Rating: 
Summary: Almost as good as the book
Review: It's rare that I enjoy the movie adaptation of a book as much as I do this one--actually I can't think of any off hand. Eastwood did change the story around a little, but not really in a bad way. In the book Lone Watie was just as ruthless and cunning as Wales, rather than the feeble, grandfatherly character Chief Dan George made him into. Both versions of Watie work very well though.
The only real disapointment I had was that the movie had to get Josey Wales on his way to Mexico much quicker. In the book, the first few chapters paint him as a Confederate soldier turned bank robber. The reason he was being hunted down makes more sense when you consider this. The movie has him going from farmer, to bushwhacker, to bank robber so quickly that you miss a lot of insight into whats going on.
It also helps to know a little background into that whole Missouri-Kansas dispute, which was actually a border war that had been heating up for years prior to the Civil War. In reality it had very little to do with the actual Civil War, which only served as a justification for the two territories to pillage and pluder each other. My copy of the book has an introduction that delves into this, as well as a little background info on Jesse James, whom it's assumed was the model Forrest Carter used to create Josey Wales.
It is a shame that Eastwood never got to make the sequel. The book version was almost as good as the original, though it was totally different.
Rating:
Summary: The Ouotlaw Josey Wales
Review: This is, in my opinion the best western ever made. Although based on a fictional novel, it does have a bit of fact as well. Riding under the black flag of "Bloody Bill" Anderson, who is seen very briefly at the beginning of the movie....This story closely resembles the lives of the James and Youngers in the final years of the civil war and shortly therafter.Overall for sheer entertainment value it is a superb film, Clint Eastwood, as always, has some very memorable lines. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in the west or post civil war era.
Rating:
Summary: Eastwood's Masterpiece
Review: Aside from his multi-Oscar-winning 1992 film UNFORGIVEN, THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES, released in the summer of 1976, may very well be the pinnacle of Clint Eastwood's career both in front of and behind the camera. This is an epic western where Eastwood leaves behind the Man With No Name persona he had cultivated in the spaghetti westerns of director Sergio Leone in the 1960s. For here, he is a man with a name...and a conscience to go along with it.
Eastwood's Josie Wales is a Missouri farmer making out a quiet life for himself amidst the turbulent end of the Civil War who must watch in horror as marauding Union men tear up his land and kill his family. Joining up with a group of Confederate rebels to "set things right", Eastwood soon finds himself on the run from a Union detachment, led by his former commander (John Vernon) and a ruthless soldier (Bill McKinney, who portrayed one of the evil mountain men in DELIVERANCE). In his travails through the Southwest, he makes friends with a wise old Comanche (Chief Dan George) and makes an effort to find peace. But when the Union men close in on him, then he is forced to resort to violence.
A fairly long film, at 135 minutes, and riddled with scenes of occasional violent gunplay and sex scenes, THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES nevertheless shows a more human side to Eastwood's persona than the more modern-day Dirty Harry films. This is in large part due to the complexity of the character as laid out in the screenplay by Phil Kaufman (who was the original director, but was replaced by Eastwood after the two men clashed) and Sonia Chernus, from Forrest Carter's book "Gone To Texas." It also gives Eastwood a chance to stretch himself as an actor with some memorable one-liners, particularly in a scene involving a bounty hunter (John Davis Chandler):
Bounty Hunter: "You're a wanted man, Wales."
Wales: "Yeah. You a bounty hunter?"
Bounty Hunter: "A man's gotta do somethin' for a livin' these days."
Wales: "Dyin' ain't much of a livin', boy."
As is commonplace with Eastwood as a director, he gives some of his favorite fellow actors prime supporting roles for their talents, George in particular, but also Vernon, whose role as a sympathetic heavy is as rich in complexities as Eastwood's Josie Wales. John Quade, John Mitchum, Royal Dano, Sondra Locke (soon to be Eastwood's beau), Matt Clark, and Paula Trueman are among the other actors that give good support to Eastwood.
Filmed in various parts of California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada and complete with a superb score by Jerry Fielding, who was nominated for an Oscar here (as he had been on THE WILD BUNCH and STRAW DOGS), THE OUTLAW JOSIE WALES proved not only the magnitude of Eastwood's talents, but also the durability of the western genre in the morally complex world of post-Vietnam America. It is strongly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Josey Wales is AMAZING!!!
Review: Definitely a great Post-Civil War Western and one of my personal favorites, The Outlaw Josey Wales, brings to the screen heavyweight Hollywood star Clint Eastwood in one of his best performances ever!
It is the story of a poor Missouri farmer and former confederate soldier that sees the people he cares about betrayed, subsequently becoming an outlaw following the end of the Civil War. On the run and with the Union army and his former leader-turned-traitor (a scalawag) on his heels, he finds a new life in the wilderness looking after those that cannot protect themselves, all the while coming closer to avenging his loved ones.
He and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least. The plot, the setting, the dialogues, the battles and the costumes are all wonderful, making this movie one of the best of its kind.
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a movie about honor, bravery, and heroes from a time long gone.
For other wonderful Post-Civil War Westerns I strongly recommend Major Dundee and The Undefeated.
The Outlaw Josey Wales is definitely a must-see movie for the Western enthusiast!
Rating: 
Summary: The Outlaw Josey Wales Review
Review: An oustanding movie based on the book, They Gone To Texas. The direction is perfect. It is truly one of Clint Eastwood's gems.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Western By Clint Eastwood
Review: This moving western was directed by Clint Eastwood and is one of the best westerns ever made. Clint Eastwood himself considers this film to be one of his personal favorites: one of the crowning achievements of his career. The film is well balanced in every aspect: it has a great script, good direction, excellent cinematography, and strong acting.
The film follows the life of Josey Wales, a simple farmer in the South during the Civil War whose family is brutally murdered by the pillaging Redlegs: irregular Union cavalry contingents who terrorized Confederate civilians and carried out rear actions against the Confederate army. Vowing revenge, Wales joins the Confederate cavalry to hunt down the Redlegs. Refusing to surrender at the end of the war, Wales becomes a fugitive and heads west. Still hunting for his persecutors, Josey draws an old Cherokee Chief (Chief Dan George), a squaw, and a scrawny dog as odd companions on his journeys. He eventually tries to settle down with a new love (Sandra Locke) but his past comes back to find him for a final showdown.
This western explores various themes. It's primarily a deep character study about what someone has to do when they've been wronged with the worst injustices. How the just are often branded as outlaws by criminals who assume the cloak of justice. The film also touches on socio-political themes particular to American history and the West; the travesty of the Civil War and how the Union was as much a monster as the Confederacy (i.e. the red legs, reconstruction, carpetbaggers and opportunists.) Chief Dan George delivers a particularly memorable and moving performance as the sneaky and philosophical Cherokee who tags along with Josey Wales.
One of the finest westerns that has a lot of insight and warmth. The intricate plot and touching character studies are brought to light by Clint Eastwood's solid direction and great cinematography. A maginficent film to own and watch many times.
Rating:
Summary: Eastwood has the union army surrounded
Review:
Director: Clint Eastwood
Format: ColorRated:
Studio: Warner Studios
Video Release Date: September 2, 2003
Cast: Clint Eastwood ... Josey Wales
Chief Dan George ... Lone Watie
Sondra Locke ... Laura Lee
Bill McKinney ... Terrill
John Vernon ... Fletcher
Paula Trueman ... Grandma Sarah
Sam Bottoms ... Jamie
Geraldine Keams ... Little Moonlight
Woodrow Parfrey ... Carpetbagger
Joyce Jameson ... Rose
Sheb Wooley ... Travis Cobb
Royal Dano ... Ten Spot
Matt Clark ... Kelly
John Verros ... Chato
Will Sampson ... Ten Bears
William O'Connell ... Sim Carstairs
John Quade ... Comanchero Leader
Frank Schofield ... Senator Lane
Buck Kartalian ... Shopkeeper
Len Lesser ... Abe
Doug McGrath ... Lige
John Russell ... Bloody Bill Anderson
Charles Tyner ... Zukie Limmer
Bruce M. Fischer ... Yoke
John Mitchum ... Al
John Davis Chandler ... First Bounty Hunter
Tom Roy Lowe ... Second Bounty Hunter
Clay Tanner ... First Texas Ranger
Robert F. Hoy ... Second Texas Ranger
Madeline T. Holmes ... Grannie Hawkins
Erik Holland ... Union Army Sergeant
Cissy Wellman ... Josey's Wife
Faye Hamblin ... Grandpa Samuel
Danny Green ... Lemuel
Kyle Eastwood ... Josey's Son
Richard Farnsworth ... Comanchero Josie Wales' family was murdered and his home burned by union redlegs, so he joins Bill Fletcher's border raiders on the confederate side of the war and does his share of getting even. When Fletcher turns in his men for money (except Wales) and they are all killed, Wales becomes an outlaw on the run from union authorities. They hunt him clear into Mexico, where things come to a head. Josie Wales single handedly surrounds the entire union army and the Indian nations. This is a good story, well acted by all concerned, and very well directed by Eastwood, as are all of his films. Joseph (Joe) Pierre
author of Handguns and Freedom...their care and maintenance
and other books
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