THE RETURN OF JOSEY WALES

US, 1986, 90 minutes, Colour.
Michael Parks.
Directed by Michael Parks.

The Return of Josey Wales is a sequel to Clint Eastwood's classic, The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). The film written by Stirling Siliphant, is an elegy of the west, the human journey and search. Josey Wales is presented as a Christ-figure. The film was directed by its star, Clint Eastwood.

This film is directed by its star Michael Parks. However, the screenplay is very difficult to follow and Josey Wales does not emerge as a very clear character. The setting is Mexico on the Texas border. Josey Wales has led people to safety - but now is an enigmatic character. People speak well of him. However, Mexican authorities exercise brutality. There are confrontations, fights, shootouts. Michael Parks is rather laconic as Josey Wales, still an outlaw in the west, still wanting to save people, still quick with a gun, having to make decisions where his future will be. The supporting cast includes a prostitute at an inn in a Mexican town, the barman who is a friend of Josey Wales, other assorted people with whom he has come in contact. There a number of Mexican villains, a fleeing Indian. The film is entertaining as a western but, the demands of the plot and characters are too much - and it is a great disappointment as a follow-up to the original.