Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

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Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) Starring Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Paula Trueman, Sam Bottoms, Geraldine Kearns, Woodrow Parfrey, Joyce Jameson, Sheb Wooley, Royal Dano.

Directed by:  Clint Eastwood

Running time:  135 minutes

Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) was a peaceful Missouri farmer during the Civil War. After his family is raped and murdered by pro Union renegades, he joins a band of Confederate guerilla fighters and begins to exact his revenge.  Wales quickly becomes one of the best fighters in the band, but despite their military successes, the war is lost.  Except for Wales, the entire guerilla band decides to end their struggle and surrender to Union soldiers.  From a distance, Wales witnesses the massacre of the men and in a fit of anger, kills about a dozen of the soldiers and escapes.

After this episode, all Wales wants to do is to be left in peace and he travels to Texas in an attempt to find personal reconciliation.  Unfortunately for Wales, a bounty has been placed on his head and he is hunted by every gunslinger and mercenary in the South.  Additionally, the Union Army and every local law enforcement official is looking for him as well. 

Along the way to Texas, he unwillingly befriends an interesting collection of Indians, whites and Hispanics and becomes their protector and father figure.  The diverse group travels together and decide to build a ranch in hostile Indian territory.  Wales and his followers make peace with the Indians and plan on living there in relative quiet.

The mercenaries will not let that happen.  About 15 mercenaries follow Wales to the ranch house and are promptly killed by Wales and his new “family”.  The story ends with the local townspeople protecting Wales by informing Texas Rangers that Wales had been killed by bandits.  The last words of the film are spoken by Wales to one of his pursuers: “I guess we all died a little in that damn war.”

The story depicts a man’s complete cycle, from peaceful family man to warrior to renegade and finally, back to a peaceful man with his new found family.  However, along the way Wales brings about death and destruction on those who wish to do him harm.

This film was made in the 1970s, not a particularly popular time for the western genre.  However, even during this time, the Outlaw Josey Wales was widely acclaimed and has  become one of the finest western movies ever made.

Sources:  Wikipedia, IMDB.