The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales is a near flawless Western with a great cast of actors. Directed by Clint Eastwood who also plays the lead role of Josey Wales, This is a classic Western that is packed with effective story telling, good action, memorable characters and… More
  Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales is a near flawless Western with a great cast of actors. Directed by Clint Eastwood who also plays the lead role of Josey Wales, This is a classic Western that is packed with effective story telling, good action, memorable characters and above all, great directing. I very much enjoyed this film, and though it's not as legendary as Sergio Leone's Westerns, this is still a classic of the genre. Clint Eastwood delivers a great performance alongside Chief Dan George. The Outlaw Josey Wales is a great tale of revenge and payback. I think it's a subject that suits Clint Eastwood well, and he doesn't disappoint. This is a well crafted film with a great cast, great performances and an engaging story. If you're a Clint Eastwood fan, then you really should give this one a shot. This is a superb Western, and it will please fans of the genre. I really enjoyed John Vernon's performance as Fletcher, the man hunting down Josey Wales. Both Eastwood and Vernon light up the screen, and it's what makes this film so good. Combine that with a great story, and you have yet another Western classic. If you enjoy exciting Westerns, then this is the film for you. The cast is great, and the story is always exciting, and the performances are top notch. The Outlaw Josey Wales is a great film, and directed by Clint Eastwood, you can expect an excellent film for sure. If you love Eastwood's work, then don't miss out on this one. A must see for Eastwood fans.

• moon r

  
  A typical horse opera with Eastwood as the stranger you better not mess with, only different, yea charged, with the blithe spirit of Chief Dan George as the unlikely second banana, who manages to lift the usual proceedings single-handedly into 4 star territory.

• Chris W

  
  This film plays very fast and loose with both history and geography, but that aside, this is a very thrilling and rousing western adventure. The story concerns a Missouri farmer named Josey Wales who joins up with Confederate bushwhackers after Jayhawkers kill his family and destroy… More
  This film plays very fast and loose with both history and geography, but that aside, this is a very thrilling and rousing western adventure. The story concerns a Missouri farmer named Josey Wales who joins up with Confederate bushwhackers after Jayhawkers kill his family and destroy his farm. Once the war ends, the same man responsible for killing his family is also responsible for killing all of his fellow bushwhackers in a double cross when they decide to surrender and pledge loyalty to the Union. Wales, still bitter, decides not to surrender, but then finds himself the target of a manhunt after fighting back during the double cross. The rest of the film follows him as he makes his way out west to get on with his life, and meets up with an interesting assortment of people along the way, despite his desire to be left alone. Despite the aforementioned issues, this is a revisionist western that, in a surprising move (surprising for the 1970s) offers a rather sensible portrayal of Native Americans, by showing them in a way that isn't often seen enough in media depictions. The characters are interesting, pretty well developed, and the action is well done and shows the weariness that war can cause. I wasn't expecting the film to have any humor, but there's some really good gags here, and they actually fit in pretty well with the rest of the material. The cinematograpy is great, the sets and costumes rock, and it's all highly enjoyable. Give this one a watch. It's awesome.

• Reid V

  
  While not perfect by any means, Eastwood manages to pull off an anti-war western. It is superbly shot and visually very enthralling compared to many of his other works. While I cannot for the life of me understand why he always chose to work with Sandra Locke all of those years, she… More
  While not perfect by any means, Eastwood manages to pull off an anti-war western. It is superbly shot and visually very enthralling compared to many of his other works. While I cannot for the life of me understand why he always chose to work with Sandra Locke all of those years, she is actually pretty good here. What makes the film suffer is that Eastwood attempts to take on too much. Not only is he making an anti-war statement at the end of the Vietnam War, he also wants to say something about the Native American, and on top of this he throws in a love story. While all of these are great things to take on over a series of films, it is too much for one. Although it has it's share of imperfections, it is none the less a great watch.

• Sajin P

  
  When Mr.Clintwood is out for revenge, you know there's no stopping him. The journey of Josey Wales is an epic ride filled with adventure, action and wit.

• Ken S

  
  Kind of like every western that came out of the 70's, and done really well, but Eastwood proves he's no Leone.

• Tim S

  
  A beautifully-shot harsh western that was made by an American in America in the '70s and not by an Italian film director for a change. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's what makes this particular film stand out. It's not exactly perfect (I felt… More
  A beautifully-shot harsh western that was made by an American in America in the '70s and not by an Italian film director for a change. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's what makes this particular film stand out. It's not exactly perfect (I felt it runs just a bit too long, particularly toward the middle) but it's a nice glimpse of what was to come a couple of decades later in "Unforgiven".

• Thomas J

  
  I understand how Clint Eastwood built a career from portraying characters like this. His performance is great. The movie is a typical Western in that all the gunfights actually takes away from the story for me, but Westerns are my my favorite genre.

• Conner R

  
  Clint Eastwood does a great job at getting a very different looking western than you usually see, most of it taking place in Missouri. It also has a completely different pace then you might expect, it takes its time and gradually eases you into this very unique story. It's not… More
  Clint Eastwood does a great job at getting a very different looking western than you usually see, most of it taking place in Missouri. It also has a completely different pace then you might expect, it takes its time and gradually eases you into this very unique story. It's not just a revenge tale, it's more about seeking justice and finding out what it means to become a legend. Josey Wales isn't the trigger happy gunslinger you might expect, he's a lot more human and compassionate. While this is not my favorite Clint Eastwood western, it's a great movie that doesn't seem to get enough credit.

• Randy T

  
  Arguably Eastwood's most underrated western. Had it been made at the end of his career, as was <i>Unforgiven</i>, I dare say that THIS might be the film everyone talks about.

• Jason O

  
  I prefer this western to all the ones in the Dollars series, personally. Has more of a drama touch to it and you can never go wrong with Eastwood anyway.

• Michael G

  
  The Outlaw Josey Wales is a just decent movie. Nothing really stood out here for me but at the same time it wasn't horrible. Clint Eastwood had some great one-liners and his chemistry with Chief Dan George was great. Oh, and I liked how Sondra Locke was supposed to be retarded.… More
  The Outlaw Josey Wales is a just decent movie. Nothing really stood out here for me but at the same time it wasn't horrible. Clint Eastwood had some great one-liners and his chemistry with Chief Dan George was great. Oh, and I liked how Sondra Locke was supposed to be retarded. Or... slow. Overall I thought the movie was kind of all over the place between the revolving door of characters and Eastwood's developing directorial style. The cast was great even if the story was a bit on the bare bones side.

• danny d

  
  a solid early directing job by eastwood. the evolution of the title character from farmer to outlaw was extremely lacking, but the rest of the story was engaging and the characters were fun despite some fairly average acting. solid western.

• Dean !

  
  One of the best westerns ever.

• xGary X

  
  Yet another great western from Clint, he directs with real conviction probably more in the no nonsense style of Don "Dirty Harry" Siegel than Leone, but the result is an affecting and hugely likeable story. Josey Wales is a farmer who joins the southern rebels when his… More
  Yet another great western from Clint, he directs with real conviction probably more in the no nonsense style of Don "Dirty Harry" Siegel than Leone, but the result is an affecting and hugely likeable story. Josey Wales is a farmer who joins the southern rebels when his family is butchered by unionist raiders, only to see his friends murdered when they try to surrender at the end of the war. While on the run from their now state sanctioned killers, he encounters and befriends an entourage of oddballs and misfits who become his surrogate family. The first half hour is a fairly generic revenge western, but things come to life at the appearance of Chief Dan George, who brings real warmth and humour to his character, a kind of deconstructed portrait of the noble savage who is dismayed at his waning powers when faced with old age and "civilisation". Clint is also at his laconic best, of course adept at the machismo-fuelled gunplay, but also bringing real humanity to a man who finds more to live for than vengeance. Great stuff.

• Dean M

  
  A sweeping Western, impressively directed by its star.

• Mister C

  
  One of the highest grossing movies of 1976,this Clint Eastwood western is among his finest work.

• Dillon L

  
  Clint Eastwood certainly knows how to effectively bring a genre back from the dead into a revisionist picture. I think he later improved on this concept greaty in Pale Rider and Unforgiven, but an interesting film worth watching.

• Cameron J

  
  Anyone else here that title and think of the chorus of "Jesse's Girl"? Well, if you are, then I probably wouldn't sing it to Clint Eastwood. A cheesy, parody song? No one parodies Clint Eastwood but Clint Eastwood? But seriously though, Eastwood's booming… More
  Anyone else here that title and think of the chorus of "Jesse's Girl"? Well, if you are, then I probably wouldn't sing it to Clint Eastwood. A cheesy, parody song? No one parodies Clint Eastwood but Clint Eastwood? But seriously though, Eastwood's booming debut into the then-budding revisionist western genre boast the solid elements of the traditional western, but keeps it unique in very interesting ways. Still, it is hurt by forced events, slowness and a deal of overdrawn points. In spite of this, the film features offbeat elements, great cinematography, excellent production designs, good humor, snappy dialogue, colorful characters, fine action sequences and solid performances, This film shows how much Eastwood has matured as a director and an actor. As a director, he's proven himself capable of combining drama with action, making the action more tense, since we have more investment in the characters. However, that's not to say that he doesn't execute humor and self-parody sharply. This shows his strength as a director and as an actor, as he retains the essence of his trademark "Man With No Name" role, but by developing his character just enough and even incorporating some genuine emoting, he contradicts the role in an interesting way, somehow retaining mystery and uniqueness. Another impressive twist on the role: Eastwood incorporates sharp satire on the role, but is subtle enough to where you can still take him seriously. Well, if cool, ominous gunslinger of all cool, ominous gunslingers want you to take him serious, you "will" take him seriously. But seriously though, this is truly a defining performance for him as a director and as an actor. Ultimately, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" may not be the hardest-hitting western epic, but remains an entertaining, well-acted and amusing when not an action-packed milestone in Eastwood's career.

• Dannielle A

  
  Was the nudity in the rape scene really necessary? I think that if you're trying to show the horror of women being exploited like that, feeding the sick lustful desires of movie goers who derive pleasure from seeing a woman being taken advantage of is counterproductive. I have no… More
  Was the nudity in the rape scene really necessary? I think that if you're trying to show the horror of women being exploited like that, feeding the sick lustful desires of movie goers who derive pleasure from seeing a woman being taken advantage of is counterproductive. I have no problem with the rest of the movie... it's fun, clever and quotable.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings