The Outlaw Josey Wales is considered the turning point for actor/director Clint Eastwood. Eastwood had brought westerns to American audiences with his “Spaghetti Westerns.” Eastwood honed his craft with directors Don Segal (Dirty Harry, etc.) and Sergio Leone (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, etc.). In The Outlaw Josey Wales, Clint not only stars in the film but also directs this rather heartening tale of one man who loses everything and ends up with more than he imagined.
The Story
The story takes place in the waning years of the Civil War. After his family is viciously murdered by Union soldiers, Wales, a farmer, joins a group of Confederate soldiers and heads out to find those responsible for the death of his family.
As a member of the Confederate group, Wales comes face to face with the “bad guys” who end up wiping out most of his group. From then on Josey is intent on hunting down these vicious murderers.
The interesting part of this film is that Wales tries to continue his quest alone but little by little he gains a group of followers, making it impossible for this loner to stay a loner. He ends up with a new kind of family.
The Blu-ray Features
For the 35th anniversary of this 1976 movie, the high-def digital transfer is a “must have” for fans of the classic film and Clint Eastwood. The disc comes along with an interesting 32-page book about the film and Clint Eastwood’s history.
On the disc are several additional bonus features. Clint Eastwood’s West is an informative look at the history of the actor/director in the entertainment business, specifically the world of westerns.
In this featurette Eastwood is described as the “quintessential cowboy.” Clint Eastwood’s western characters are different than those that preceded him. Eastwood explains he grew up watching the films of Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott and others. The TV show Rawhide was his “first steady job,” as he explains in the documentary. Coincidentally, that was his introduction to the genre of Westerns and what started his career in the movies with Sergio Leone in those memorable “spaghetti westerns” film in Italy.
Eastwood is said to have revived the genre along with Leone. The documentary describes Leone’s films as “Westerns for a new generation.”
Clint Eastwood has credited Sergio Leone and Don Segal with much of his education in the industry.
In the bonus feature, The Outlaw Josey Wales is described as “a Frank Capra Western.” Clint Eastwood brings a new kind of Western hero to the big screen. His characters are often ambiguous and sometimes have questionable virtues. In this bonus feature there is an in-depth look at Eastwood’s last Western, Unforgiven (1992), in which his characters do not wear only white and black hats. They all have shades of gray.
This first bonus feature is basically a tribute to Clint Eastwood and his career as a filmmaker. Two other bonus features add to viewers’ understanding about the iconic actor/director. Eastwood in Action is a documentary about Clint Eastwood and The Outlaw Josey Wales and takes viewers to the various locations where the film was shot. Hell Hath No Fury is a “making of” feature that takes viewers inside the story of The Outlaw Josey Wales.
Like John Wayne, Clint Eastwood is an iconic movie star who has made his mark on several film genres, but many consider his westerns to be his crowning glory.
- The Outlaw Josey Wales Blu-ray Disc
- Studio: Warner Home Video
- Running time: 136 minutes
- Rated: PG
