Just finished watching Gran Torino – moving and thoughtful and funny as well. I know… I’m a bit behind on my movie watching (as well as my blogging). If you haven’t seen it, Clint Eastwood directs, produces and also plays “Walt”, a recent widower living in a Michigan suburb now populated by poor Asian immigrants and blighted by gang violence. Through a series of events Walt’s prejudice turns into understanding and compassion for the Asian family who live next door. The family’s home is attacked by a gang and one of the daughters of the house is beaten and raped.
I found the final main scene amazing. Walt lies on his back on the ground… in the shape of a cross. The camera focuses in on one of his hands and we see blood trickle onto the ground – flowing down his arms from having been shot numerous times in the chest. The way the movie works it seems as if Walt was going to deal with the wrong-doers by simply seeking revenge – the way of eye-for-an-eye justice. But then we are taken by surprise. Instead of revenge, Walt reaches for a lighter in his inside jacket pocket causing the gang members to think he reaching for a gun, and so they shoot him. With many witnesses looking on evil is exposed – brought into full sight, and as a result the gang members are sent to prison.
Walt lying in the form of the cross, with his blood dripping onto the ground, having given his life for his neighbours totally reminded me of Jesus. I’m not quite sure whether that was intended. But it is a very moving scene: Walt, in the same manner as Jesus, giving his life to expose evil and in doing so gaining victory over evil. Often the death of Jesus is thought of in terms of “paying for our sins” in our place, but there is a strong tradition, with a good biblical basis, which portrays Jesus’ death in terms of “victory over the powers” (Christus Victor). I thought Walt’s death was a great illustration of this kind of purposeful sacrificial death. (By the way, we see a similar kind of sacrificial death exposing evil to have victory over evil in the Robert Redford movie “The Last Castle“.)
I should say that there are important differences between Walt’s death and Jesus death. Perhaps the most significant is that Walt is seeking his own salvation in his sacrificial death. He feels he is somehow gaining his own redemption for some of the things he did during the Korean War. Oh… and the other thing is that Walt does not rise from the dead!
Anyways… well worth the watch.
I’ve just finished watching Gran Torino and enjoyed it immensely.
The movie was beautifully shot with very little extra lighting and virtually no music. The entire movie focussed on the relationships between Walt and the few people he encountered.
The parallels to Jesus in the final scene (juxtapositioned against Walts decidedly un-Christian character in the rest of the movies) was absolutely intended.
For me the movie was about the tension and ambiguity that occurs in our lives between our words and our actions. Walt’s words – and hence his image in the eyes of others – is rooted in the persona of a middle-american good o’l boy who is racially intollerant and scarred by experiences of the Korean war. He is overtly racist and prejudicial. It is equally apparent that he lives in a culture (of men particularly) that knows little else. However, despite their words of hatred, their actions are more consistent with acceptance (possibly love?).
So, despite is apparent (verbal) hatred towards his Hmong neighbours, he is won-over by their continued actions of love and peace towards him. In the end, although he never understand them, he accepts them.
Additionally, the disinterest of his own children and the poverty in his relationships with them means that he finds relationship and love with his neighbours who are materially poor but rich in love and family.
In the end it is what is done, rather than what is said that holds real power. Walt creates a situation in which he exposes the evil of the street-thugs to the observers by merely seeking a ‘light’. It is the light of truth that exposes
Walt he sacrifices himself for an entire community of people he never really liked or understood – but he understood that they were being terrorized by evil. His words never conformed to what was right, but his actions were very different.
I think this movie was about the interplay of words and actions and the complexity of human experience. Walt was never particularly drawn to the words of the church, but he absolutely embodied the spirit of what Jesus stood for at his core.