Clint Eastwood Celebrates Heroes in ‘The 15:17 to Paris’

Audie Murphy played himself as well.

Ah, yes. To Hell and Back, I saw that one in '55; and it made a positive impression on little 7 yr old moi.

Some of the WW II films made in the 50s might seem a bit corny by today's standards, but they do preserve a picture of our finest generation.

The Liberal ending to Gran Torino (the last few minutes when he bent over forward so the criminals could give him the shaft right up his *ss) was such a stunning disappointment to me.

Actually, the Eastwood’s final scene in Gran Torino is a homage to Jesus Christ and Catholicism.

Eastwood goes to confession and then sets out to give up his life for his friends. (what could be less PC)

Eastwood plays the part of a Korean War Marine veteran that has been haunted by his time in service because of the human lives that he was forced to take. He has recently befriended his new Hmong neighbors who are being terrorized by a Hmong street gang.

Knowing that he is dying of lung cancer and also knowing that he has no chance of killing the entire gang solo he devises his plan to trick the gang in to killing him in a very public manner that will provide the police with ample witnesses to the crime.

In the end Eastwood’s plan succeeds and the final shot of Eastwood he is lying on his back his back his arms straight out to his sides in emulation of Christ on the Cross.

I think the movie is as close as we are likely to come these days to a movie that gives us a Common Christian man as a reluctant hero.

I think it was well done and it is one of my favorite Eastwood movies.

I think it would have been unrealistic to have a 70-year-old man walk in to the gang house M1 and 1911 and kill all of the gang members on their home turf ala The Punisher. I like super hero movies but that is not Eastwood’s style.

IIRC this (movie) story supposedly occurred in California. Not that it matters much, the justice system doesn’t work in many places, and certainly not in places where there are gangs. That’s why they thrive where they do.

Liberal ending to the movie, lots of useless tears for the victim, and great hope for the continued freedom of the killers once the bump in the road of the token effort to bring them to justice was behind them.

Those guys were out by the time of his funeral.

I’ve been a Clint Eastwood fan as long as anyone here, and probably longer than most, and it was one of the most disappointing movies of his I’ve ever seen.

Most of his movies included the bad guys brought to justice.

Not here.

Those guys were out by the time of his funeral.

There is a good chance that in the real world that would happen but that is not in the movie.

The movie ends with the reading of the will and the Hmong kid driving the Gran Torino. There is nothing about the gang after their arrest.

Movies are a chance to escape reality for an hour or two why mess up a good movie by reading in to it what isn’t there?

Excellent summary of a great Eastwood movie (Gran Torino).

Balding....you’ve missed the mark so many times on this movie, it may be best if you just bow out of this thread, entirely.

Gran Torino takes place in Michigan, btw. Eastwood’s character retired from the Ford auto plant that made....his Gran Torino. He built it, then bought it.

But, you likely weren’t paying enough attention to the movie (fake ending and location comments), to know this.

Take care.

It has been along time since I saw the movie, I think it’s been 10 years, and I’d forgotten that it did happen in Michigan, but as I pointed out, it doesn’t really matter.

I went to the movie expecting justice to prevail, instead I saw the good guy gunned down, and bunch of gangbangers who killed him turned over to a corrupt and non-effective justice system.

In real life most or all of those killers would be back on the streets by now.

Not the same Clint Eastwood I watched over the years.

Eastwood always made sure justice would prevail.

I can’t see how that happened in Gran Torino.

Saw the 15:17 movie yesterday. I liked it even better than I thought I would. Was concerned about not using professional actors but the heroes were so good in their parts, I forgot I wasn’t watching actors.

Would definitely see it again because you always miss some things the first time around.

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