The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

 

Clint Eastwood and Westerns: it's probably a match nothing else comes close to. Granted, the man had already done different things before and would go on to do a great many different things after, but there is little denying that Eastwood wearing a cowboy hat and handling six-shooters is iconic. And here is his first directorial effort in the genre he made his own. 

And it's pretty good. Possibly not the best nor most memorable, but still one of those films you need to see if you like Eastwood's work. 

The film wastes little time: in the opening scene, Wales' (Eastwood) family is slaughtered by rogue Yankee agents (this takes place at the end of the Civil War). He then joins a band of guerillas from Missouri who proceed to wreak havoc during a pretty awesome title credit sequence. 

But things do not last, and this band is one of the last who eventually plan to surrender when the war has finally ended, brokered by one of their group named Fletcher (Vernon). However, they are betrayed and aside from Wales, a young kid and Fletcher, everyone is brutally murdered. Fletcher is pretty miffed, but he is tasked with hunting down Wales and he grudgingly accepts.

Meanwhile Wales is heading south to the Indian Nations to hopefully lay low and disappear. Along the way, he picks up and elderly Indian and a squaw and eventually even a group of settlers and they manage - through some hardships - to settle down. But the past has a way of catching up to you... 

Eastwood is surprsingly talkative in this role, which might be a bit odd when most people only know him from his stoic 'Man With No Name' persona, but it's still Eastwood, a man chiselled from finest oak. It's the side characters that often steal the show here. Chief Dan George as the elderly Indian is a hoot and the obviously warped captain of the Redlegs is chilling. 

Fun fact: the latter is one of the two hillbillies from 'Deliverance'. You know: the "Squeal piggy!" guy. 

And even if you might only know the brilliant John Vernon as portraying angry authority figures like deans or fathers, here he is an outlaw who has grown weary of war and just wants to have some peace in his life. He is really, really good and he might even be the best and most sympathetic character in the entire film, even if he isn't in it all that much. He is a lot easier to relate to than Josey, that's for sure. 

Nevertheless, this is once again a very good western and though perhaps not brilliant, it still has enough for fans of the genre: chases, shootouts, tension and maybe one of the first instances where Native Americans are treated with some respect. So you know what to do: pick up that Stetson, saddle your couch and ride off to watch this one.