The Return of Josey Wales
A battle-scarred gunfighter heads into Mexico to rescue his imprisoned friend, confronting frontier violence and the burden of a legendary identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Brutal
- gritty
- rugged
- tense
- western movie night
- action film night
What critics said
Critics and viewers broadly regarded the sequel as a slow, unnecessary continuation weakened by its replacement of Clint Eastwood and an unmemorable cast.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Josey Wales is identified as a war veteran whose gunfighter persona carries the legacy of armed conflict into the frontier.
The film returns to Josey Wales ten years after the earlier film but recasts the role with Michael Parks.
Josey travels to Mexico to free his friend Chato from jail.
The central journey is driven by friendship and the social codes of the wild west.
Films like The Return of Josey Wales, and why
The Outlaw Josey Wales
western gunfighter adventure centered on a hardened veteran and a rescue mission
The Searchers
classic western focused on a solitary gunslinger, frontier danger, and personal loyalty
Unforgiven
late-period western with a pragmatic gunfighter, violent encounters, and a redemptive mission
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Parks
- Release Date
- 1986-10-01
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (5)
Cast
- Michael Parks
- Rafael Campos
- Charles McCoy
- Suzie Humphreys
- John William Galt
- Robert Magruder
- Paco Vela
- Everett Sifuentes
- Charles Escamilla
- Arturo R. Tamez Jr.
Common questions
- What is The Return of Josey Wales about?
- A battle-scarred gunfighter heads into Mexico to rescue his imprisoned friend, confronting frontier violence and the burden of a legendary identity.
- What is The Return of Josey Wales like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Return of Josey Wales as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is The Return of Josey Wales violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Return of Josey Wales as brutal.
- What did critics think of The Return of Josey Wales?
- Critics and viewers broadly regarded the sequel as a slow, unnecessary continuation weakened by its replacement of Clint Eastwood and an unmemorable cast.
- Which films are like The Return of Josey Wales?
- Films with a similar feel include The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Searchers, and Unforgiven.
- How long is The Return of Josey Wales?
- The Return of Josey Wales runs 90 minutes.
