The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writers:

Forrest Carter (book)
Philip Kaufman (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 June 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Thriller | Western

Tagline:

...an army of one.

Plot:

A Missouri farmer joins a Confederate guerilla unit and winds up on the run from the Union soldiers who murdered his family.

Plot Keywords:

Farmer | Vengeance | Confederate | Missouri | Surrender

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Josey Wales
Chief Dan George	...	Lone Watie
Sondra Locke	...	Laura Lee
Bill McKinney	...	Terrill
John Vernon	...	Fletcher
Paula Trueman	...	Grandma Sarah
Sam Bottoms	...	Jamie
Geraldine Keams	...	Little Moonlight
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Carpetbagger
Joyce Jameson	...	Rose
Sheb Wooley	...	Travis Cobb
Royal Dano	...	Ten Spot
Matt Clark	...	Kelly (as Matt Clarke)
John Verros	...	Chato
Will Sampson	...	Ten Bears

Also Known As:

Der Texaner (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Josey Wales hors-la-loi (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Øje for øje (Denmark) [da]
Den laglösa (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Ekdikitis ektos nomou (Greece) [el]
El fuera de la ley (Spain) [es]
El fugitivo Josey Wales (Argentina) [es]
Il texano dagli occhi di ghiaccio (Italy) [it]
Josey Wales - O Fora da Lei (Brazil) [pt]
Lainsuojaton (Finland) [fi]
Mannen utanför lagen (Sweden) [sv]
O Rebelde do Kansas (Portugal) [pt]
Odmetnik Dzouzi Vejls (Serbia) [sr]
Razbunarea lui Josey Wales (Romania) [ro]

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:16 | Norway:16 (1976) (heavily cut) | Peru:18 | Argentina:Atp (re-rating) | Argentina:16 (original rating) | Canada:14A | Finland:K-18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (edited tv version) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | UK:AA (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Australia:MA (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Glen Canyon, Utah, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

Because of Chief Dan George's age, he would have trouble remembering his lines so during takes, Clint Eastwood would begin to mouth his lines without realizing it and had to be told to stop because it would ruin the take.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The use of metallic cartridge conversion revolvers that did not exist until well after the war. The pistol that Wales retrieved from the ruins of his house was not offered until 1871. Other conversion guns also pop up throughout the film.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Josey's wife: Little Josey! C'mon in, let's get you cleaned up!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2001: A Space Travesty (2000)

Love, Hate, Revenge, Forgiveness, Sorrow, Life, Death.

Love, hate, revenge, forgiveness, sorrow, life, death, emargination, racism, the uselessness of war, betrayal, redemption, solidarity, friendship. Not many films manage to deal competently with even just one of these topics. This masterpiece deals with all. Within the first 4 or 5 minutes (even before the opening credits) one has already been exposed to more force and emotion than most films can pack up in 90 minutes.

By the end of the 2 hrs 10 minutes of this film one would have lived through tour-de-force highlighted by memorable climaxes and showdowns featuring some of the most striking dialogue in cinematic history... "dying ain't no way to make a living". 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. John Vernon plays a character called Fletcher who turns out to be one of the most complex characters I have ever come across. His motivations and true intentions are never quite clear. He comes across as a bit of a Judas figure and yet he still retains his humanity as the script and Eastwood as the director never truly judge Fletcher, leaving the viewer to judge for him or herself. Almost every character is memorable and every performance fits in place.

The action is sudden and explosive and not always expected. The film takes many twists and turns, yet every twist is a natural consequence of the situations and characters in the film. Ultimately one is left with a truly rich cinematic experience which should appeal to more than just fans of the Western genre. Its themes of suffering and the consequences of evil acts is still sadly relevant in today's world - a world in which not all wars are won by the good guys and in which the good are sometimes persecuted by those who win these wars.

When thinking of the best pre-credit sequences ever forget most others... this should be your best bet.