The Outlaw Josey Wales

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The Outlaw Josey Wales

PG

1976

2h 15m

Western

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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.

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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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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

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Variety Staff

Variety

The screenplay is another one of those violence revues, with carnage production numbers slotted every so often.

Jul 6, 2010

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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

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

An important movie in the maturation of Clint Eastwood as both actor and director.

Rated: 3.5/4

Nov 16, 2025

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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

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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

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Carol

A unique Western and an Eastwood epic!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/31/21

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Clive M

Will be one of my favourite Eastwood movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/14/25

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Grant C.

Good movie for everyone at all ages

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

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Audience Member

It wasn't as good as I thought. The characters in the beginning should have had bigger roles. Only thing I liked in this movie is that my man is spitting on everything and on everyone...

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

08/14/25

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Coach A

My favorite western ever. Highly recommended

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/27/25

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Gareth v

A standout Western — gritty, soulful, and surprisingly human. While it delivers all the genre staples (gunfights, revenge, dusty towns), it also weaves a story about loss & healing. One of Eastwood's best efforts as both an actor & director.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

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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

Joe Kidd

80%

54%

Joe Kidd

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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

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