The Outlaw Josey Wales

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The Outlaw Josey Wales

PG

1976

2h 15m

Western

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

91%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Josey Wales watches helplessly as his wife and child are murdered by Union men led by Capt. Terrill. Seeking revenge, Wales joins the Confederate Army. He refuses to surrender when the war ends, but his fellow soldiers go to hand over their weapons -- and are massacred by Terrill. Wales guns down some of Terrill's men and flees to Texas, where he tries to make a new life for himself, but the bounty on his head endangers him and his new surrogate family.

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Critics Consensus

Recreating the essence of his iconic Man With No Name in a post-Civil War Western, director Clint Eastwood delivered the first of his great revisionist works of the genre.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Aug 8, 2011

Wales also possesses a touching emotional vulnerability that marks another significant step away from Eastwood's often-overcriticized "macho" image.

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Variety Staff

Variety

Jul 6, 2010

The screenplay is another one of those violence revues, with carnage production numbers slotted every so often.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Oct 26, 2008

[Eastwood] gets to the heart of the matter briskly, orchestrates his confrontations intelligently and gets off without lingering unduly over the resultant ugliness.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 16, 2025

3.5/4

An important movie in the maturation of Clint Eastwood as both actor and director.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jan 12, 2025

4/5

…much like the Western genre, TOJW seems to have fallen out of fashion these days, but still packs a punch as a updates slice of the mythic American West, shot through with 70’s counter-culture nihilism...when times are tough, it’s good to be an outlaw...

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Vickie Ong

Honolulu Advertiser

Apr 5, 2024

[The Outlaw Josey Wales] takes the typical Eastwood scenario -- a man seeking revenge for the death of his family and shooting every man who gets in the way -- and embellishes it with drama and comedy.

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Carol

Oct 31, 2021

A unique Western and an Eastwood epic!

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 21, 2026

The Outlaw Jose Wales = a 4.5 Star Movie!

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Huntin P

@PaxVobiscum80 Sep 18, 2026

I think the standout is Chief Dan George. Clint does his usual cool tough guy cowboy routine, but the droll Indian companion is the beating heart of this movie. Rather like the knight in The Seventh Seal, outlaw Josey Wales gets himself a crew of followers without ever having intended such encumberments. Revenge doesn't need company, right? But there's more to life than revenge, and if a man can care once he can care again. So, are you going to rent this movie or whistle Dixie?

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Claudio C

@Claudio666 Aug 24, 2026

An Epic Western (12,640–29 Nov 2002/23 Aug 2026) During the American Civil War, in Missouri, the farmer Josey Wales is plowing his land when pro-Union paramilitaries led by Captain Terrill kill his wife and son and burn down his farm. Wales joins the pro-Confederate rebels under the command of Captain Fletcher, but when the war is over, Fletcher convinces his group to surrender. He betrays his team and they are executed. Josey Wales survives with his wounded friend Jamie. They head to the Indian reservation, but Jamie dies. Wales heads to Mexico with the Indian Lone Watie in a dangerous journey. "The Outlaw Josey Wales" (1976) is an epic western and one of the best of the genre. Directed by Clint Eastwood and with a great cast, it is a gripping adventure, and the viewer never feels the running time. It was on the set of this film that Clint Eastwood met Sondra Locke, her mate for several years. My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "Josey Wales, O Fora da Lei" ("Josey Wales, The Outlaw")

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F R

@FR2021 Aug 22, 2026

Really just not get better than this classic! So many interesting characters and scenes!

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R T

@RT66766241 Aug 2, 2026

The best western of all time.

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Clint Eastwood

Director

Clint Eastwood

Josey Wales

Chief Dan George

Lone Watie

Sondra Locke

Laura Lee

Bill McKinney

Terrill

John Vernon

Fletcher

Joe Kidd

80%

54%

Joe Kidd

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Synopsis

Josey Wales watches helplessly as his wife and child are murdered by Union men led by Capt. Terrill. Seeking revenge, Wales joins the Confederate Army. He refuses to surrender when the war ends, but his fellow soldiers go to hand over their weapons -- and are massacred by Terrill. Wales guns down some of Terrill's men and flees to Texas, where he tries to make a new life for himself, but the bounty on his head endangers him and his new surrogate family.

Director: Clint Eastwood
Producer: Robert Daley
Screenwriter: Forrest Carter, Philip Kaufman, Sonia Chernus
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Warner Bros., Malpaso Company
Rating: PG
Genre: Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 30, 1976, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2011
Runtime: 2h 15m

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