Gran Torino

[bikerdoc]

simple story 50 years ago i am 10 y/o my kid brother and cousin were 8.
The local bully - 12 - and a big mean sob was picking on my brother, hittting him and taking his milk money. One day after school I tell my brother to get this dufus to chase him down an alley, where me and the cousin were waiting with a coal shovel and an ax handle.
End of problem.
He later became one of our best friends
We all enlisted within a year of each other and he and I end up in the A Shau valley in diferent line units. He was killed, and I was wounded on 5/11/69.
Like the movie take from it what you want, Im done here.

 

[daorhgih]

"Real" intelligence professionals,

. . . like those who worked in A Shau for Robert Strange MacNamara and know some hairy tales. Like insertion on Objective Perry at midnite, placing "turd-mines" along Rao Lao for three days with only water and quinine tabs, and extraction by Air America Porter on two wheels only at noon sharp from Ta Bat. Three miles in 3 days. Outstanding Unit Citation, Presidential Unit, and no recognition that we were ever there, because we were not. All for the ASA. 8/67 Semper Stealth SS.

 

[sailortoo]

"We did all we could to avoid getting into those wars at all in the first place. Just because we won doesn't mean we wouldn't have been better off without them in the first place."
Arcane, but interesting info to refute the above quote, at least in my opinion. I am more interested in the info on the Grand Torino film, and the posted reviews sound very good; but to add - Freedom of Information documents long years ago show conclusively that FDR signed documents to have two very lightly armed motor/sail vessels commissioned as armed US Naval vessels, at Manila, Philippines, 1941. They were to be sent out as a taunt to the Japanese Navy, hopefully to be fired upon and possibly sunk - similar to the USS Panay PR-5 sinking by the Japanese, Yantze River, in 1937. Didn't happen, as the Japanese bombed Manila before the two vessels left the dock. Great story of getting to Australia - "The Cruise of the Lanikai" - Naval Institute Press. The idea that "we" were trying to stay out of WW II didn't include the sitting President. Your second sentence is right on - no question.
sailortoo

 

[ReadyontheRight]

Great movie. Excellent quotes - mostly because they are so non-Policially Correct.

Here be spoilers:


















































Good insight into the Hmong we would not have gotten without Clint picking up this film. They supported us in Vietnem and got hit badly by the communists when we left. Lutheran churches brought refugees here "Everyone's always blaming the Lutherans" - Catholic Clint in Gran Torino.

To paraphrase Clint: "I have more in common with these g**ks than with my own rotten, spoiled family."

Great writing in this movie! Go see it and post what you would do in this situation.

I would hope that I would be brave enough to stand up to them in the first place without just moving away. I would think and hope that I would do a Boondocks Saints and take them out. Who knows? Who is John Galt?

 

[daorhgih]

You've done it now . . . . .

I've gone and seen it. Before I saw it I was thinking of James Coburn. Eastwood has far surpassed his earlier work in this Gran T. I hope I mellow that much in my old age (if I reach old age.)


((Who is John Galt, and what is his CCW gun? Hint: it's imported from Israel. ))

 

[daorhgih]

Semper 7.62x51 Fi !

Hold 'em High!!

 

[jasper275]

Well, I saw the movie, but saw too much Political Correctness. This PC culminated in this denouement: In order for the gun-loving, caucasian, beer drinker to find atonement for his racism, he had to die for minorities.

I'm just finding it impossible to fall for even the most deviously subtle propaganda.

 

[Golden Hound]

Jasper, that is what I took away from it also, and for that reason it is baffling to me that it is so well-liked here.

 

[ACBMWM3]

So this post went from being about a movie. to tearing apart an 8 word sentance. Im sorry to say but alot of you are being immature. You are looking waaaaaaaaaaaay to much into it. Your taking it out of context and puting words into the original posters mouth...
C'mon we are bigger then that

 

[nwilliams]

I thought the movie was excellent but I didn't care for the ending. All the same the ending fit the movie and it just would have seemed out of place for him to pull an Unforgiven at the end, as much as we'd all have loved to see that.

 

[Justin]

This isn't really about guns or shooting.