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The Outlaw Josey Wales

Play trailer Poster for The Outlaw Josey Wales PG 1976 2h 15m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
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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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The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales

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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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Critics Reviews

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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. Go to Full Review Variety Staff Variety Jul 6, 2010
The screenplay is another one of those violence revues, with carnage production numbers slotted every so often. Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Nov 16, 2025
3.5/4
An important movie in the maturation of Clint Eastwood as both actor and director. Go to Full Review 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... Go to Full Review 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. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Carol Oct 31, 2021 A unique Western and an Eastwood epic! See more 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") See more F R @FR2021 Aug 22, 2026 Really just not get better than this classic! So many interesting characters and scenes! See more R T @RT66766241 Aug 2, 2026 The best western of all time. See more Joseph P @Bigjoe331 Jul 20, 2026 One of the best Clint Eastwood movies good action thrue out the whole movie See more Harold V @RT39535078 Jul 7, 2026 This movie was the best of the anti-hero westerns. It said more with less dialogue than any crap made today. See more Read all reviews
The Outlaw Josey Wales

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Cast & Crew

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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

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The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) View more photos

Movie Info

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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