Outlaw Josey Wales / High Plains Drifter

OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, 1976, Warner Bros., 135 min. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Long considered an Eastwood masterpiece, WALES tells the story of a farmer (Eastwood) who sets out to avenge the murders of his family. With a refreshing blend of heart-pounding action, complex characters, and offbeat humor. The film still stands as one of the greatest Westerns ever to hit the screen.

HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, 1973, Universal, 105 min. Clint Eastwood directs himself as the hardboiled stranger hired by a town to protect it from outlaws. But this stranger may not be who he seems to be. As the hypocrisy of the townspeople is stripped away layer by layer, we learn Eastwood has his own tragic past there, which may just be the reason he’s returned. Suspense mounts to the surprising conclusion in Eastwood’s first western as director and an affectionate tribute to the spaghetti oaters that brought him stardom. Discussion in between films with editor Joel Cox.