The Outlaw Josey Wales
US 1976 Directed by Clint Eastwood
A lot of folk consider this Eastwood's best western and whilst I myself wouldn't go that far it is a mighty fine movie that should be seen by anyone interested in westerns or merely wanting to see a great movie.
When the movie was originally released one critic called it - DEATH WISH on the plains which was a direct reference to Michael Winner's poor though successful revenge movie starring Charles Bronson.
However today the film is seen as the ultimate post-Vietnam revisionist western. The film's healing message is ironic given that the source material was a short story written by Earl Carter, a bigoted Klu Klux Klan chapter leader who famously penned the segregation forever speech for Governor George Wallace.
Eastwood was ignorant to that fact when he bought the film rights and in his hand he turned the story of a Southerner who refuses to surrender after the Civil War into a beautiful and reflective look at the meaning of friendship. In particular the friendship of family.The movie does not shy away from extreme violence but it the same time it is an optimistic and humorous story.
An excellent western that still plays as well today as it ever did and Chief Dan George steals every scene he's in with Eastwood's blessing.
THE WISDOM OF LONE WATIE (Chief Dan George) -
"I myself never surrendered but they got my horse and it surrendered."
"I am an Indian all right but they call us the civilised tribe. They call us civilised because we are easy to sneak up on. White men have been sneaking up on us for years."
Eastwood has directed several classic westerns but along with The Unforgiven this must rate as his finest moment as both star and director.
Trivia: There was a 1986 unofficial sequel of sorts made called The Return of Josey Wales which was directed by Michael Parks (pictured below) who also played Wales.
But it sucked real bad-nuff said on that one.
3 comments:
This one is definitely in my top 3 to 5 western movies. I watch it every time I get a chance. I've read the origiinal novel and it is really bad. This is one case of a movie that really did the book several better.
For me this was the last Clint Eastwood western I wanted really to watch (and I LOVE Clint Eastwood so that's saying something). I never enjoyed any of his later westerns. I think Josey Wales is a great film and I remember reading the book when I was about 14 and thinking it was actually better than the film, if that's possible.
Jo
I love this film. It's actually the first western I watched as a kid from Eastwood. That turned me on to watching all his other stuff.
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