The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
91%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 2 nominations total
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.
The Outlaw Josey Wales is a classic Western that’s got everything you could want: revenge, action, and Clint Eastwood being a total badass. Sure, there’s some violence, but it’s not just mindless carnage – it’s all part of the story. And Eastwood’s not just a tough guy – he’s got some real emotional depth, too. Plus, there’s some great supporting performances, especially from John Vernon and Chief Dan George. So if you’re in the mood for a gritty, thrilling Western, saddle up and give The Outlaw Josey Wales a watch.
Production Company(ies)
Scion Films, Canana Films, Creando Films,
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Kanab Movie Ranch – 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, Utah, USA
MPAA / Certificate
PG
Year of Release
1976
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 15m
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Language(s):English, Navajo, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 30, 1976 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 30, 2001
Genre(s)
Western
Keyword(s)
Western, Clint Eastwood, Josey Wales, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Paula Trueman, directed by Clint Eastwood, produced by Robert Daley, written by Forrest Carter, Philip Kaufman, Sonia Chernus, PG rating, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Dave Kehr, Variety Staff, Richard Schickel, Phil Hardy, Roger Ebert, Richard Eder, Richard Corliss, Sean Burns, Mike Massie, Jacoba Atlas, Jesús Fernández Santos, starring Clint Eastwood, Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Paula Trueman
Worldwide gross: $31,800,000
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $180,333,423
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 752
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 19,665,586
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,700,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $20,982,191
Production budget ranking: 1,344
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $11,298,910
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $148,052,323
ROI to date (est.): 459%
ROI ranking: 279
Chief Dan George – Lone Watie
Sondra Locke – Laura Lee
Bill McKinney – Terrill
John Vernon – Fletcher
Paula Trueman – Grandma Sarah
Director(s)
Clint Eastwood
Writer(s)
Forrest Carter, Philip Kaufman, Sonia Chernus
Producer(s)
Robert Daley
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
1 win & 2 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (38) | Rotten (4)
Wales also possesses a touching emotional vulnerability that marks another significant step away from Eastwood’s often-overcriticized “macho” image.
August 8, 2011
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The screenplay is another one of those violence revues, with carnage production numbers slotted every so often.
July 6, 2010
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
[Eastwood] gets to the heart of the matter briskly, orchestrates his confrontations intelligently and gets off without lingering unduly over the resultant ugliness.
October 26, 2008
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Demonstrated Eastwood’s ability to recreate his first starring role, as the mythic Man with No Name of the Italian Westerns, and to subtly undercut it through comedy and mockery.
January 26, 2006
Phil Hardy
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Eastwood is such a taciturn and action-oriented performer that it’s easy to overlook the fact that he directs many of his movies – and many of the best, most intelligent ones.
October 23, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
A soggy attempt at a post-Civil War western epic.
May 21, 2003
Richard Eder
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Eastwood, his fifth time around as director, shows he can handle actors, especially John Vernon (as the tracker) and Chief Dan George. And he surely knows how to direct himself, playing his galvanizing sexiness against his grizzled sense of humor.
June 22, 2022
Richard Corliss
New Times (magazine)
It’s got all the plot mechanics of a glowering Eastwood revenge Western but -like its hero- the movie keeps getting dragged off somewhere gentler and more compassionate.
January 14, 2022
Sean Burns
Crooked Marquee
A touch overlong, with coverage of events clearly borrowed from the techniques of Sergio Leone, but nevertheless a thrilling Western epic.
August 30, 2020 | Rating: 7/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Eastwood is hamstrung by the script, which purports to be about revenge… but so quickly veers off into other directions it’s virtually impossible to keep the original impetus in mind.
October 30, 2019
Jacoba Atlas
Los Angeles Free Press
The Outlaw Josey Wales could be said to be the work of an artist without any other goal than the mechanical repetition of formulas and already known situations. [Full Review in Spanish]
July 22, 2019
Jesús Fernández Santos
El Pais (Spain)
Eastwood’s laconic gunslinger leaves a trail of bodies and tobacco spit throughout the film, but the trajectory lies in his questioning of the Man-of-No-Name mold though interaction with the more earthbound humans.
July 27, 2016
Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion…
Plot
Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) makes his way west after the Civil War, determined to live a useful and helpful life. He joins up with a group of settlers who need the protection that a man as tough and experienced as he is can provide. Unfortunately, the past has a way of catching up with you, and Josey is a wanted man.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Clint Eastwood not only stars in The Outlaw Josey Wales, but also directs the film.
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