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.
Well said.
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.