The Outlaw Josey Wales
Reviews
John Chard
I guess we all died a little in that damned war. The Outlaw Josey Wales is directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as Wales, and is adapted by Sonia Chernus & Phil Kaufman from the novel "The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales" written by Forrest Carter. Joining Eastwood in the cast are Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon & Paula Trueman. Music is by Jerry Fielding and Bruce Surtees photographs on location in Utah, Arizona & Wyoming. We are at the very end of the American Civil War and Josey Wales is a contented family man working on his Missouri farm. But his peaceful world is shattered when Union soldiers raid his home and murder his wife and child. Surviving the attack, Josey takes up arms with a group of Confederate guerrilla fighters who take the fight to the Redlegs. However, when the news comes that the war is over and the Confederates are required to surrender, Josey refuses to do so. A wise choice since his group are rounded up and slaughtered in cold blood. So Josey is forced to go on the lam as an outlaw, where hot on his trail are the Redleg group fronted by bloodthirsty Captain Terrill. On his way, as he contemplates survival and what life has in store for he and his aggressors, Josey acquires some interesting companions. Acclaimed by the critics upon its release, The Outlaw Josey Wales is ageing like a fine wine. It's a film Eastwood himself is very proud of, citing it as one of the high points in his career. Yet the film got off to a difficult start. It was originally given to Kaufman to direct with Eastwood's Malpaso company producing, but the star and director fell out over Kaufman's directing style - and that a certain Sondra Locke was turning the heads of both men. As we now know, there was only one winner there. The story is a classic Western tale, hell it's a powerful tale, one with layers that peel off as the film progresses. Josey Wales starts out a peaceful family man but after having that stripped away from him by violence, he too is forced to take up violence in response. So far so formulaic then. But the film is so much more than just a Western revenge yarn, even if that aspect of the story is darn good as Clint gets mean and broody and pulls his pistols. There's a real strong family thread throughout, from losing his own kin in the beginning - to a father son relationship - and on to the way he acquires a new family on his travels, it's very strong and gives the narrative a real emotional kick. As Josey goes on his way, angry, bitter and prepared to face the consequence of his choices, the character is constantly forming. It was only after a number of viewings that I personally realised that Josey Wales the man was being healed by the ragtag assortment of individuals that he collects on route to his character being rebuilt. Eastwood the actor here is on fine form, cool and every inch a man's man. But even Eastwood wouldn't decry the scene stealing excellence of Chief Dan George as Lone Watie. His dry wit puts him in the top tier of Western comedy sidekicks, but rest assured the character is more than that. For Watie acts as a sort of spiritual mentor to Wales, and Eastwood reacts positively to George's serene acting to give the film its tight bonded centre. The rest of the cast are a much of a muchness but all serve the story well with solid performances. In fact it's a rare occasion when Locke's vacant method acting actually works well! Eastwood the director is calm, assured and subtle in pacing, with his storytelling boosted considerably by Fielding's popping score and Surtees' gorgeous cinematography. The script is awash with attentive dialogue and punching moments of humour, whilst its noticeable denouncement of violence and intelligent portrayals of the Indians is to be roundly applauded. Iconography unbound and bulging with class in the writing, The Outlaw Josey Wales is not just one of Eastwoods best Westerns. It's one of the best Westerns period. I reckon so. 10/10
Wuchak
**_One of the Great Westerns_** The Civil War is over and the remaining rebels in Missouri are encouraged to turn over their weapons and pledge loyalty to the Union, but Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) hold out and thus a generous reward is put on his head. Josey heads to West Texas and maybe Mexico to find sanctuary, but will he make it alive? The cast includes the likes of Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George, Sam Bottoms and Will Sampson. “The Outlaw Josey Wales” (1976) is Eastwood’s best Western and a standout of the genre. Everything clicks for a top-of-the-line drama/adventure. A critic said that Wales’ encounter with the Federals in the first act establishes him as invincible and thus destroys any sense of suspense. No, it just means that he caught the soldiers by surprise and he escaped the clash unscathed with a mixture of skill and luck. A later scene reveals he’s decidedly mortal. The movie starts with the typical Bob Steele revenge plot and soon morphs into a trail movie (similar to a “road movie,” but with horses). As such, some interesting characters come-and-go (or, more accurately, come-and-die), but several stay on. It’s a string of memorable episodes on the long trail, like the river crossing and Josey’s well-done pow-wow with Ten Bears (Will Sampson). I like the emphasis on how an outcast can acquire an unconventional family, even if inadvertently. The film runs 2 hours, 15 minutes, and was shot in Oroville, California; Arizona; and Kanab Movie Ranch, Utah. Wyoming is also listed. GRADE: A
r96sk
A little overlong, though <em>'The Outlaw Josey Wales'</em> is an entertaining watch - with cool action sequences and a pleasing ending. You have a strong performance from Clint Eastwood and good support showings from the likes of Chief Dan George and John Vernon. The plot is interesting and the road-esque nature of it keeps it moving well. I do think they could've trimmed the run time slightly, while Eastwood's character really didn't need to spit so much - on a dog and some insects, no less. Just bizarre, it adds zero and simply becomes an irritation. A sequel, without the involvement of Eastwood, was released ten years after this - I'm intrigued to check it out.
Movie Recommendation
High Plains Drifter1973-04-19A gunfighting stranger comes to the small settlement of Lago. After gunning down three gunmen who tried to kill him, the townsfolk decide to hire the Stranger to hold off three outlaws who are on their way.More...
Pale Rider1985-06-28A mysterious preacher protects a humble prospector village from a greedy mining company trying to encroach on their land.More...
Two Mules for Sister Sara1970-03-02When a wandering mercenary named Hogan rescues a nun called Sister Sara from the unwanted attentions of a band of rogues on the Mexican plains, he has no idea what he has let himself in for. Their chance encounter results in the blowing up of a train and a French garrison, as well as igniting a spark between them that survives a shocking discovery.More...
The Eiger Sanction1975-05-21A classical art professor and collector, who doubles as a professional assassin, is coerced out of retirement to avenge the murder of an old friend.More...
The Enforcer1976-12-16Dirty Harry Callahan returns again, this time saddled with a rookie female partner. Together, they must stop a terrorist group consisting of angry Vietnam veterans.More...
The Gauntlet1977-12-17Phoenix cop Ben Shockley is well on his way to becoming a derelict when he is assigned to transport a witness from Las Vegas. The witness turns out to be a belligerent prostitute with mob ties—and incriminating information regarding a high-ranking official.More...
The Cement Garden1993-02-20After the death of her husband, the mother of Julie, Jack, Sue and Tom begins to suffer from a mysterious illness. Aware that she is going to have to go into hospital she opens a bank account for the children, so that they can be financially self-sufficient and will be able to avoid being taken into care by the authorities. Unfortunately she also dies and Julie and Jack (the older, teenage children) decide to hide her body in the basement so that they can have free reign of their household. Soon Tom has taken to dressing as a girl whilst Sue has become increasingly reticent, confiding only to her diary, meanwhile Jack and Julie sense an attraction developing for each other. However Julie's new beau, Derek, threatens to unearth the many dark secrets within this family as he becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack.More...
Hooper1978-07-28Legendary stunt man Sonny Hooper remains one of the top men in his field, but due to too many stressful impacts to the spine and the need to pop painkillers several times a day, he knows he should get out of the industry before he ends up permanently disabled.More...
The White Buffalo1977-05-01In this strange western version of Moby Dick, Wild Bill Hickok hunts a white buffalo he has seen in a dream. Hickok moves through a variety of uniquely authentic western locations - dim, filthy, makeshift taverns; freezing, slaughterhouse-like frontier towns and beautifully desolate high country - before improbably teaming up with a young Crazy Horse to pursue the creature.More...
The Undefeated1969-10-04After the Civil War, ex-Union Colonel John Henry Thomas and ex-Confederate Colonel James Langdon are leading two disparate groups of people through strife-torn Mexico. John Henry and company are bringing horses to the unpopular Mexican government for $35 a head while Langdon is leading a contingent of displaced southerners, who are looking for a new life in Mexico after losing their property to carpetbaggers. The two men are eventually forced to mend their differences in order to fight off both bandits and revolutionaries, as they try to lead their friends and kin to safety.More...
The Lost Patrol1934-02-16A World War I British Army patrol is crossing the Mesopotamian desert when their commanding officer, the only one who knows their destination, is killed by the bullet of unseen bandits. The patrol's sergeant keeps them heading north on the assumption that they will hit their brigade. They stop for the night at an oasis and awaken the next morning to find their horses stolen, their sentry dead, the oasis surrounded and survival difficult.More...
Devil Doll1964-09-01An evil hyponotist/ventriloquist plots to gain an heiress' millions.More...
Me Too2009-10-16Daniel, a recent university graduate with Down's Syndrome falls in love on his first day at work in the Department of Social Services. Laura is an outsider who spends her nights in the city's crowded clubs and singles' bars, escaping her problems in the arms of total strangers. Yet despite their apparent incompatibility, the two strike up a moving, bittersweet friendship that touches them both and eventually sets them on the road to happiness.More...
The Furies1950-07-22A New Mexico cattle man and his strong-willed daughter clash over land and love.More...
Beginning of the End1957-06-28An attractive reporter investigating the mysterious destruction of an Illinois town stumbles upon a secret government laboratory conducting radiation experiments on vegetables. The lead scientist is eager to help find out what happened. Together they discover that giant grasshoppers are behind the devastation. Worse yet, thousands of them are headed toward Chicago! Can they be stopped... or is this the BEGINNING OF THE END?More...
The Island of the Dinosaurs1967-03-15A group of scientists in search of lost Atlantis are plane wrecked on an uncharted island full of stock footage monsters fresh from One Million BC. Occasionally we get an original papier mache monster peaking out from behind an alcove, but for the most part this is typical Mexican filmmaking for the period. With Armond Silvestre and Alma Delia Fuentes.More...
The Booth2005-11-05Shogo, the arrogant and condescending star of a popular call-in radio-show must temporarily broadcast out of Studio 6, a creepy and dilapidated booth abandoned since its last DJ committed suicide several years ago. Suddenly, Shogo begins receiving disturbing calls, the voice on the line whispers "Liar" over and over. Is the joke on him, has someone discovered the truth about his sinister past, or has the curse of Studio 6 been unleashed again? In this Booth, all sins will be atoned for.More...
The Stepdaughter2000-10-31Growing up, Susan Miller survived countless foster homes and years of abuse and neglect with one, burning goal: to someday find the birth mother who abandoned her - and get revenge.More...
Night Shift1982-07-30A nebbish of a morgue attendant gets shunted back to the night shift where he is shackled with an obnoxious neophyte partner who dreams of the "one great idea" for success. His life takes a bizarre turn when a prostitute neighbor complains about the loss of her pimp. His partner, upon hearing the situation, suggests that they fill that opening themselves using the morgue at night.More...
Hard Ticket to Hawaii1987-03-01A Molokai-based civilian pilot and an undercover DEA agent intercept a delivery of diamonds intended for druglord Seth Romero. Seth, his henchmen, and other island undesirables launch a full-scale assault on the duo. If they're going to survive, they'll need the help of agent Rowdy Abilene and his partner/kickboxing expert Jade.More...
Similar Movies
Dead Man
1995-12-23On the run after committing murder, an accountant encounters a strange Native American man who prepares him for his journey into the spiritual world.The Ox-Bow Incident
1943-03-11A posse discovers a trio of men they suspect of murder and cow theft and are split between handing them over to the law or lynching them on the spot.Vengeance
2023-11-04A former bandit goes back to his old ways to hunt his brother's killer after he was killed in cold blood, and after twelve years, he is eventually located.Powderkeg
1971-04-16A Mexican bandit is about to be executed in the United States, so his brother takes over a train and holds the passengers as hostages unless his brother is released. Now both the Americans and Mexicans are baffled as to what to do. One of the passengers — who wrote the letter for their captor — has a suggestion: call mercenaries Hank Brackett and Johnny Reech. They do, and as expected they do come up with a plan, but the president of the railroad is not sure if it will work.Six-Gun Rhythm
1939-02-17Western - When football player Tex fletcher arives home he finds his father missing. Jim Davis has killed the father and learning of Tex's identity - Tex Fletcher, Joan Barclay, Ralph PetersStagecoach
1939-03-02A group of people traveling on a stagecoach find their journey complicated by the threat of Geronimo, and learn something about each other in the process.Legends of the Fall
1994-12-23In early 20th-century Montana, Col. William Ludlow lives on a ranch in the wilderness with his sons, Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel. Eventually, the unconventional but close-knit family are bound by loyalty, tested by war, and torn apart by love, as told over the course of several decades in this epic saga.Trail of the Falcon
1968-06-21In the latter half of the 19th century, gold is discovered in the Black Hills, sacred land of the Lakota people. Gold diggers, profiteers and adventurers flock to the region. Among them is the hard-hearted land speculator Bludgeon, who tries to expel the Lakota using brutal methods. Lakota warriors retaliate, and soon the gold diggers' town becomes a battlefield.Apache Gold
1963-12-11The construction of the Great Western Railroad creates heavy conflict between the railway company and neighboring Indian tribes. Worse, criminal gang leader Santer sets his eyes on a gold mine located on holy Indian land and influences the construction supervisor to re-rout the planned railroad straight through Apache land. Old Shatterhand, who works as a measurement technician, discovers the evil plan and searches contact with the Apaches in an effort to avert war.Last of the Renegades...
1964-09-17Forester, a ruthless oil baron, wants to create a war between the native American tribes and the white men. Old Shatterhand, Winnetou and their sidekick Castlepool try to prevent this.The Legend of Zorro
2005-10-24Despite trying to keep his swashbuckling to a minimum, a threat to California's pending statehood causes the adventure-loving Don Alejandro de la Vega and his wife, Elena, to take action.Comanche Station
1960-01-31A white man trades with the Comanche for the release of a female stranger and the pair cross paths with three outlaws who have their eyes on the handsome reward for bringing her home and Comanche on the warpath.River of No Return
1954-04-30An itinerant farmer and his young son help a heart-of-gold saloon singer search for her estranged husband.Battles of Chief Pont...
1952-12-08In pre-Revolutionary America, the efforts of a Colonial officer trying to broker a peace deal between Indian chief Pontiac and British and American settlers are threatened by the commander of a Hessian mercenary unit who embarks on a campaign of extermination against the Indians.Whitetail
2021-07-02Donnie Mann, his father and uncle embark on a weekend hunting trip in West Texas, where they find a mysterious man shot in the stomach and clutching a backpack full of money.Giant
1956-11-08Wealthy rancher Bick Benedict and dirt-poor cowboy Jett Rink both woo Leslie Lynnton, a beautiful young woman from Maryland who is new to Texas. She marries Benedict, but she is shocked by the racial bigotry of the White Texans against the local people of Mexican descent. Rink discovers oil on a small plot of land, and while he uses his vast, new wealth to buy all the land surrounding the Benedict ranch, the Benedict's disagreement over prejudice fuels conflict that runs across generations.Santa Fe Trail
1940-12-20As a penalty for fighting fellow classmates days before graduating from West Point, J.E.B. Stuart, George Armstrong Custer and four friends are assigned to the 2nd Cavalry, stationed at Fort Leavenworth. While there they aid in the capture and execution of the abolitionist, John Brown following the Battle of Harper's Ferry.Massacre at Sand Cree...
1956-12-27A fictionalized account of the infamous massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho at Sand Creek by a militia unit led by an extremist Colonel.Bandidas
2006-01-18When a ruthless robber baron takes away everything they cherish, a rough-and-tumble, idealistic peasant and a sophisticated heiress embark on a quest for justice, vengeance…and a few good heists.Hidalgo
2004-02-04Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world...