Produced in 1976 by Warner Bros., The Outlaw Josey Wales, novel (Gone to Texas) by Forrest Carter, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood as a badass rebel on the run.
WARNING SPOILERS!!
The movie begins with the brutal murder of Missourian Josey Wales' (Clint Eastwood) family by a group of Red legs, or the crack Union Soldiers bent on death and destruction. Besides that little snippet and the opening credits, the entire movie takes place just after the Civil War. JUST after the Civil War. General Lee's surrendering is still fresh news.
"All that a fella has to do, is ride into that Union Camp, raise his right hand and swear as such that you'll be loyal to the United States, and he can take up his horse again, and go home."
That line is when the movie really starts. With the betrayal of Josey's commander to his men. The commander, named Fletcher and wonderfully played by John Vernon is betrayed himself, as he gets to watch his men die via quick and easy death. Josey does not go into the Union camp at first. He has no wishes to reconcile with a government that slaughtered his family. He does, however, rush in a fool hearted attempt to save, well, no, seek revenge for his compadrés. Jaime (Sam Bottoms) informs Fletcher, who is sitting watching the gatling gun with the Union officers, "Run fer it Fletcher, it's a trap!" Jaime consequently gets shot for this, and informs Josey (who is shooting down Blue Bellies with their own gatling guns) that Fletcher was in on it, and the two ride off.
All Josey wanted, ever, was to live a quiet life. But now that he is fleeing Captain Terrill (Bill McKinney), the entire Union Army, and many mercenaries, he'll have anything but. Josey and Jaime make their way towards Indian Country, outsmarting Fletcher and Terrill all along the way. "Whooped 'em again, didn't we Josey?" is a phrase you hear all too often until Jaime's untimely death.
Yet Josey's always being chosen to help some one. A washed up old Cherokee Indian (Chief Dan George), and an Apache squaw (Geraldine Keams) join Josey in his search for a quiet life, still pursued by Union soldiers. They flee to Texas, picking up a stubborn widow (who had just turned into a widow when Josey rescues her and her daughter from comancheros), played by Paula Trueman, and her "odd" grand-daughter named Laura Lee (Sondra Locke). We are meant to believe that a spark of romance is igniting something between Laura and Josey, but I don't see how that happens since Laura only has about five intelligible lines (if that) in the entire movie.
They eventually make their way to a small town called Santa Rio, inhabited by a grand total of five people, and settle at a ranch belonging to the widow's son. The ranch, however, is located deep in Ten Bear's (Will Sampson) territory, and two final show downs ensue one right after another. In the end the four townsfolk convince some Federal Rangers that Josey was gunned down by five Indians. With Josey standing right there, the Rangers finish their report and head out. Fletcher, who is staring Josey straight in the eyes, knows better, but lets the story stand as is. In the end the rag tag bunch of misfits becomes what could be called a family. It becomes rather humorous to watch the Apache girl dance Indian style to Grannie's and Laura's Christian hymns...
The movie, in my opinion, is right up there with visual quality as other Eastwood western films like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, although the soundtrack is defiantly nothing special. If I recall correctly, this film is Eastwood's fifth movie as director. And it becomes apparent that he's still fine tuning his own skills in that area. Sondra Locke's acting is inconsistent with her character and many of the minor characters have more spunk in their step than some of the more important ones. But, of all the Eastwood films I've seen, in this film, he delivers the most powerful and moving dialouge I've ever heard him deliver; in a debate of words with Ten Bears (WARNING: SPOILER AHEAD) -
Josey- You'll be Ten Bears?
Ten Bears- I am Ten Bears
J- I'm Josey Wales.
TB- I have heard. You're the Grey Rider. You would not make peace with the Blue Coats; You may go in peace.
J- I reckon not. 'have no where to go.
TB- Then you will die.
J- I came here to die with you... or to live with you. Dying ain't so hard for men like you an' me, it's livin' that's hard. When all you've ever cared about's been butchered and raped... Governments don't live together; people live together... Governments don't always give you a fair word or a fair fight. Well, I've come to give you either one. Or get either one from ya. I came here like this so you know my word of death is true; and my word of life is then true... The bear lives here, the wolf, the antelope, the Comanche, and so will we. We'll only hunt what we need to live on, same as the Comanche does. Now every Spring when the grass turns green and the Comanche moves north, we can rest here in peace. Butcher some of our cattle and jerk beef for the journey. The sign of the Comanche, that will be on our lodge. That's my word of life.
TB- And your word of death?
J- Here in my pistols, there in your rifles, I'm here for either one.
TB- These things you say we will have, we already have.
J- This is true. I ain't promisin' you nothin' extra. You're just givin' me life and I'm givin' you life. And I'm sayin' men can live together without butcherin' one another.
TB- It's sad that governments are cheaped by the double tongue. And there is iron in your word of death for all Comanche to see. And so there is iron in your words of life. No signed paper can hold the iron. It must come from men. The words of Ten Bears carries the same iron of life and death. It is good that two warriors such as we meet in the struggle of life... or death. It shall be life.
Despite the literally painful experience of watching Clint Eastwood try to romanticize with an "odd" girl where both are awkward and really BAD at subtly flirting. It looks like they dance out of obligation to everyone else rather than because they like each other. Even the kissing looks forced (and we all know damn well how well kissing fits into a Clint Eastwood western). DESPITE this mockery of Eastwood's reputation as a lone cowboy, it is a damn, damn good movie.
"I reckon so." - Clint.