged ▁batt les ▁with ▁r uff ians ▁and ▁sav ages ▁are ▁rig ged ▁in ▁his ▁favor . ▁However , ▁this ▁does ▁not ▁keep ▁him ▁from ▁acting ▁as ▁if ▁his ▁triumph s ▁are ▁real , ▁or ▁pl agu ing ▁his ▁patient ▁ent ou rage ▁of ▁yes - men ▁with ▁end less ▁mon olog ues ▁about ▁himself . ▁ ▁Most ▁of ▁the ▁film ▁was ▁shot ▁on ▁location ▁in ▁Al berta , ▁Canada , ▁mostly ▁on ▁the ▁St oney ▁Indian ▁Reserve . ▁Frank ▁" S itting ▁Wind " ▁Ka qu itt s , ▁who ▁played