
Aaron Eckhart Takes on Modern Cattle Rustling in Thieves Highway
From Writing the West by Cowboys & Indians
December 12, 2025 · 39 min · Season 1 · Episode 19
About this episode
Aaron Eckhart discusses the modern implications of cattle rustling and the making of Thieves Highway.
Cattle rustling isn’t a relic of the Old West — it’s a growing modern crime affecting ranchers across the American West, and it’s the driving force behind Thieves Highway, the new action-thriller starring Aaron Eckhart. In this episode of Writing the West, Eckhart joins director Jesse V. Johnson and writer Travis Mills to discuss the real-world inspiration behind the film, the enduring code of the western, and the responsibility of portraying a way of life still lived by working ranchers today.
People in this episode
Guests: Aaron Eckhart, Jesse V. Johnson, Travis Mills
Topics covered
- cattle rustling
- modern crime
- western code
- film inspiration
Keywords
- action-thriller
- ranchers
- working ranchers
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Thieves Highway
Books & works: Thieves Highway, Writing the West
Places: the Old West, the American West
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