The Outlaw Josey Wales

Plot synopsis:
Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer, is driven to revenge by the murder of his wife and young son by a band of pro-Union Jayhawker militants. The murderers were from Senator James H. Lane's Kansas Brigade, which included Captain Terrill.
After grieving and burying his wife and son, Wales joins a group of pro-Confederate Missouri Bushwhackers led by William T. Anderson and fights in the Civil War. At the conclusion of the war, Captain Fletcher persuades the guerrillas to surrender, saying they have been granted amnesty. Wales refuses to surrender. As a result, he and one young man are the only survivors when Captain Terrill's Redlegs massacre the surrendering men. Wales intervenes and guns down several Redlegs with a Gatling gun.
Senator Lane forces Fletcher to work with Terrill in tracking down Wales and puts a $5,000 bounty on Wales, who is now on the run from Union militia and bounty hunters. Along the way, despite wishing to be left alone, he accumulates a diverse group of companions. They include an old Cherokee named Lone Watie, a young Navajo woman, and an elderly woman from Kansas and her granddaughter Laura Lee, whom Wales rescues from Comancheros. At Santo Rio, two men, Travis and Chato, join their group.
Wales and his companions find the abandoned ranch owned by Laura's father and inhabit it after Wales parleys and makes peace with the neighboring Comanche tribe leader, Ten Bears. Meanwhile, a bounty hunter who identified Wales at Santo Rio, guides Captain Terrill and his men to the town. The following morning, the ranch is attacked by the Redlegs. Wales' companions take shelter in the fortified ranch house and open fire, gunning down all of Terrill's men. A wounded Wales, despite being out of ammunition, pursues the fleeing Terrill. When he corners him, Wales dry fires his four pistols through all the empty chambers while reliving the events surrounding his family's death, and remembering Terrill's involvement, before stabbing and killing Terrill with his own cavalry sword.
At the bar in Santa Rio, Wales finds Fletcher with two Texas Rangers. The locals at the bar, who refer to Wales as "Mr. Wilson," tell the Rangers that Wales was killed in a shoot-out in Monterrey, Mexico. The Rangers accept this story and move on. Fletcher refuses to believe the story, but pretends to not recognize Wales and says that he will go to Mexico to look for Wales himself, and try to convince him that the war is over, because he owes him that. Wales says that they all died a little in the war, before riding off.

Tags: murder, anti war, cult, violence, flashback, humor, revenge, sadist

Review:
Even when matched up against his Oscar-winning 1992 film UNFORGIVEN, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES must rank as being among Clint Eastwood's finest turns both in front of and behind the camera.
Having displayed a solid feel for the director's chair with 1971's PLAY MISTY FOR ME and 1973's HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, Eastwood took the reins on JOSEY WALES when he and the original director Philip Kaufman, who still shared a co-write of the script (and had directed 1972's THE GREAT NORTHFIELD, MINNESOTA RAID), ran into some pretty strong disagreements.
The end result was one of the best westerns of the 1970s, in critical, commercial, and artistic terms.Eastwood's character is a farmer living out a quiet life in Missouri near the end of the Civil War who is forced to see his whole family and homestead wiped out by marauding "Redlegs" from Kansas.
As he heads towards Texas, he encounters a motley group of outcasts (Chief Dan George; Sondra Locke; Paula Trueman), and becomes less obsessed by violent revenge and more interested in helping, going for his guns only when McKinney's Union troop closes in, and bounty hunters come looking for him.In contrast to the "Man With No Name" persona he codified with Sergio Leone in the 1960s, or the tough cop he personified in DIRTY HARRY, Eastwood's Josey Wales is a man of great courage and sympathy who becomes tired of all the violence he has had to see and to take part in.
Many westerns have the theme of the older breed of man who tamed the west by violence being abandoned by his fellows; only this one, so far as I know, has the older breed of man abandon himself, that is to say, change his ways with the changing of the times.Clint Eastwood is a decent actor, not a great one.
His role is a neat twist on the trope of the 'reluctant hero'; Fletcher is a reluctant villain.The ending of THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES is the most beautiful and poetic of any in western movie history, maybe the most beautiful of any movie ever.
Eastwood's character doesn't speak much but utters a handful of memorable lines.The central character played by Eastwood is given fine support by an excellent ensemble cast including Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney and most of all John Vernon.
"The Outlaw Josie Wales" was made by Clint Eastwood at a time when westerns were out of favor and the public wanted more of Clint as Dirty Harry.
This film as it turned out, was one of Clint's best and certainly ranks up there with the more popular "Unforgiven" (1992).Josie Wales (Eastwood) is a dirt farmer in Missouri during the American Civil War. One day a group of yankee raiders led by Captain "Red Legs" Terrill (Bill McKinny) attacks and burns his farm and murders his wife and young son while leaving Josie for dead.
But finally Terrill and his group of "Red Legs" tracks Josie down and..........Eastwood who also directed the movie, plays Wales with his usual grim faced persons.
Certainly Clint Eastwood's best complete movie, the story of a man drawn into hell by the inhumanity of others (specifically, the Redlegs and the Senator), who is redeemed by the humanity of others (the settlers, Lone Wattie and Ten Bears) to recover some semblance of a life after the Civil War.
All in all, a brilliant bit of film from Eastwood (who clearly learned everything he could from his own directors, and then combined that knowledge into superb craftsmanship of his own.)   It is interesting to contrast the Jose Wales and Billy Munny (from Unforgiven) characters.
It is more focused and more genuinely evocative of mood than Nevada Smith, which its story may faintly call to mind; it seems less overtly "Hollywooden" than that film, too.Westerns that stand in stature alongside Josey Wales: The Searchers, One Eyed Jacks, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Fort Apache, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
(Those who've seen Jimmy Stewart break down in tears of moral anguish in one of the aforementioned films-- or watched Randolph Scott use up all his ammo in a standoff on some matter of principal so imperative that he cannot move until the thing plays itself out, however that may be-- know exactly what I mean.)Another thing I like: Whenever you get too comfy within the environment of this film --as you did, say, in the late John Wayne westerns, after he had become such a franchise-- along comes some major shock or disappointment or unbearably poignant bit to remind you that the model of this film is, after all, real life, where these kinds of thing happens all the time.-----------------------May I add a spoiler at this point?
Sixteen years before the unforgettable Unforgiven (1992), Eastwood delivered this genre classic, at a time where New Hollywood had confidently taken over and, outside of Italy's fledgling film industry, Western was no longer on the agenda.
Overlong but splendid Western well played and directed by Clint Eastwood as a farmer turns outlaw when Union soldiers kill his family.
A Missouri peaceful farmer named Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) whose family is killed by ¨Red Legs¨, a bunch of pillaging outlaws who have allied themselves with the Union Army ; he then turns vigilante .
Then Wales in turn has a price on his head and joins a Confederate guerrilla unit to revenge their deaths and winds up on the run along with a motley group (Sam Bottoms , Chief Dan George , Sondra Locke) from the Union soldiers who murdered his family and undertaking a lethal chase .The picture compellingly describes the atmosphere of violence set in post-Civil War ; in which women have few rights, and took place confrontation among bands and bloody battles .
Colorful and adequate cinematography shot in Panavision by Bruce Surtees , great cameraman Robert Surtees's son.This masterpiece of characterization , adventure and action was efficiently directed by Clint Eastwood ; however , the movie received mixed reviews on its release .
For starters, the film is based on a novel, and it is also known that Eastwood fired the man who was going to direct it (Philip Kaufman, also the screenwriter) when the project was already in an advanced stage.Clint Eastwood stars as Josie Whales, a pacific farmer who sees his family killed during the American Civil war, and who, not having any good reason to live but to achieve revenge, joins the suddist irregulars.
A series of events turn him into a fugitive, with literally every bounty hunter in the territory after him, and his dry, sullen persona starts to evolve as his journey towards Kansas progresses and he joins some of the most peculiar travel partners ever to grace a western: a young kid (Sam Bottons), a disenchanted Indian chief (Chief Dan George), an Indian woman who speaks in an unintelligible tongue, a dog, a puritan woman and her aloof young daughter (played by Sondra Locke, future companion and regular screen partner of Eastwood).It is a wonderful film, really, but as I said it is VERY strange.
Wales is teared apart, as the film goes, between his desire for revenge and thus ending with his inner torment, and the newly found desire to reintegrate to society (he's been a loner for years as the film starts), as he founds himself as the leader of some sort of dysfunctional, even interracial, family.This inner conflict is also transferred to the film itself, which seems to eternally debate between historical (and genre) accuracy (this must be the most "historical" of all Eastwood films, as it is based on historical events and several real figures like Quantril are mentioned) and Eastwood's desire to short-circuit it with dry humour and anti-archeotypical character allegiances.This alone should make it a must see for all westerns aficionados, but it should also be noted that this is one of Eastwood's finest directing efforts.
This version of Eastwood is perhaps a little too ineffectual for us to fully accept his transition to a hard-hearted badass, but enough happens in the meantime to make us forget the prologue, only for to be reminded of it in the picture's final act as some surreal dream of the life that once was, with renewed impact.As an actor, Clint Eastwood was of course born to play the tough-jawed Clint Eastwood type, but he handles the more peaceable aspects of the Josey Wales character with rather mixed success.
Overall, we follow him as the war turns him from a simple farmer into the most wanted man in the west.You can always count on a strong lead performance from any film that has Clint Eastwood's name at the top of the actor's credit list, and The Outlaw Josey Whales certainly doesn't disappoint in that respect.
The Outlaw Josey Wales has it all...action and adventure woven into a great story with great settings, brilliant acting by a ensemble cast of memorable characters, and is beautifully filmed, costumed, and decorated with an eye for detail and authenticity.Needless to say, I would definitely rate this film a '10' and recommend it to all..
It seems the only real criticism of this wonderful western (Eastwood's best), and one of my all time favorites is that it presents the Union as the bad guys and the south as the good guys.
Missouri farmer Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) joins a Confederate guerrilla unit after his family was murdered.
One of the greatest Westerns of the seventies, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" is not only a compelling revenge tale with plenty of typical Eastwood badassery, but is also a superb character study and offers much food for thought regarding wartime morality and even race relations among other topics.
His symbolic marriage to the 'flower child' (Laura Turner, played by Sondra Locke) is the final signal that America MUST heal itself, the hawks and the doves are not, in the end, enemies, but must reconcile.The Outlaw Josey Wales is, simply, a fantastic and beautiful movie, one that must be seen and experienced repeatedly by anyone who claims to be a fan of the genre.
He intervenes and kills many union soldiers before making his escape with one still living friend and then the story of the movie starts.Even though he has little to live for Josey decides to head for Mexico and hopefully a life of peace but a $5000 bounty on his head ensures trouble all along the way.
Eastwood Is Always An Inspiring Western Figure...This Time It's The Outlaw Josey Wales!.
Since I am a Clint Eastwood, I couldn't say no to this great western, especially one that Eastwood personally directed and personally acted out the role of Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer who becomes a wanted outlaw.
I thought UNFORGIVEN was one of the best films/westerns I had seen in a long time but now I know Eastwood was clearly self-referencing the superior THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, an American masterpiece that everyone should make an effort to see..
The film is a revenge tale set at the end of the American civil war, which, rather than exploring the cause of a War, explores what War causes in people - in a more than impressive manner.Josey Wales (Eastwood) is a farmer, who, after his wife and kids get massacred by Redlegs (Kansas Unionist guerrillas during the civil War), vengefully joins the Confederate Guerillas of Bloody Bill Anderson.
As in some of his other Westerns, Eastwood's character of Josey Wales is on friendly terms with Native Americans.
Eastwood's then-girlfriend Sondra Locke fits greatly in the role of the innocent beauty, Paula Trueman is one of the funny characters as her constantly nagging grandmother, Bill McKinley is sardonic as the murderous Terrill and John Vernon (who played the role of the mayor in "Dirty Harry") is great as Fletcher, a fellow former guerrilla who unwillingly has to pursuit Wales.
Outlaw Josey Wales and Pale Rider are my favorite Eastwood western movies.
I saw this film at least 15 years ago and many times since, it never fails to provide entertainment,and thought provoking subject matter on  society, war, relationships and even race bigotry,set against the american civil war, it shows how one ordinary farmer can be sucked into a whirlwind of hate and revenge but still  come  out  the  other  side  with  his  humanity intact, there is plenty of action  and  character  interraction  along  the way,with  more  than  a  little  humour, beautifully  filmed  and  more intelligent  than the  perhaps more popular spaghetti westerns, this is a better  film  than oscar winning  The  Unforgiven..
If I had a favorite among Clint Eastwood westerns it's a tie between Joe Kidd and The Outlaw Josey Wales.
If I was planning a personal Clint Eastwood festivals, these two would be my western choices.Clint's a bitter man in this film and how he became The Outlaw Josey Wales is part of the story here.
It's part of what makes the film so poignant in its way, much more so than Clint Eastwood's films normally are.In a decade which certainly saw fewer and fewer westerns being made, The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of the two or three best to come out of the Seventies.
As The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint Eastwood is ideal as a wary, fast drawing loner, akin to the "Man with no name" from his European westerns.
The Outlaw Josey Wales was released in 1976 and it stars Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke & John Vernon.
Many certainly will think about Josey Wales, exceptional western directed and starring by Clint Eastwood.
It's a great movie and Clint Eastwood have here one of his best performances, matched only years later in 1992 when he realized "Unforgiven" and won an Oscar..
A classic western filmed mostly in Utah and filled with nonstop gun play, humor, romance, and some of the best one liners in any Western to date.Josey Wales was dragged into the depths of hell during the civil war as his family was killed by union troops.
Clint Eastwood's 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' is a most unconventional Western 'road movie'.
He is terrifically supported by Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, John Vernon, Sam Bottoms, Geraldine Keams and Paula Truman.To say the least, Clint Eastwood has delivered another unique Western gem which is among his best works..
The ending confrontation between Fletcher and Wales is one of the best out of not just the Western genre, but films in general.
Starring Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Lock, John Vernon, Bill McKinney, and several other talented actors and actresses, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" is a very well-written and well-directed Western movie.
It probably was just thrown in because Sondra Locke (Clint Eastwood's at-the-time girlfriend) was part of the cast."The Outlaw Josey Wales" is one of my favorite Westerns and probably Eastwood's second-best work on the Western movie genre.
Many films were made about the people of Missouri and Kansas after the civil war, but "Josey Wales" is my favorite, specially because of the last scenes, which show a light at the end of the tunnel.
I think it would have come out even better if Kaufman had stayed, I liked his style and Eastwood in my opinion is not as great a director of westerns as he is an actor.
Clint is excellent in the title role, and I like Josey Wales as a character perhaps more than any other Eastwood incarnation because he's human, has a heart, and never pulls his gun on anybody who hasn't drawn a gun on him first.
This movie is about a lot more than the post-Civil War period.Wales had a long, violent journey to find people he could make peace with and want to give his life serving.The texture of this film was deep and rich with fine colorful characterizations from Eastwood's supporting cast, particularly the Lone Waite and Fletcher parts.
I have never seen a Western the likes of 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'.
Clint Eastwood is at his best as an actor (and I think he also directed this?) Anyway if you like westerns check this one out, great drama and action and he is awesome as Josey Wales in this..
Warner Brothers executive David Geffen was correct, the film needed to be trimmed a bit.The Outlaw Josey Wales has long been regarded as the last great western set during and in the aftermath of the American Civil War.Josey Wales, a Missouri farmer watched his family being murdered by Union militants.
I haven't seen that many Clint Eastwood westerns (outside of the Leone films, Unforgiven, Two Mules for Sister Sara, and High Plains Drifter), but I remember this one from about a month and a half ago, and like Eastwood's best, I got drawn into the story, and into the sympathies of the lead character, which I felt was the strong-point under the actor/director's control: a farmer, who's moved on from his old days, is living in the woods with his family.
It is an awesome film acted n directed by Eastwood with awesome star cast, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, etc.
Clint Eastwood's classic best western masterpiece ever done with a ton of great one liners!.
In addition, if you're not able to take a Clint Eastwood's best classic western masterpiece film with a ton of great one liners , ignore this review, as well.
I love this film and it is my fifth favorite Clint Eastwood western movie.
Clint Eastwood's "The Outlaw Josey Wales" is a strange and daring Western that brings together two of the genre's usually incompatible story lines.
The Western Genre has been good to Clint Eastwood, making him a star.
The acting throughout is strong, there is complex characterisation and characters do actually change during the course of the film.The Outlaw Josey Wales is a great Western, able to match the likes of The Dollars Trilogy and Unforgiven.
Many fans regard THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES as Eastwood's best western, although for me it's a toss-up between this, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and UNFORGIVEN.