Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Outlaw Josey Wales

Play trailer Poster for The Outlaw Josey Wales PG Released Jun 30, 1976 2h 15m Western Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
91% Tomatometer 46 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) watches helplessly as his wife and child are murdered, by Union men led by Capt. Terrill (Bill McKinney). 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.
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (46)
Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Wales also possesses a touching emotional vulnerability that marks another significant step away from Eastwood's often-overcriticized "macho" image. Aug 8, 2011 Full Review Variety Staff Variety The screenplay is another one of those violence revues, with carnage production numbers slotted every so often. Jul 6, 2010 Full Review Richard Schickel TIME Magazine [Eastwood] gets to the heart of the matter briskly, orchestrates his confrontations intelligently and gets off without lingering unduly over the resultant ugliness. Oct 26, 2008 Full Review Eddie Harrison film-authority.com …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... Rated: 4/5 Jan 12, 2025 Full Review Vickie Ong Honolulu Advertiser [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. Apr 5, 2024 Full Review Steve Warren The Barb (Atlanta) Although it runs a little long, a good script keeps The Outlaw Josey Wales entertaining, especially for Eastwood fans. May 9, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (1000+)
Carol A unique Western and an Eastwood epic! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/31/21 Full Review thiago s Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/07/25 Full Review Corey C. This movie is based on a novel written by a segregationist leader and it shows. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/06/25 Full Review Chief B What can I say. A frikkin masterpiece. Very mature western with stunning locations and cinematography. Great acting from my favorite actor Eastwood and entire cast.. And oh man the spitting 🤣 Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/01/25 Full Review Andrew M One of the best Western ever. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/30/25 Full Review Steve g Probably Eastwoods best movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/22/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Outlaw Josey Wales

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Joe Kidd 80% 54% Joe Kidd Watchlist The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid 73% 44% The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid Watchlist The Shootist 81% 88% The Shootist Watchlist The Return of a Man Called Horse 55% 40% The Return of a Man Called Horse Watchlist The White Buffalo 17% 51% The White Buffalo Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) watches helplessly as his wife and child are murdered, by Union men led by Capt. Terrill (Bill McKinney). 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
Most Popular at Home Now