After avenging his family's brutal murder, Wales is pursued by a pack of soldiers. He prefers to travel alone, but ragtag outcasts are drawn to him - and Wales can't bring himself to leave them unprotected.
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Reviews
Wuchak
9
By 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
8
By r96sk
A little overlong, though 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' 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.
CinemaSerf
7
By CinemaSerf
Believe it or not, this is a western film starring a Clint Eastwood who actually has some dialogue! He’s the eponymous farmer who has so far avoided the worst of the American Civil War only for his family to be brutally slaughtered by some marauding Yankees. Determined on retribution, he joins up with vigilante "Fletcher” (John Vernon) and his gang but yet more betrayal sees him on his own, traversing the country looking for revenge. His desperation has a certain magnetic quality to it, as he gradually attracts others on the fringe of what passes for society including “Lone” (Chief Dan George), the feisty “Grandma” (Paula Trueman) and the vulnerable “Laura” (Sondra Locke) whom he saves from a fate worse than death at the hands of more lawless raiders. With his search for “Terrill” (Bill McKinney) proving ever more perilous and his escapades more dangerous, might there still be any opportunity for him to suppress his lethal instincts, and perhaps, even find love again? This is quite a complexly structured drama that mixes the usual gritty and brutal storyline with which we are familiar from Eastwood with more in-depth characterisations from all, especially the underused but potent Vernon, as everyone comes to terms with grief, loneliness, vengeance and a sense that there is a maturity emerging into post-war America that might bring civilisation kicking and screaming along with it. It’s not always about intensity: George and Eastwood do bring a little light-heartedness to the proceedings and the photography captures well the hostility and unforgiving nature of this untamed wilderness.
