Are you going to pull those pistols or whistle Dixie? – The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
A Hero’s Journey through Redemption and Revenge
Today on Classic Movie Review, we are taking on one of my favorite movies, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). I will also do something a little different in the story as I will look at this movie in terms of the hero’s journey first presented by Joseph Campbell in “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” 1949. If you are unfamiliar with the hero’s journey, it is that path Luke took in Star Wars (1977) and Dorothy took earlier in The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Today’s film was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood. To me, it is the logical conclusion of the spaghetti Westerns. I also believe that the story was refined in Unforgiven (1992).
Since this movie is long and has a large cast, we have many returning actors and a few new ones to cover.
Actors – The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Returning
Bill McKinney played the focus of all the hate in this movie, Union Captain and raider Redlegs Terrill. McKinney was first covered in the John Wayne epic The Shootist (1976). However, he will most likely always be remembered for his scene with Ned Beatty in Deliverance (1972).
Woodrow Parfrey played the Carpetbagger and popped up several times in this movie. He was really more of a patent medicine salesman. Buck Kartalian had a small role as a Shopkeeper. Both Parfrey and Kartalian were first covered in Planet of the Apes (1968).
Great-voiced actor Royal Dano played the down-on-his-luck gambler Ten Spot. Dano was first covered in the Confederate Shelby-based John Wayne movie, The Undefeated (1969).
The classic Western and Film Noir tough guy John Russell played Bloody Bill Anderson. Russell was first covered in the average Film Noir The Story of Molly X (1949)
Len Lesser had a small bit as Abe, a would-be bounty hunter. Lesser was first covered in the Film Noir I Want to Live! (1958). Of course, he was Jerry Seinfeld’s uncle in the TV series.
Erik Holland popped us as the Union Army Sergeant administering the oath. This actor was briefly covered in the Custeress movie The Glory Guys (1965).
New
Clint Eastwood, who played Josey Wales and directed this movie, is the driving force in this movie. Clint Eastwood was born in California in 1930. He got his start in the movies as an uncredited actor in Revenge of the Creature (1955). His big breakthrough came out when he got a role as Rowdy Yates in 1959.
Eastwood made three movies in Italy that kicked his career into high gear. These movies dubbed as spaghetti westerns are; A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966).
These Westerns allowed Eastwood to take his tough-guy act to bigger audiences. He made more Westerns, including the musical Paint Your Wagon (1969). He also made a few WWII movies with some of the more popular stars of the time.
Beginning in 1971, he began directing and taking full leading men roles such as The Beguiled and Play Misty for Me. This was also the beginning of the Dirty Harry film series – go ahead, make my day, punk.
He continued making movies through the 70s, but only High Plains Drifter (1973) and The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) were outstanding.
Then he entered his monkey phase with Every Which Way But Loose (1978). It’s really an ape, but saying monkey is funnier. It was followed by Any Which Way You Can (1980).
Despite these monkey movies, he was popular through the late 80s with films such as Firefox (1982), Pale Rider (1985), and Heartbreak Ridge (1986), all big hits.
After the fifth Dirty Harry, The Dead Pool (1988), Eastwood made the terrible Pink Cadillac (1989) and The Rookie (1990). It seemed his career was ending, but he continued to work until he came out with the incredible Unforgiven (1992). He received the Best Director Oscar for this film and was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar.
By the mid-90s, he started making more movies befitting his age. This includes The Bridges of Madison County (1995) and Space Cowboys (2000). Once again, it seemed that his star was fading, and he popped back with Million Dollar Baby (2004), where at the Oscars, he duplicated the results from Unforgiven (1992).
He continued making and directing movies such as Mystic River (2003), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), and Letters from Iwo Jima (2006). He returned to acting with Gran Torino (2008), where he crushed it as a cranky old racist. He repeated this role in Trouble with the Curve (2012).
Much like John Wayne, Eastwood started repeatedly working with the same group of actors. These include his former girlfriend, Sondra Locke.
Chief Dan George played Cherokee Lone Watie. The man that would later be called Chief Dan George was born in British Columbia, Canada, in 1899. George was raised in a traditional Native American lifestyle.
In the mid-1950, George served as Chief of the tribe and was allowed to maintain that title. At the age of 60, George acted in a play. He was cast as Dustin Hoffman’s Indian grandfather in Little Big Man (1970) and was amazing. For this role, he was nominated for the Best Support Actor Oscar. He had another prominent role in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and was also terrific.
George was an environmental activist and author. He died in 1981.
Sondra Locke played the doe-eyed Laura Lee from Kansas. Locke was born in Tennessee in 1944. In 1962, Locke followed a male friend to MTSU. After a year, she left college for good. Locke moved to Nashville, where she modeled and did voice work. She was active in the local acting community.
Locke landed her first film role in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter (1968). Locke received an Oscar nomination for this role. Later she was in Willard (1971), a rat movie.
Locke moved to Los Angeles and continued to work in film and on television. In 1972, Locke met Clint Eastwood while he was getting ready to direct Breezy (1973).
Locke landed the role in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), expecting it to spark her career. During the filming, Locke and director Eastwood became a couple. Locke appeared in a lot of Eastwood films, including The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Bronco Billy (1980), and the Dirty Harry (1971) sequel Sudden Impact (1983).
Having trouble finding appropriate film roles, Locke tried directing. She directed the television movie “Death in Small Doses” in 1995, Trading Favors (1997), Impulse (1990), and Ratboy (1986). Locke also produced two other films.
In 1988, the relationship between Locke and Eastwood ended, and it ended badly. Eastwood locked her out of their shared home the following year and had her possessions boxed and stored. Locke sued for palimony based on their 14-year relationship. The suit was settled out of court.
In 1990, Locke received a cancer diagnosis. Warner Bros. failed to honor their part of the settled lawsuit refusing to give Locke any projects. In 1995, Locke sued Eastwood for his role in the Warner Bros. deal. This case was also settled out of court, as was her case against Warner Bros.
Locke worked very little, being restricted by her former partner’s clout. Locke died in 2018 at the age of 74.
John Vernon played Fletcher, a Confederate raider turned Union bounty hunter. Vernon was born in Canada in 1932. In the 1950s, he began working in theater and on television. Adept at playing tough guys and authority figures, Vernon from found movies roles in films such as Neo-Noir Point Blank (1967), Topaz (1969), Dirty Harry (1971), Brannigan (1975), and The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). While in numerous other movies, he is probably best known for his role as the cockled Dean Wormer of Faber Collge in National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978).
Vernon was also a singer and musician who released several albums. Vernon died in 2005 at the age of 72.
Sam Bottoms played a young Confederate that idolized Josey Wales, Jamie. Bottoms was born in California in 1955. In the 1970s, he began working on television. His first movie, The Last Picture Show (1971), was a major hit for him.
Bottom’s other movies include The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), Apocalypse Now (1979), Bronco Billy (1980), Gardens of Stone (1987), and Seabiscuit (2003). Bottom worked on television and on stage. Sadly, this rising star died early at the age of 53 in 2008.
Will Sampson was pretty impressive in the role of Ten Bears. Sampson was born in Oklahoma in 1933 and was a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation. Sampson began his acting career with an uncredited role in Crazy Mama (1975). It was not long until he was cast in essential roles in films such as One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976), The White Buffalo (1977), and Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986).
Sampson remained active with film and television work until he sadly passed away at 53 in 1987. WTF?
Story – The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
It is evident that director Clint Eastwood masterfully wove the elements of the Hero’s Journey into a compelling narrative of redemption and revenge. I will explore the film’s adherence to Campbell’s outline, highlighting its strengths and impact on the Western genre. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) is among the top Westerns ever filmed. Still, the Western part is only represented in about half the film.
Based on the Forrest Carter book “The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales” 1972, reissued as “Gone to Texas” 1975. Carter was a horrible racist and active in the KKK. I do not endorse any of his hateful, stupid, and dangerous ideas.
When the movie begins, the Civil War is already in full bloom. Missouri came into the Union as a slave state, and Kansas was admitted as a free state. John Brown, of Harper’s Ferry fame, was actively raiding in this area in the lead-up to the war.
The Origin:
In the movie, Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood) lived in a slave state without enslaving people. Josey did not choose to live in the free state. He seemed to want to be left alone while the world’s chaos swirled around him and his family. This idea is shown in Shenandoah (1965). James Stewart’s character tries to sit out the war in northern Virginia with disastrous results.
Josey has a blonde wife, a toe-headed son, and an old mule. One day while he is working in the field, a large group of mounted raiders from Kansas descends on Josey’s farm. The raiders are wearing red leggings and are referred to by this name.
Josey is powerless to help his wife, who is assumed to be raped and murdered. The Redlegs also kill Josey’s son. The leader of the Redlegs is Terrill (Bill McKinney), who happens to have red hair and a red beard to match his leggings and strikes Josey on the face with a saber. This permanently scars Josey and sends him to the ground unconscious.
Josey buries his wife and son before retrieving a revolver from his burned cabin. He practices shooting a post until he feels ready for revenge. However, Josey doesn’t know how. He has lived in an idyllic world and will now be forced to change.
For a note, this pistol practice scene is reused in Unforgiven (1992). However, realizing his eyesight has worsened, he destroys the stump with a shotgun.
The Call to Adventure:
While Josey grieves, a group of southern raiders arrives at his farm. The leader of this group is Bloody Bill Anderson (John Russell). The Confederates are modeled after Quantrill’s Raiders. The raiders tell Josey that they are going north to set things right. Josey accepts the call to adventure with the understated, “I reckon I’ll be coming with ya.”
As the credits begin to roll, a montage shows the Confederate Raiders winning and taking revenge. At the same time, in the east, the band of Blue Angels is shown repeatedly beating the Confederates. Bloody Bill is shown dying from a wound with Josey at his side. Fletcher (John Vernon) takes over the group, but it should have been Josey because he is the best fighter and the most respected in the group.
The images continue showing successful Confederate raiding, but there are always more Union soldiers and artillery until the Confederates are only shown falling back.
The Confederate raiders are sitting around a campfire. The dress they are wearing is an homage to the iconography of the lost cause. They have old pappies smoking corncob pipes, youngsters that should be at home, artillery piping, infantry piping, every kind of hat, and the intelligent look of grade school dropouts.
Fletcher rides into camp and tells them they are the last holdouts. He says he is surrendering and that any man that takes the oath will be given amnesty. All the men except Josey and the young Jamie (Sam Bottoms). Jamie looks to Josey for advice. Josey tells Jamie to surrender even though he is not going in himself.
Fletcher reminds Josey that the Union will hunt him down, and there is nowhere to run. Here is where the first issue with the Hero’s Journey enters. Was Josey called to war, and he wishes to continue until he is killed, or does he have another call that is not revealed yet.
Refusal of the Call:
Using a telescope, Josey watches his band members surrender to what appears to be regular Union soldiers. However, he sees Redlegs moving around the tents and wagons in the background.
In the camp, Fletcher is paid by vengeful Senator Lane (Frank Schofield), who looks a lot like Robert Ryan. Terrill emerges from a tent, and Fletcher is incensed that Northern raiders are present, not traditional troops. Fletcher tells that Josey didn’t come in with the other, and a slight twinge of fear shoots through Terrill’s face.
The Confederate raiders are being disarmed on the other side of the camp. Jamie doesn’t want to take the oath but is forced to go along with the others. Union Army Sergeant (Erik Holland) starts administering the oath as Redlegs move into tents and wagons surrounding the Southern raiders. Jaime sees Josey riding toward the camp at full gallop. The Union Army Sergeant continues with the oath, saying, thou I be lying verminous Missouri scum, ask he gives the signal for the Redlegs to open fire. Gatling Guns open up from some wagons while other Redlegs fire from tents.
As the former Confederates fall in the hail of bullets, Josey kills the operators and begins killing Redlegs. Josey missed the call to peace, which was a ruse anyway. He takes up the call of revenge, knowing he will die in the process.
Terrill and Senator Lane hold Fletcher when he reacts to the betrayal. Jamie makes it to a horse and rides to warn Fletcher of the trap. The warning hardly seems necessary as guns have been firing for ten minutes at this point. After Jaime’s warning, he is shot in the back by Terrill.
Josey is busy sending dozens of Yankees to the promised land when Jaime rides up and tells Josey that Fletcher is in on the trap. Jamie says he is scared of dying. Josey changes his calling from dying to kill more of his enemies to living and killing a lot more of his enemies. He is all in for revenge.
The Redlegs close in on the Gatling Gun wagon, but Josey and Jamie have fleed into the safety of the brush. Fletcher realizes that the war will never be over until Josey is killed. Fletcher says a man like Wales lives for the feud. Fletcher continues that because of what the Senator and Terrill have done, he must kill Wales. The Senator puts a $5000 bounty on Wales.
Jamie and Josey move slowly through the brush country, partly because of Jamie’s wound and partly because dozens of mounted Union patrols are looking for the fugitives. Josey’s plan is to head to the Indian Nation/Oklahoma. Jamie plans on joining in the revenge.
Josey uses his knowledge of warfare to evade a Union patrol by making the horses lie down. Jamie feels good traveling with Josey even though he is badly wounded.
Ferryman Sim Carstairs, played by William O’Connell, was a regular Eastwood stock group member. Sim is watching the ferry come across and telling of the tribulations of ferrying both sides across the river during the war to a traveling salesman known as Carpetbagger, played by Woodrow Parfrey. The Carpetbagger is really only a salesman and not a land speculator. The Carpetbagger is heading to Texas and selling patent medicine.
As Josey and Jamie ride up, Sim begins singing Dixie. Josey takes Jamie and Sim to the small store by the ferry. Josey sends a list of what is needed. Grannie Hawkins (Madeleine Taylor Holmes) comes out of the store and calls Josey by his name. She says she knows who he is because soldiers had been by earlier looking for him.
In addition to the information, Grannie Hawkins gives poultices for Jamie’s wound. She says the Yankees talk big but are short on action. When Josey tries to pay for his supplies, the elderly Grannie Hawkins says pay me when you see me again.
Grannie Hawkins is a muse, and she has given Josey a gift from the gods, like Jason’s wishes in Jason and the Argonauts (1963) and Perseus’ helmet in Clash of the Titans (1981).
Josey, Jamie, and the Carpetbagger load onto the barge to cross the large river. Sim continues to sing Dixie. The Carpetbagger tries to sell patent medicine to Josey for Jamie by saying it is a wonder drug. Josey spits tobacco on the man’s white suit and asks if it also cleans stains.
The ferry barely makes it to the other shore when Union forces arrive and start screaming for the ferryman to bring the watercraft back to them. Sim says he will hold up as long as he can. Halfway across the river, Sim switches to Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Josey lays down to take a nap on his side of the river. On the other side of the river, Terrill tells Fletcher that they are going to Texas after Josey to hunt more ex-Confederates. When Terrill says that doing right ain’t got no end, Grannie Hawkins laughs in his face.
The Union cavalry begins to cross the river. Fletcher advises Terrill to turn back. Josey gets a special sniper rifle off his horse. As the Carpetbagger cleans his coat, he says there is something called justice, and Josey can’t get away. Josey says they have something here called a Missouri boat ride. He then shoots, cutting the road and sending the ferry downriver.
Josey and Jamie spend the night by the river. They treat Jamie’s wounds, and the youth tells about his father embroidering his shirt before he joined the army. Jamie says his father sang Rose of Alabama as he sowed.
Josey hears something, but before he can react, he is set upon by bounty hunters Abe (Len Lesser) and Lige (Doug McGrath). Lige wants to shoot Josey as the bounty is good, even if he is dead. Abe wants to stand up to the famous fighter. Josey has to drop his gun belt, and Abe relaxes. Lige calls for a third bounty hunter.
Jamie starts singing again. When Lige kicks him, Jamie says paw, I got the gold me and Josey stole. Josey says the kid is crazy. Lige pulls the blanket back and is shot by Jamie. Josey pulls a hidden pistol and dispatches Abe. The third man hightails it through the bushes.
These beatings of the enemy show that Josey is the right person to undertake the quest by being the strongest and bravest.
Crossing the Threshold:
The two men continue westward as a hard rainstorm pelts them. The pair bed down for the night on the border of the Indian Territory. Union cavalry is camped between the outlaws and the Territory. Jamie makes peace with impending death and dies later that night. Sad about the loss of his friend, Josey uses Jamie’s body and horse to cross the Union lines guarding the border of the Indian Territory. Josey straps Jamie’s body to a horse and gives him a small eulogy before sending the horse and body galloping into the camp. While the soldiers chase the decoy, Josey calmly rides through the camp and into the territories.
This is a critical point as Josey has lost his last companion from the past and has not yet met his mentor. Crossing the line of soldiers is symbolic of crossing the river of the dead, a process Josey must complete to find his way back to a new beginning.
This symbolic death is slightly out of sequence. Most hero’s only cross the threshold with the help of their mentor. Josey’s true mentor lies ahead in his journey.
Meeting the Mentor:
Inside the Indian Territory, an elder Indian, Lone Watie (Chief Dan George), hears Josey approaching his cabin. Armed with a rifle, Lone Waite searches through the woods for Josey. Josey sends his horse toward the Indian as he sneaks up on the man with the rifle.
Josey holds a pistol on Lone Watie. The Cherokee has heard of Josey and is greatly disturbed because white men keep sneaking up on him and his tribe. Lone Watie finishes his tale of how his land was stolen and his wife and sons died on the Trail of Tears.
Seeing that Lone Watie is not a threat and has a similar back story to Josey, the outlaw settles down to sleep. Josey is asleep before Lone Watie finishes his story. Lone Watie is Josey’s mentor and can be trusted completely.
Back in the Union cavalry camp, Terrill is telling Fletcher that the men killed Jamie when he tried to sneak past, and there is no way Wales can be in the Indian Territory. Recognizing the trick, Fletcher laughs and heads for the Territory to search for Wales. Terrill says he will be heading to the Territories as well.
In the morning, Lone Watie burns his long coat and top hat and dresses in a more Western outfit. Lone Waite is able to sneak up on the sleeping Josey. Lone Watie says that the Horned Toad says they should head to Mexico. Josey says Lone Watie can go where ever he wants, but Josey says he has business in Missouri. Lone Watie says Shelby and some other militant Confederates are heading to Mexico.
For full disclosure, the name of the National Guard Camp where I was raised was Camp Shelby after this Confederate. There is a decent John Wayne/Rock Hudson movie inspired by this story called The Undefeated (1969). After the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, Shelby was involved in the pre-war border raiding between Kansas and Missouri. After the Civil War, Shelby and about 1,000 men offered their service to Emperor Maximilian and were given land. Around two years later, Emperor Maximilian’s illegal regime fell to Mexican patriots, and Shelby returned to America[1]. He was a witness at the Frank James trial, as both Frank and Jessie were Confederate raiders in Missouri.
Back to the movie, Josey allows his new mentor to come along, but Lone Waite does not have a horse. Josey leaves for the local trading post to get another horse. During this mission, Josey has to face another challenge by himself, and the size of his group grows to three.
At the trading post, the agent Zukie Limmer (Charles Tyner) is swindling the local natives with his deals. Zukie has a young Indian woman that works for him named Little Moonlight (Geraldine Keams). She brings out two bottles of rotgut whiskey but drops and breaks one. Zukie gives the booze to the Indian traders to continue to rip them off.
Zukie slaps Little Moonlight to the ground, beating her with a flat piece of wood. He is stopped by the sound of Josey’s horse. Josey sees the plight of Little Moonlight with a look of disgust.
Zukie goes inside the dark trading post where two bear-skin-wearing Caucasian are making themselves at home and demanding credit. When Little Moonlight comes in with more whiskey, the two white traders want to buy her. Zukie explains that the young female works for him, and he does not own her.
One of the traders points out that Little Moonlight has a knife scar on her left nostril. He says that means she is a loose woman to the Cheyenne. They drag her to the back and start to rape her. The door swings open wide, and Josey walks in to buy a horse. Zukie says that the horses belong to the traders.
Josey walks to the back. Little Moonlight’s eyes plead for help. Josey spits tobacco juice, a recurring theme, onto the ground stopping the assault. The two traders stop what they are doing and pull pistols on Josey, knowing he has a $5,000 reward on his head. They order Josey to pull his guns out butt first. He does but then does a flip-and-twist move, gunning both traders down. Zukie no longer wants a share of the reward, just hoping to get out alive. Little Moonlight sees that Josey is a warrior worth traveling with.
Near the trading post, Josey hides in the woods as Redleg cavalry rides to the post. Lone Waite pulls a pistol on Josey, saying he is getting better at sneaking up on people now that he is returning to his Indian ways. Another pistol cocks, and Little Moonlight has a gun on Lone Waite. Josey wants to disband the group, but Lone Waite says he is going, but Little Moonlight can’t go along.
Little Moonlight explains that she is a Navajo who was captured by the Cheyenne. They marked after she was violated by an Arapho. The three camp for the night, and Little Moonlight never stops talking. Little Moonlight believes she owes Josey for saving her, and she wants him to know she is a virtuous woman.
In the Hero’s Journey, Little Moonlight is another goddess sent to help the hero. However, she does act until much later, almost like an ace card that can be played when needed.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies:
In the morning, a hound dog has joined the traveling band. The group rides across the open plains until they arrive at a lonely boomtown. The town is full of wild cowboys, Indians, traders, settlers, former Confederates, and active Union soldiers. Josey also spots Redlegs.
On the sidewalk outside of the store, Josey spits tobacco. He is scolded by Grandma Sarah (Paula Trueman), who is traveling west with her homely granddaughter Laura Lee (Sondra Locke) and some more family. Grandma Sarah is from Kansas and hates everything from Missouri.
In the store, Josey is given a fright when the storekeeper (Buck Kartalian) blurts out the name Josey Wales. The shopkeeper is only spreading the news that the outlaw is presumed to be heading their way.
On the street, the Carpetbagger tries to sell patent medicine to Lone Waite. Josey leaves the store with his hands full of packages. The Carpetbagger sees Josey and screams to the town that – it’s Josey Wales. With his hands full, Josey faces down four Union soldiers. When they draw, he kills three immediately, and Lone Waite shoots the one on the left. Josey and Lone Waite ride out, but Little Moonlight is knocked down by the pursuing Union forces. The two men are sad that the young woman will not be around any longer. Josey says that every time he starts liking someone, they aren’t around for long. Lone Waite replies that every time Josey gets to not liking someone, they ain’t around for long, either.
Lone Waite asks Josey how he knew which one of the four Union soldiers would shoot first. Josey explains that one in the center had a flap on his holster, the one second from the left had scared eyes, but the one on the left had crazy eyes. Josey said he never paid no mind to the one on the right because he knew Lone Waite was there. There will be more about this later.
Not long after the gunfight, Fletcher and Terrill arrive in town with more Redleg cavalry. Terrill says Wales is not hard to track because he leaves dead men everywhere he goes. Fletcher points out that a lot of bounty hunters are joining the hunt for Wales. Two bounty hunters watch the cavalry leave.
Lone Waite listens to the ground and says they are being followed by two-horse moving fast. They ride out into a large sand area like Great Sand Dunes National Park, heaven forbid. They see the horses moving toward them, but they continue onward to set up an ambush. A single rider approaches with another horse in tow. Lone Waite jumps on the rider, but it turns out to be Little Moonlight. She beats the old Chief easily.
That night the two men watch Little Moonlight washing in the creek. They talk about having an edge in a fight and in life. When it is dark, Josey goes to where Little Moonlight is sleeping. He is too late, as Lone Waite has already “started dating” the young woman.
The group continues into southwest Texas en route to Mexico. Lone Waite says they are in Comanche Territory. Little Moonlight sees wagon tracks and says they are from Comancheros, bandits that traded with hostile Indian tribes. It is not long before the group sees the Comancheros. They have captured Grandma Sarah. They have already killed all of the men traveling with the group.
The criminals find Laura Lee hiding in a wagon. They begin to strip and assault her. Josey prepares to open fire from where he is hiding, but the head Comancheros (John Quade), another Eastwood stock player, wants to sell Laura Lee to Ten Bears and stops the attack.
Lone Waite knocks a rock loose in his hiding place and gets captured by the Comancheros. Josey follows the group of criminals in the carts. Lone Waite, Laura Lee, and Grandma Sarah are tied to a cart and are making the long trek on foot.
Josey appears in front of the criminals with the sun at his back. The criminal leader sends out four men, including well-known stuntman Richard Farnsworth. Josey has a white flag tied to his rifle. Lone Waite tells Grandma Sarah that hell is coming to breakfast. Josey opens up and sends the four men to hell. He rides in with his pistols blazing and sends the rest along as well. A Hispanic bandit runs from Josey, and Little Moonlight sends him along. Grandma Sarah thinks Josey is going to kill them as well.
With two new members of the group, Josey continues towards Mexico. Grandma Sarah’s destination is her dead son’s ranch near Santa Rio. Josey doesn’t believe that a decent place exists in the West.
Josey and the group make it to the mostly abandoned town of Santa Rio. The two bounty hunters from the other town are waiting. Singing is coming from the Lost Lady saloon, so Josey takes the group there. Inside are a saloon girl Rose (Joyce Jameson), Ten Spot (Royal Dano), Kelly (Matt Clark), Travis Cobb (Sheb Wooley), and Chato (John Verros). They don’t have whiskey or beer and hang around with nowhere else to go. Josey brings in whiskey that he liberated from the Comancheros.
Rose tells Grandma Sarah that she knew his son well. Grandma doesn’t believe his son would consort with a saloon girl. Chato and Travis worked for Grandma’s son. Josey sees the two bounty hunters heading toward the saloon. The first bounty hunter (John Chandler) comes into the saloon to face Josey. Josey tells the bounty hunter that dying ain’t much of a living. The bounty hunter leaves but comes back to face Josey. Josey outdraws him easily. The second bounty hunter runs away.
As the group, with Travis and Chato along, heads to the ranch, they are scouted by Comanche. Chato tells that Ten Bears (Will Sampson) is the leader of the tribe and is angry about the lines told by Union negotiators.
When the group arrives at the ranch, Josey sees it is built like a blockhouse and can withstand attacks. Grandma starts cleaning and making it a home. Grandma tells Lone Waite that the ranch is home to them all, but Josey says he will be leaving. As they settle in, Josey remembers his family in Missouri. Laura Lee flirts with Josey, but she is kind of odd.
Travis, Chato, and Lone Waite leave with some cattle. Grandma thanks God for turning Josey away from being a murderous Bushwhacker. Later Lone Waite gallops into the ranch. He says Ten Bears has captured Travis and Chato and will attack in the morning. Josey assigns firing positions to all of the people in the house. Josey explains how to get mean and live.
Approach to the Inmost Cave:
In the morning, Josey rises early and leaves the ranch, knowing he can do more to defend the property ranging freely on his horse. Leaving Laura Lee behind, Josey rides directly to the Comanche camp. Ten Bears emerges from his teepee as Josey approaches. Travis and Chato are buried in the ground to their chins.
Josey tells Ten Bears that they can live together or die together. Ten Bears knows Josey is a man of honor because of how he lives as a warrior. Ten Bears makes peace with Josey and the ranchers.
When Josey meets with Ten Bears, he enters a cave where he does battle within himself. Josey has been wronged, but Ten Bears has been treated worse. Josey can make amends with one group, although he can save himself yet.
Josey returns to the ranch with Chato and Travis. Laura Lee shows Josey she cares. They have a branding party that includes the townfolks. Laura Lee braids Josey a watch chain with her hair. They dance to the tune – The Rose of Alabama, a song that Jamie sang before he died.
Fletcher, Terrill, the second bounty hunter, and a bunch of Redlegs arrive at the now-empty town. Terrill has all of the men hide.
Laura Lee and Josey spend time together. They get all sexy. Later Josey dreams of death in the past. He looks at the sleeping Laura Lee and prepares to ride out. Lone Waite and Josey have a tearful goodbye knowing they will never see each other again. Josey rides away from the ranch.
Ordeal and Reward:
On the dry lakebed in front of the cabin, Terrill is waiting for Josey. A very large group of Redleg riders arrives to support Terrill. I haven’t mentioned this before because I want to get to the Ordeal section first. Terrill and Josey are twin brothers like Loki and Thor, Vulcan and Mars, or Gilgamesh and Enkidu. We have no sympathy for Terrill, but hadn’t he lived through the same attack in the border war. He just happened to be on the side that won and could use the government’s power to finish his revenge. Remember that Josey was planning on returning to Missouri for revenge.
Therefore, Josey is facing his final ordeal. Still, there are also elements of the cave where he faces himself in the person of Terrill. The baker’s dozen of riders come within feet of Josey. Suddenly from the cabin, all of the gun ports are filled with rifles. Josey spits and begins firing with both pistols. The rifles in the house open up as well. Josey falls to the ground but keeps firing. The Redlegs are beaten and driven away from the ranch. Only Terrill and one or two others survive the first contact.
Josey is wounded in the side. Despite his wound and emptying his pistols, Josey mounts a horse and chases Terrill into Santa Rio. Josey sees blood and trails the also wounded Terrill. Josey gets the drop on the Union officer and begins dry firing his pistols as Terrill recoils in fear. As he does, Josey relives the trauma of having his Missouri family killed. Josey goes through four pistols and 24 clicks. Terrill faces death each time. This repeated gun firing, with rounds, was used in the Concentration Camp scene where Pvt. Griff, played by Mark Hamill, works through his trauma in The Big Red One (1980).
When he is sure Josey’s guns are empty, Terrill tries to put his sword, which he scared Josey with at the beginning of the movie. Josey overpowers Terrill and stabs the sword vertically into Terrill’s torso. With Terrill dead, Josey is freed from the hate cycle.
The wounded Josey goes into the saloon. Ten Spot is telling two Texas Rangers how the outlaw Josey Wales was killed by pistoleros. They introduce the wounded Josey as Mr. Wilson. Another man is revealed in the shadows: It is Fletcher.
The two rangers are happy with the story, but Fletcher says he doesn’t believe five pistoleros could kill Josey Wales. Rose replies, maybe it was six and maybe ten. As Josey watches, Fletcher says he thinks Josey is still alive and that he is going to Mexico to keep looking for the outlaw. Fletcher says that Josey is owed the first move. He continues that he will tell Josey the war is over if he ever meets him.
Josey rides away into the sunset, having dealt with his demons. He is on The Road Back, but you never know where he went. Did Josey return to the ranch or wander away? Also, the blood dripping from his side carries on the Resurrection theme, but again, we never know if he died. Or is he a ghost that travels around setting things right?
The last step in the Hero’s Journey would be Returning with the Elixir, living out his life with Laura Lee. We will never know.
Conclusion – The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
Clint Eastwood‘s The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) masterfully employs Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey to craft a compelling Western film. Through the film’s adherence to the stages of the Hero’s Journey, Eastwood takes the audience on a transformative journey alongside the protagonist. From the devastating loss that propels Josey into action to his ultimate redemption and pursuit of justice, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) captures the essence of the hero’s transformative journey, creating a timeless tale of resilience, revenge, and redemption that solidifies its status as a Western classic.
Lone Waite asks Josey how he knew which one of the four Union soldiers to shoot first. Near the end of Unforgiven (1992), Money (Clint Eastwood) kills five men in a gunfight. Afterward, the reporter (Saul Rubinek) asked him how he knew who to kill first. Money says he was lucky in the order. I believe this is a direct tribute to The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and that the concept of the Josey character evolved from the spaghetti Westerns through The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976) and finally to Unforgiven (1992).
World-Famous Short Summary – You gonna pull those pistols or whistle Dixie
Beware the moors.
[1] Joseph O. Shelby – Wikipedia
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