The Outlaw Josey Wales

Clint Eastwood brings warmth to his previously cold-blooded, revenge-seeking western persona in this 1976 film, loosely based on Forrest Carter's novel Gone to Texas. In his fifth movie as director, Eastwood also stars as Josey Wales, a farmer turned Confederate guerrilla following the massacre of his family by Union renegades. Refusing to surrender after the war, he's hunted by Capt. Terrill (Bill McKinney), the same butcher who led the raid on his property. On his trek south as a fugitive, Wales collects an assortment of companions—an aging Native American named Lone Watie (Chief Dan George in a scene-stealing performance); an Indian woman (Geraldine Keams) rescued from an abusive trading post owner; and a crotchety grandma (Paula Trueman) and young lady (Sondra Locke) who've survived a wagon train massacre. The ragtag community draws out Wales' repressed paternal instincts and brings him back to life as he seeks peace of mind. Eastwood's eye for frontier landscapes and characters was well developed by this point, and he leavens the violence and sense of danger with low-key humor, resulting in one of his best (and best-loved) works as both filmmaker and actor. Beautifully remastered for Blu-ray, extras include a new audio commentary by critic and Eastwood biographer Richard Schickel, the new featurette “Clint Eastwood's West,” and a pair of vintage featurettes—all handsomely presented in a 32-page digi-book package. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)