**_One of the Great Westerns_**

The Civil War is over and the remaining rebels in Missouri are encouraged to turn over their weapons and pledge loyalty to the Union, but Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) hold out and thus a generous reward is put on his head. Josey heads to West Texas and maybe Mexico to find sanctuary, but will he make it alive? The cast includes the likes of Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George, Sam Bottoms and Will Sampson.

“The Outlaw Josey Wales” (1976) is Eastwood’s best Western and a standout of the genre. Everything clicks for a top-of-the-line drama/adventure. A critic said that Wales’ encounter with the Federals in the first act establishes him as invincible and thus destroys any sense of suspense. No, it just means that he caught the soldiers by surprise and he escaped the clash unscathed with a mixture of skill and luck. A later scene reveals he’s decidedly mortal.

The movie starts with the typical Bob Steele revenge plot and soon morphs into a trail movie (similar to a “road movie,” but with horses). As such, some interesting characters come-and-go (or, more accurately, come-and-die), but several stay on. It’s a string of memorable episodes on the long trail, like the river crossing and Josey’s well-done pow-wow with Ten Bears (Will Sampson). I like the emphasis on how an outcast can acquire an unconventional family, even if inadvertently.

The film runs 2 hours, 15 minutes, and was shot in Oroville, California; Arizona; and Kanab Movie Ranch, Utah. Wyoming is also listed.

GRADE: A