The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) Review

 

A Missouri farmer Josey Wales, turns outlaw after his family is brutally murdered by pro-Union militants. Pursued by bounty hunters and soldiers alike, Josey gathers a makeshift family of outcasts and survivors on his journey south.

Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales remains one of the finest examples of the revisionist Western - a gritty, mournful tale of revenge, redemption, and reluctant companionship. Set against the ravaged backdrop of post-Civil War America. Eastwood not only delivers one of his most nuanced performances as the grizzled, quietly tormented Wales but also directs with assured, unhurried pacing, allowing both the action and human moments to breathe. Arguably better and more rounded that than The High Plains Drifter and Pale Rider. With Bruce Surtees' cinematography the film's naturalistic landscapes and practical period detail enrich the melancholic, elegiac tone throughout complimented by Jerry Fielding's score.

Among an excellent cast, Chief Dan George is outstanding as Lone Watie, providing both humour and heartfelt wisdom in a role that avoids stereotype. Will Sampson offers strong support as Ten Bears, whose dignity and commanding presence lend gravity to one of the film's pivotal scenes. John Vernon makes for a complex figure as Fletcher, Josey's former friend turned unwilling antagonist, bringing moral conflict and depth to their fractured relationship.

Sam Bottoms gives an affecting turn as Jamie, the young Confederate soldier who's taken in by Wales. His eventual demise is handled with genuine poignancy, a moment that underscores the film's meditation on loss and loyalty. Notable too is John Davis Chandler as one of the grim bounty hunters, his sinewy menace fitting neatly into Eastwood's rugged frontier world.

The film's blend of visceral shootouts, thoughtful dialogue, and unvarnished violence holds up as one of Eastwood's finest directorial achievements. If, pre-Unforgiven, the aforementioned were considered Eastwood's directing Western trilogy, The Outlaw Josey Wales would debatably be the strongest.

Written by Phil Kaufman and Sonia Chernus, with its sombre atmosphere, memorable characters, and striking set pieces, The Outlaw Josey Wales stands as both a classic Western and a quietly subversive commentary on the futility of vengeance and the search for belonging.