One of Clint Eastwood's earliest movies as a director and a pretty fine example of a classic western. The story going that a Missouri man ends up joining Confederate guerrillas after a bunch of pillaging Yankees burn down his home and his family with it. After the war he finds himself wandering aimlessly, while being pursued by the last remaining dregs of the opposing army, only to meet a group of unlikely people, who all end up travelling towards the same destination.What I like the most about this film is its atmosphere, its mood. The eponymous Josey Wales grows into an almost mythic character in Eastwood's hands. There are multiple great scenes that deepen not only his character, but the archetype behind that character. Especially the scene with the Native Americans in the final third. Fits the character perfectly, while also revealing a whole new side of him.The film is also shot well, told well and has some fine music to add, as well as pleasing action scenes. Admittedly the overall plot can be a bit all over the place, mainly just following Wales around as he tries to find purpose in his life, but it never quite crosses over to being boring or not interesting.I like this. One of the better westerns I've seen in my life an a clear sign that Eastwood has always known what he's doing behind the camera.

This is not a bad film, but I honestly have to say it's not the best western I've seen. I am not sure why several reviewers here have written that. To each his own I guess. I am currently cycling through all of Clint Eastwood's westerns in chronological order...some I've seen many times, others I've never seen before....to date, there's only one or two I liked less than Josey Wales.Now again, it's not bad. I think it's good enough that I'm giving it 7 1/2 stars. But here's the plot in a real quick nutshell: A man on the run from bounty hunters and soldiers tries to make his way to Indian territory so he can disappear. Along the way he picks up a collection of misfits who all eventually prove useful in one capacity or another. Mix in a lot of comic relief and ....that's pretty much it. And to me, well, that just isn't all that great.Sure, the beginning was intense, and there were a few good action sequences, but there was too much time devoted to the journey and the ever-expanding motley crew joining the pack. This film was as much about the various misfits (and their backstories, and their potential futures) as it was about Josey Wales himself. Also, there's not a lot of action. For a western exceeding two hours, it was too long of a movie to have such little action, especially after the opening credits. When I think western, I think the Dollars trilogy, or 'Unforgiven,' heck 'The Magnificent Seven' beats this hands down. This was all about 'the journey,' or as some have said, of Josey 'regaining his humanity.' Whatever. But it wasn't really a western, not in the spirit of the Dollars trilogy or even of 'High Plains Drifter.' When you think 'western,' you usually don't think "I want to watch a film about a guy regaining his humanity with the help of misfit strangers he reluctantly takes into what forms as a surrogate family." Take that for what it is, but it's not what I was expecting. I suspect people who count this among their favorite westerns aren't big fans of westerns in general. I am not sure, but what I can say is...it's not one of mine.7.5/10. Good enough for a 2nd viewing. But if I really want to see a fantastic western I would pick 'For a Few Dollars More' any day. And twice on Sunday.

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. Hell bent on revenge, Wales joins a band of Confederate guerrilla fighters. After the war, all the fighters apart from Wales surrender to Union officers who massacre them.Wales becomes an outlaw and an ace marksman. He is pursued both by bounty hunters and Unionist soldiers. As Wales attempts to head for Mexico he is befriended by an old Indian, a mangy dog and a young Indian woman. Wales slowly regains his humanity.Philip Kaufman co-wrote the screenplay and was slated to direct the film. He was fired by Eastwood part way through. I think it would had been a better film with Kaufman.When you see a movie over forty years after its initial release, you see it differently. This is an elegiac film with a lot of humour between Eastwood and Chief Dan George. Despite the action set up, it moves at times at a leisurely pace.Kaufman was unhappy with the source novel's political stance. Once again we have a film set in the civil war where the Unionist soldiers are seen as despicable. The pro slavery Confederates being painted as honourable and wronged.I did have problems as to how Wales goes on from being an ordinary farmer to such a sharpshooter. There is also a libertarian message that seems to be more anti government which reflects Eastwood's views somewhat. The Indian nations might have little issues with such a message given how they kept losing their land. Does this also mean I have a right to keep this black man as a slave and the big bad government has denied me this right?

I want to think that Clint Eastwood's steely-eyed glare is all an act. I met him once at a charity event, he was very quiet and stood off by himself in a dark corner, as though people were afraid to come near him. So the stoic, terse character that he basically duplicates in every film probably comes from some well of personal experience; like Tom Cruise, he's more of a screen presence than an actor.The story here rambles, and keeps rambling, long after you wonder why all this manpower has been devoted to capturing one person, and also why everyone across all the southern and midwestern states knows his name. The acting is hit and miss; some of them blend in very well like John Vernon, others are terrible like Chief Dan George, who seems to have ignored any script he might have read. I get it, he was old, but so was Jessica Tandy and she knew her roles like a pro. In the end, Josey Wales is as invincible as any main character who is magically impervious to bullets, and on top of that he can negotiate a peace treaty with a blue-faced native American who speaks perfect English. Along the way he picks up a rag-tag band of misfits and a doe-eyed Sondra Locke, who says maybe three words during the entire film; Eastwood wanted her pretty and silent.In the end the film is just as frustrating and unsatisfying as the Missouri Breaks, another 1970s movie about unconventional anti-heroes. You know, that Sam Bottoms was a terrible actor.