Rent The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Eastwood's Best Film - The Outlaw Josey Wales review by GI

This remains one of Clint Eastwood's finest achievements as an actor but more importantly as a director. For me it's a superior film to his award winning Unforgiven (1992) but that maybe just a personal opinion. Here his style is strongly influenced by his collaborations with Sergio Leone and evidence of Leone's close ups juxtapositioned with wide shots just before explosive action litter the film. Based on a celebrated novel (Gone To Texas - a very good read by the way) this western is set at the close of the Civil War. Rebel guerrilla fighter Josey Wales refuses to surrender as he's still filled with hatred following the massacre of his family earlier in the war and shown in the pre-credits scenes. Hunted by the Union army and lawmen he makes his way to Texas collecting a motley bunch of companions along the way including an old Indian, Lone Watie, brilliantly played by Chief Dan George in a tour de force performance that is funny and warm, he is the heart of the film. Sondra Locke, who later appeared in many of Eastwood's films, also appears as a young girl rescued by Josey during his journey. The film is littered with great characters and there's a real feel for the time and history making this one of the great westerns and it certainly ranks alongside John Ford and Howard Hawks films. There's some neat yet slightly restrained violence and a real heartfelt story. This is a masterpiece and definitely a film all real enthusiasts should make sure they see.

Brilliant - The Outlaw Josey Wales review by sb

I think this is the best film, Clint Eastwood directed.

Riveting from start to finish. 

great story and acting- quirky, obscure side to the American civil war. 

Revenge, Ragtag Family, and a Rough Ride - The Outlaw Josey Wales review by griggs

It’s a solid, slightly lumpy Western that I enjoyed while it was on. It just didn’t linger as a favourite afterwards. When it’s in the saddle — ambushes, shootouts, Eastwood doing that flinty moral arithmetic — it really works, and the landscapes give it grit and scale. In between, the pacing goes stop-start and a few turns are easy to see coming.

The best stuff is the slow shift from revenge mission to scruffy found-family tale. Chief Dan George brings real warmth and wit, and Sondra Locke steadies the film when it threatens to drift. Give me Josey trading barbs at a ramshackle stopover over yet another “plot point” any day.

There’s also baggage you can’t unknow: it’s adapted from a novel credited to “Forrest Carter”, later revealed as Asa Earl Carter — a segregationist and KKK organiser — which adds an uneasy hum to the myth-making. And behind the scenes, Philip Kaufman was originally set to direct before Eastwood sacked him. Worth a watch, just not top-shelf Eastwood.