Review of The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) by Ben L — 30 Jun 2014

It takes some guts to make a Western where a Confederate soldier is the hero and the Union army are the bad guys. They pull it off relatively well by having the Union soldiers do multiple despicable acts to Josey and his friends. These awful acts of the Union also offer a strong revenge motivation behind Josey's service in the war, so they don't have to address any political leanings in the characters. Josey Wales is a man who had everything he cared about taken from him, so he learns to fight and vows to take out the men who took his family. Along the way he faces a lot of opposition including bounty hunters, slick salesmen, and Native Americans. But he also attracts a number of admirers and companions. It's an interesting tale of a man who wants revenge but also seems to just want to be left alone. I love Clint Eastwood's portrayal of the titular character, because he has perfected that no-nonsense look as if he is always in control and opposing him is foolish. He also hints at a decent amount of emotion behind his eyes. He might seem calm and composed, but there are times when you can see that he really cares about the people around him. Perhaps the longest and most developed relationship in the film is between Josey and Lone Watie (played by Chief Dan George.) They have a nice comedic banter between them that I absolutely loved, and this built into a strong bond where the 2 characters trust one another implicitly and can almost predict what the other will do.

I must admit that there were some slower scenes in this film. I wasn't to the point of boredom or anything, but I was itching for some action at times. Don't get me wrong, I like the character development scenes, but there were times where it felt like nothing of value was being added and they could have edited down some of the slower moments. But perhaps this is just a genre thing, part of giving that old west feel to a film could be infusing it with a more leisurely pace. My only other complaint wasn't anything major, but I didn't buy into all the characters' motivations for latching onto Josey Wales. There were some of the people that were introduced later in the story that seemed to have no logical reason to be devoted to him instead of cashing in on his bounty. Yet the story was so good, and the characters were so diverse and entertaining, I didn't mind. It was a strong Western that continued my education in the genre and helped me discover that Clint Eastwood knows how to make these films better than most. I think I still like Pale Rider a bit more than this film, but not by much. I'd gladly watch The Outlaw Josey Wales again any time. If you are a Western fan and haven't seen it, this should be on your must watch list.