The Outlaw Josey Wales

Buy This Item The Outlaw Josey Wales by Warner Home Video  Available from Amazon  $12.98  on 11-26-2008     Clint Eastwood fired the original director, Philip Kaufman (<i>The Right Stuff</i>), and took over the reins of this project himself. He may have had a point: this brutal, thoughtful western, a near-tragedy about a Civil War veteran whose past comes looking for him, is probably Eastwood's most mature frontier drama prior to the Oscar winning <i>Unforgiven</i>. Hoping to build a quiet life in a cooperative community of settlers, Eastwood's Wales blames himself when his enemies attack the homestead, and he has to revert to his warrior instincts to help fend off the threat. The jittery intensity of Sondra Locke (who would be Mrs. Eastwood, at least for a while), and the screen-filling charisma of the late Chief Dan George harmonize beautifully with Eastwood, who had finally figured out how to add depth and texture to his stock-in-trade Man of Steel persona. This one may be too short on action to satisfy fans of Eastwood's <i>Dirty Harry</i> films, or of the Italian westerns he made with Sergio Leone, but it's an honorable effort. <i>--David Chute</i> Reader Reviews This film had every chance of being a great movie but lost its course somewhere along the way. The movie, especially the last half of the movie, should have been tightened up plenty. Because it wasn't, the movie is too long. The first part of film is excellent. Clint Eastwood, as the poor farmer, Josie Wales, is attacked by the Yankee Red Legs who have swept in from Missouri. He is sabered, his child killed and his wife raped and murdered. The grief-ridden Wales, buries his family, recovers his revolver from the burned-out wreckage of his home, and starts to practice. At his low point, he is visited by Confederate guerillas under the famous "Bloody Bill Anderson", a man who has also lost his entire family to the Yankees. Wales is happy to join up and fights in multiple battles against the hated Federals. As we know, however, the southern fighters are eventually driven to their knees. Wales' small group is one of the last to consider surrender. Most--but not the vengeful Wales--decide to accept Federal amnesty. It is a mistake. They are mowed down by the deceitful Union troops. With a Yankee company hot on his heels he retreats towards Texas, taking revenge on Federal troops every time he can. By this time, of course, Wales has become one of the best and those who stand against him, die. He meets an old Cherokee man, Lone Watie, who himself hates the Federal Government. Together, they make an dangerous pair. Wales rescues a Navajo woman from the hands of criminals. She becomes a devoted, if somewhat unlikely member, of Wales new anti-Yankee band. The movie probably should have ended here with some kind of terrific climax--maybe Wales and his two comrades fighting their enemies in some kind of last-ditch stand. Unfortunately the movie doesn't end here. Eastwood's old girlfriend and nemesis, Sandra Locke [along with her miscast mother] are introduced. They are rebel-hating Yankees and, therefore, present the opportunity for redemption for both Wales and the women. Artistically, it just doesn't work. It's almost like Eastwood added an extra hour to his film just to make room for his girlfriend. It might not be what happened but that's what it looks like. Really a terrible shame. By the way, the old Cherokee, Lone Watie, is taken from an actual historical character. Most members of the "Seven Civilized Tribes" of the Cherokee supported the Confederacy and many fought and died for the South. Chief Stand Watie was the last Confederate general to surrender, not surrendering until 1866. People who think that Southern Secession and the Civil War were primarily about slavery must consider several things brought out by this film. First, Missouri had relatively few slaves and slave-owning families fought for both the Union and Confederacy. Nevertheless, Missori was one of the most violence-torn states during the War. People fought--no quarter--against people they opposed politically, culturally and personally. Finally, as we see with Wales, the violence became self-perpetuating. Enough people had been injured that they fought desperaely for motives of pure revenge. Also, why is it that the vast majority of Native Americans who fought, side with the Confederacy? Few, indeed, were slaveholders. In my opinion, these American natives simply felt more sympatico with the laid-back, hunting, fishing Southerners. Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico

The Outlaw Josey Wales Available from Amazon Price: $12.98 Updated on 11-26-2008.

SPONSORED LINKS