FILM CHOICE

The Outlaw Josey Wales

ITV4, 9pm

MISSOURI farmer Josey Wales (Clint Eastwood, who also directs) vows revenge after his family is slaughtered by maverick soldiers during the American Civil War. While tracking down those responsible, he becomes an outlaw, much-feared by those who’ve heard of his ruthless ways. As time passes and the conflict ends, Josey becomes a wanted man, but despite his efforts to remain a loner, he unwittingly creates a new family from a bunch of mismatched, disenfranchised souls. Largely ignored on release, this absorbing and frequently very funny Western is now rightly regarded as one of Eastwood’s best – although the charming Chief Dan George comes close to stealing the entire movie from him.