Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie!!
Review: Eastwood's best movie and my favorite by him. A must see. I particularly like the beginning of the movie which is loosely based on what really happened to Jesse James. James, too, was bushwacked by the "honorable" yanks after surrendering on the promise of amnesty. I was particularly glad to see that Eastwood didn't PC the truth about the Redlegs and other such "honorable" Union troops (i.e., Sherman). Sorry if the truth touched a nerve, Ironyvalue...the movie tells a lot of truth and is entertaining in the process.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Westerns Ever
Review: This moving film directed by Clint Eastwood is one of the best westerns ever made. The movie has the right balance of action, drama, and sarcasm, to make it an enjoyable viewing experience. Yes, some of the haircuts and mannerisms remind us more of the 1970s as opposed to the 1870s but those are small details.The characters are well developed and the movie moves at a smooth pace. The film touches on various themes particular to American history and the West; the travesty of the Civil War and how the Union was as much a monster as the Confederacy (i.e. the red legs, reconstruction, carpetbaggers and opportunists.) Chief Dan George delivers on of the best performances as a displaced Cherokee who tags along with Josey Wales. A great movie to own.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: Well not a classic for me, as this was the first time I watched it. But why it took me so long to get around to doing that, I'll never know! This was a great film, one of Clint Eastwood's best. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: This is the one to get!
Review: First off, since Amazon appears to have grouped the reviews for two different DVD editions of this movie together, the one I am reviewing here has the brown cover with a picture of a very angry Eastwood wielding two pistols. It also has "CLINT EASTWOOD COLLECTION" printed across the top. Others here have reviewed this top-notch movie better than I could, so I'll just give my impressions of the quality of this release.
I don't know how many different DVD versions of this movie were ever released, but as far as I'm concerned, this is the best one, with remastered audio and video. The sound quality is simply superb--I have many DVD movies, and this one is by far the best, both in terms of audio and video quality. Considering it comes in the flimsier fold-out cardboard flap over plastic case, I was surprised at how good the quality of the actual disk is. The picture quality is simply stunning; I don't know how else to adequately describe it. It's the widescreen "letterbox" format, which gives you the entire theater screen including the left and right sides that fullscreen releases chop off in order to fill up the whole screen. Letterbox is the only way to go if you want to see the entire wide picture you get at the theater. Most of you already know this; I only mention it because I know there are still some who do not. This release is dual-layer format and is enhanced for widescreen TVs. The movie itself runs 2 hours and 15 minutes. Special features: Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1. 1976 Documentary "Eastwood In Action" (approx. 8 minutes). 1999 Documentary "Hell Hath No Fury: The Making Of The Outlaw Josey Wales" (approx. 30 minutes and a fascinating look behind the scenes including documentary footage from the making of the movie showing Eastwood in the act of directing). A very brief introduction to the movie itself by Clint Eastwood (approx. 1 minute). Subtitles in English, French, and Spanish. Languages in English and French. Production notes. Theatrical trailer. Scene Access.
Again, I cannot stress how good this edition looks and sounds. Even the darkest scenes are vivid and clear. Image throughout the film is extremely crisp. A very slight pause midway as the player switches layers, but that's normal with the Dual-Layer format, and it was hardly noticeable. The audio is amazing, with gunshots and explosions reverberating through my floorboards. Turned up through a simple decent stereo system, you will *feel* this movie. Whoever did the audio/video remastering did a fantastic job. The best I've ever seen. This would be worth it at twice the price. The only giveaway to the low price is the cardboard-flap-type case. You simply can't go wrong here.
Rating:
Summary: Classic Eastwood Western
Review: The Outlaw Josey Wales was Clint Eastwood's first truly classic motion picture as a director. It gives notice that Eastwood will become a master of the craft and give us the masterpiece Unforgiven in the future.
Sondra Locke is unforgettable as the young girl that Eastwood's Josey Wales meets in his adventures. An unforgettable picture.
Rating:
Summary: A foretaste of "Unforgiven"
Review: Yes, I'll disagree with another reviewer and put TOJW on the same level as "Unforgiven". That said, I'll only touch on three points others haven't. (1) There are some instances of period humor that are interesting; most show the negative foundation of so much humor. (2) The movie portrays both sides of period bigotry - Grannie's comments about Hoosiers and other groups are hilarious at first, until you realize what she's saying - what she has said - about people who are basically nothing more foreign than next-door neighbors. (3) Several instances of an older gunfighter teaching a younger, or gunfighters who are peers, discussing professional technique, constitute an unusual feature of the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The Oulaw Josey Wales
Review: Note: This review gives great detail about the plot that some may wish to see for themselves. When his family is savagely butchered; his house is burnt to the ground by 'Redlegs' (Rebel Union soldiers), Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) puts his sharp-shooting skills to good use by joining up with rebel Confederate soldiers fighting to rid the land of them. When the soldiers exhaust and decide to pledge their adherence to the Union, Joey Wales stays behind, and sees that the Redlegs have set them up. As each of the men are being shot down, Josey rides in a kills off many Redlegs and flees. With a price on his head, he rides in the direction of Texas, fighting off anyone who stands in his way. Also directed by Clint Eastwood, "The Outlaw Josey Wales" is a lengthy and often tedious post-civil war western. It contains exciting (yet brutal) shootouts and situations, and is supported with a very likeable performance by Chief Dan George, who plays an introspective indigenous fellow and Sondra Locke. The film is hurt somewhat by dryer stretches and often silly dialogue. Overall rating: 3.7 stars (rounded to 4) Rated PG: Contains fierce graphic violence including a rape scene with nudity, occasional rough language, and frequent tobacco-usage. Not recommended for children under 13.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: If you mix this movie with High Plains drifter you'd have The Crow. I love these revenge movies, in a time where a decent man rarely gets a good turn. Clint Eastwood at his best....as always....have to love em. Just the way he talks to people makes the movie, everyone wishes they could have such an awesome vocabulary when its needed the most. Every one from the age 25-40 grew up worshiping Clint.......he's the man!
Rating:
Summary: Great film with some UGLY skeletons...
Review: Clint Eastwood has long been known as a star of Western film-it would not be inaccurate to say that no one else since John Wayne has anywhere near the claim he has on being the definitive Western star of the twentieth century. Writer Garth Ennis (The Preacher) has remarked that "there are two kinds of people in the world: people who like Clint Eastwood movies, and dweebs." Ennis is mainly referring to Eastwood's Westerns, and rightly so. Classics like Sergio Leone's "Man with No Name" trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) and Eastwood's own Unforgiven bookend an incredible career in Westerns that astonishingly numbers only eleven films over thirty or so years (in addition to the films named above, Eastwood starred in Hang 'Em High, Paint Your Wagon, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Joe Kidd, High Plains Drifter, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and Pale Rider), not counting contemporary films in which he plays Western-esque characters. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) is a personal favorite of mine from childhood, and was the second Western Eastwood directed himself; the first was 1972's High Plains Drifter. It features a compelling story, beautiful cinematography, and a fully realized protagonist. The latter is a welcome change of pace from the characters in the Leone films and High Plains Drifter, who were loners with no name and no past. Wales is a dirt farmer in Missouri shortly after the Civil War whose wife and young son are murdered by a renegade Union cavalry unit called the Red Legs, under the command of the evil Captain Terrill. Wales falls in with the Missouri Bushwhackers, a group of similar men who ride the Ozarks fighting a guerilla war against the Union even after the War has ended. They are under the command of Fletcher, who persuades them to turn in their guns and surrender to the Union. Only Wales refuses, and only Wales and Fletcher survive-Wales because he flees, Fletcher because he reluctantly betrays his men, who fall before a Gatling gun as they take an oath of allegiance to the Union. When it becomes known that Wales is the lone survivor, a price is put on his head and Terrill and Fletcher set out after him. Wales embarks on a journey that will take him to Texas en route to Mexico, and ultimately to bloody revenge. Along the way he picks up a few friends: an elderly Cherokee man, a young Apache woman, and a family of Kansas Jayhawkers, including a troubled young woman played by Sondra Locke, Eastwood's longtime live-in companion (this is quite possibly the only role in which I find her even remotely appealing). Eastwood has memorable lines galore and seems to walk around in a perpetual cloud of cordite, spitting tobacco juice on the face of anything and everything around him; in other words, this is a classic. All in all, this is probably my favorite Clint Eastwood Western, but there is one troubling aspect to the film. The degree to which it acts as an apologist text for the Confederacy can sometimes be a bit much. Anyone from North of the Mason-Dixon line who wants to know how English audiences felt about The Patriot is urged to screen this film-its bias is naked. The Union Army is portrayed as an honorless bunch of ruffians and murderers; the only mention made of slavery is a scene in which the young Native American woman Wales rescues remarks that his actions mean that he now owns her. Wales replies simply that he "doesn't want to own anyone," and the matter is never mentioned again. Considering the source, I suppose this is to be expected. TOJW is based on an at the time unpublished novel entitled Gone to Texas, by Forrest Carter. Carter is better known for his controversial fictitious autobiography The Education of Little Tree (about his imaginary childhood as a Native American boy - guess he forgot he's always been just a hateful Cracker), but his best-known work is probably the speech he wrote for Alabama Governor George Wallace's inauguration, the highlight of which was "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!" He also headed a chapter of the Ku Klux Klan at one time. It explains a lot. If you can simply accept the film on its own terms, it certainly will not detract from your enjoyment (at least two of my ancestors fought for the Union, one in a fairly high-ranking position, and it's still a sentimental favorite), but you have been warned. On the positive side, Warner Home Video's DVD presentation is flawless-the print used was obviously the absolute best that could be found, with excellent sound and color as crisp as the day it premiered. There's nothing much in the way of extras except for a large collection of trailers for other Westerns, but the film itself is gloriously presented in its original aspect ratio and will only set you back about fifteen bucks. There is absolutely no excuse for anyone who collects Western film not to own this film.
Rating:
Summary: A Western Classic
Review: Unhappy with the director, Eastwood replaced him while continuing as the lead in what has proven to be one of his most entertaining films. (Five years earlier, he launched his career as a director with Play Misty for Me in which he also starred.) This is one of my favorites among Eastwood's several dozen films because it combines very effectively so many elements of a great story: historical significance, a crisp but unpredictable plot, generally excellent acting, a substantial element of humor, all manner of conflicts and tensions, magnificent scenery, and lots of action. By then (1976), Eastwood had also developed his skill at creating moments of intimacy and tenderness between and among the actors he directed (his interaction with Chief Dan George is especially effective) and is in top form near the end of the film when he finally avenges the deaths of his family members and Confederate comrades, only to be confronted with the possibility of being arrested to stand trial, be convicted, and then imprisoned, if not hanged. The scene in the barren barroom is brief but indelible. I agree with others who are critical of Sondra Locke's acting, not only in this film but in several others. She plays a skittish, jittery, self-conscious young woman named Laura Lee. Fortunately, she has no greater significance in the narrative than do the furniture in the cabin and the wagon that hauled it. What Eastwood accomplishes in Unforgiven (1992) probably would not have been possible had he not developed his skills as a director in this film and in Pale Rider (1985). In my opinion, the best of Eastwood's work as a director of westerns is the equal of Ford and Hawks in their prime.
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