The Outlaw Josey Wales

Avenging the murder of a loved one is something that, God willing, none of us have to ever deal with, but in the old west to avenge a wrong like this it was better to have some hot lead backing you up. With the expert directorial and acting work by Clint Eastwood this story is one the most favored Eastwood westerns by fans after the "man with no name" series that Sergio Leone created in the 60s. With strong characters portrayed by strong actors the tale leaps off the screen from the opening scenes of the murder to the closing scenes of the final showdown.
Josey Wales, an ex-Confederate soldier, is on the run from a U.S. Army unit who is being lead by the man responsible for killing his wife and son. The camera work throughout the film is amazing and shows how much effort Eastwood puts into his films behind, as well as in front, of the camera. The realism that Eastwood is able to accomplish here is nothing short of wondrous, the costumes, props and sets are done with so much detail that you almost believe that everything that you are seeing is real. The ending isn't a normal Hollywood ending for a western, but that's just another way this story stands out from all the other westerns that have been made over the years.
There are some actors that are not able to completely separate themselves from a genre of films when they are very successful, but Eastwood is able to come and go from the western genre as if it was a change of clothing. I can't say honestly which he does better, acting or directing, but as long as he wants to make them there will always be an audience to see them. This is the kind of epic story that moviegoers are looking for; it's a shame that Hollywood only makes this type of film when they feel like it and not when the public wants them. Yet with more and more of these older films being released, or re-released or re-re-released etc., I think you know what I mean, a new generation of watchers have a chance to see what Hollywood can do when they set their minds to it.