THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES

This film starts off with Josey (Clint Eastwood) in the unlikely role of a farmer whose wife and child are killed by a marauding gang.  It’s during the Civil War so naturally Josey’s immediate response is to practise his firearm skills and join the Confederate army.

Fast forward to the end of the War and Josey refuses to take the amnesty on offer from the victors, which is a good decision because it's a trap set by the nasty Union soldiers who are going to massacre Josey’s comrades.

Cue some unconvincing action as Josey gets to a Gatling gun and fights fire with fire.

The upshot of all these preliminaries is that Josey is now a wanted outlaw with a price on his head, pursued by (in an unlikely coincidence) the very guy who led the gang that killed Josey’s family, one Captain Terrill.

So far so fairly humdrum, as we seem set up for a straightforward revenge narrative.

But that’s not what we get at all.  Instead it’s more like a ‘Mosey with Josey’ hangout movie where Josey ambles through the South, shooting the odd guy here and there who’s after the reward on his head, and assembling a diverse and entertaining bunch of misfits.

Chief among these is Chief Dan George as Lone Watie, who has a droll sense of humour that meshes well with Josey’s. 

Through most of the film it wasn't clear to me whether Josey has any plan other than day-to-day survival.  And I wasn't clear if he knows that Terrill is the guy pursuing him.  It’s simply the case that the revenge aspect of the story gets rather lost.  

Anyway eventually Josey and his entertaining bunch of hangers-on settle down in a property, and a small romance develops between Josey and Laura Lee (who is played by Sondra Locke who after this film had a relationship with Eastwood and appeared in several more of his pictures).

Their idyllic life cannot last because inevitably Terrill turns up, supported by loads of men, to bring Josey to justice.  

Rather surprisingly, at this point we get less of a bloodbath than I was expecting.  Instead, once Terrill is seen off we get a satisfying ending in which Josey seems able to put the past behind him and start a new life.  It's a nice way to end a film which once it gets into its stride is a thoroughly entertaining watch.

RATING: ✓ Cheers