UNION JAYHAWKERS FROM KANSAS PICKED ON THE WRONG MAN WHEN THEY PICKED ON THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES

If i had to name my absolute favourite movie of all time &
i only had once choice, then the 1976 western classic THE
OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, starring the veteran actor Clint
Eastwood, would probaly be one of about three movies
in the race. On the basis of plot construction, depth of
characterisations & overall screenplay and on location
filming, it would be at the very top of my list without
any doubt. The beauty about this western is it does
extend the theme of the western genre and breaks
through many cliches that even the westerns mas-
ter, John Wayne, could have been accused of recy-
cling often in his films. Dont get me wrong, i like
John Wayne and half a dozen of his ones are much
better in my opinion than a few of Eastwood's west-
ern movies, but JOSEY WALES is just a brilliant and
captivating movie, despite lower than average act-
ing skills being on display from Eastwood for most
of the movie. He just happens to be the star of
a movie which has everything else going for it,
Clint makes an aggravating habit in the movie
of chewing a lot of tobacco and then spitting
it at people, mostly dead people he just shot,
as well as a stray scorpion in one particular
scene. That scorpion must have wondered
what hit it after Clint spat at the poor bug-
ger. The beauty about it is that the movie
merges themes of the mid-west western
movies and the american civil war, which
was fought in the more eastern states of
the US. Hence by the time the movie is
ended, you feel like you have been all
around america in the era of the wild
west. The movie plot is centred on the
revenge that Josey Wales enacts upon
to settle a score with the pro-Union or
nothing renegade marshalls who are re-
sponsible for burning his house to the
ground in Missouri, a terrible act re-
sulting in the deaths of his wife and
son. Wrong move! Despite being out-
numbered on so many occasions, the
outlaw Josey Wales makes it a real
habit of mowing down the bad guys
on regular occasions, the showdown
between Wales and John Vernon in
the movie, who plays a very con-
vincing bad egg role, is partic-
ularly riveting and convincing.