A classic Western movie is airing on TV tonight

The film stars one of the most famous musicians ever in his first acting role.

Set mostly in 1881 and loosely based on true events, the film centres on Sheriff Pat Garrett (James Coburn), who is ordered by Governor Wallace (Jason Robards) to go after the outlaw Billy the Kid (Kris Kristofferson).

This is because the cattle businessmen want the outlaw caught.

"Although Garrett and Billy are old friends, the lawman must abide by his duty," the plot synopsis adds.

"Garrett and his deputies have great difficulty catching Billy, who is very cunning.

"Along the way, Billy also gains the assistance of Alias (Bob Dylan, in his first acting role), a mysterious knife-wielding stranger."

Peckinpah and the movie's production company, MGM, clashed during the making of the Western, culminating in the studio taking the film away from the director and cutting out approximately 15 minutes from its runtime.

This shortened version was released in cinemas to mixed reviews and was disowned by Peckinpah and his stars.

Eventually, however, the director's cut of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid found the light of day. It earned acclaim for its soundtrack by Dylan ('Knockin' on Heaven's Door' was written for the Western), its dark portrayal of real events, its depiction of a changing old West, and its elegiac tone.

Now considered a classic, the movie is airing on TG4 tonight at 9pm. It's also available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play and the Sky Store.

Here are the other movies on TV tonight:

The Green Mile - Film4 - 9pm

Tom Hanks plays a death row corrections officer in 1930s America in this epic supernatural drama based on a Stephen King story.

The Last Stand - Legend - 9pm

Arnold Schwarzenegger headlines this very fun 2013 action flick about a tough, small-town sheriff in the US who must stop a dangerous drug lord from escaping to Mexico in a modified sports car.

Faster - Legend Xtra - 9pm

Dwayne Johnson is an ex-con on a mysterious vengeance quest in this action thriller that is one of the star's best films.

Licorice Pizza - RTÉ2 - 9.30pm

Set in '70s Los Angeles, this comedy-drama from Oscar-winning writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (One Battle After Another) revolves around the relationship between a teen actor (Cooper Hoffman) and a directionless young woman (Alana Haim).

This is as they cross paths with various figures, including a Hollywood acting legend (Sean Penn), an eccentric movie producer (Bradley Cooper) and a politician in the running to be LA's mayor (Benny Safdie).

Bob Marley: One Love - RTÉ One - 9.35pm

The 2024 Bob Marley biopic.

The Wolf of Wall Street - BBC Two - 10pm

Leonardo DiCaprio and director Martin Scorsese teamed up again for this stylish, shocking, darkly comic epic about a New York stockbroker who begins indulging in a bacchanalian, decadent lifestyle.

Lucky Number Slevin - Legend Xtra - 11pm

A star-studded and very watchable crime thriller about a case of mistaken identity that puts a man named Slevin (Josh Hartnett) in the middle of a war between two rival New York crime lords.

The Inbetweeners 2 - E4 - 11.05pm

The lads go to Australia in this hit comedy sequel.

Out of the Furnace - Legend - 11.10pm

This underrated starry crime thriller sees Christian Bale and Casey Affleck play brothers who have fallen on hard times and wind up on the wrong side of a vicious crime lord (Woody Harrelson).

Wedding Crashers - BBC One - 11.15pm

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn headline this 2005 comedy as party-mad bachelors who like to gatecrash weddings as a way to meet women.

Dancing at Lughnasa - RTÉ One - 11.35pm

Meryl Streep leads this film adaptation of Brian Friel's beloved play.