She didn't break through. No one changed. No one broke through. two people found each other who were genuine and not fake. They respected each other for being genuine. That's it. People imagine so much BS
@@unclebounce1495 This is why you will never be invited to a party or a social get together unless it's a family thing where it's mandatory to invite you. In the movie Walt showed he had a soul. I will pray for yours. With God, all things are possible.
@@paulmartin2348 Riight, also presumptive of you mr. Morality. You apparently just know I don't get invited to parties? walt didn't need redemption, you self righteous pryck. That's the whole point. he didn't change. He was the same in the end as the beginning. He made a discovery. There's a difference. He discovered people he respected. That doesn't mean he changed. Grow up and stop assuming morale superiority because of stupid superficial virytue signaling. That's the whole point of the movie. Superrficial versus substantial. have a nice day, Mr. Superficial. Have fun at all your parties.
I loved the way Clint flipped the script with the ending of this movie. Naturally his fans except him to emerge victorious in the final shoot out, like I definitely was. Then I realized that Walt Kowalski was a dying man who had one last chance to redeem himself and he willingly took it. Thanks Addie for choosing this movie.
I love how the ending is totally smart and unconventional: the ultimate sacrifice instead of the typical gun fight where the good guy kills all the bad guys. Great movie and as usual great reaction. Thanks Addie!
Made me cry like a baby when I saw it in college. Made too much sense to even be an option. You always expect guns blazing ending. And all the little symbolisms in the movie
So true. And it's so fitting for an older and "wiser" version of the types of characters Eastwood used to play a lot, where indeed it would all have ended in a big badass shootout.
Also, with the Clint Eastwood standoff at the end, we were all primed for a big shootout, because of his western movie heritage. Well-played, wizened Eastwood. Well-played😌🙏
What you missed on the medical paper was he had lung cancer. He chose his way out by helping a friend. He knew his family wouldn't take care of him so he did what was necessary and went in peace.
Walt was a man of action, and given the choice of a meaningless lingering death or a meaningful quick one that would help a friend he made his choice. Edit: Adding to this it was a way for him to wipe the stain from his soul. Walt's confession to the priest was done to fulfill the priests vow to Walt's wife since Walt considered the priest a good man after getting to know him, but his real confession was in the next scene with Tao locked in the basement when he described how awful it was to kill in war and wanting to spare Tao that anguish he had carried since Korea. In Walt's mind his death allowed him to clear his sin by saving Tao and his family from the gang.
Everyone assumed that's what it was because you only have a second to take everything in, so you either have to pause or be looking in the right spot already.
Good detail added by having Walt stay on the sidewalk in front of the gang's house. Takes away any self defense claim the gang can make of Walt attempting to break into their house. Walt stayed off their lawn.
There's a tremendous skill in the writing and acting here to turn quite a dislikeable character at the beginning into someone you cry for at the end. A gem of a movie.
Eastwood did a clever subtle thing if you go back and watch the scenes. When he locked Tao in the basement and is talking to him through the mesh of the gate which looks like the mesh in a confessional in church, what he tells Tao is his real confession, what he told the real priest in church was the fluff
When i was in 12th grade we watched this movie in school and when the bar joke was told i was the only person in the class to laugh and everybody just stared at me……😂
@@breadtoast1036 Not to be pedantic but paulmartin2348 is right. It would be more appropriate to say 'impending death' here. While I agree in what you said that those things are indicators of someone about to commit suicide that's not always the exact case nor is it exactly what occurred here - Walt knew he was either going to be murdered or die from disease, but he did not take his own life deliberately all by himself. You see the same thing in other instances; People finding out they have terminal illness or servicemen before being deployed, and so forth. They know they could or even will die, but that doesn't make it specifically suicide though.
I could tell Walt was expecting to die right from the start. The bath and smoking in the house was the first clue, but the fitted suit and big tip on the shave and haircut confirmed it. Walt was getting all of his affairs in order. By the time he showed up for his confession, I knew he didn't expect to survive the night.
@@paulmartin2348it's a variation of the phrase suicide by cop. Men would point a gun at a cop, expecting to be killed by the cop. It has fallen out of common usage.
This could be my favorite Clint Eastwood movie. It is one of my favorite ones to watch people's reaction to. A great emotional movie that everyone seems to appreciate.
Walt, like my dad and most of the dads I grew up around was a problem solver. He solved two problems at one time by goading the gang into gunning him down with the entire neighborhood watching. He was likely facing a painful and debilitating death from whatever was making him cough up blood so the end, of his choosing, was a quick way out for him. I knew a lot of "Walts" in my life. There were no better friends or more terrible enemies. BTW have you seen his movies, "Pale Rider" of "The outlaw Josey Wales"? You really should. Good reaction.
Walt is a true introvert. His motto is like 'leave me alone and I will leave you alone'. Also like a true introvert, you cannot just befriend him. You need to take steps, slowly, and he can enjoy spending time with ppl not his age :) As for the Gran Torino - that's an actual car. A Ford Torino, but this specific front grille was made only in 72".
I think any family member who asks..” what are you doing with X..after you die”..will definitely be one that is overlooked in my will!! Great movie, great reaction
This is the story of a man comfortable with his legend. We ALL expected "Pale Rider" to emerge and win. He knew that. To turn that on its head shows security with his legend. Genius.
At the end. He made sure that he was standing on the sidewalk which is public property. He made sure he wasn’t trespassing. He had everybody in the neighborhood, paying attention to be a witness.
You gotta love a good "character arc!" Walt definitely has one from start to finish. One of the best moments is when he realizes he has more in common with the Hmong, than he does his own "spoiled, rotten children."
Not many films have an impact on me but I tear up every time I see this, I think this is the first time I watched one of your reaction vids and was more emotional than you lol. Genuinely one of the greatest films ever made
Clint Eastwood, in addition to actor/director/writer, is also a musician. An intermediate jazz and blues pianist, he has sung the credits before. In the early 80s, he did a movie with Burt Reynolds, and he (and Burt, I believe) sang songs in the movie, including a video on MTV.
You have to remember, too, that Walt was coughing up blood. We never see the results of his tests, but they likely weren't good. So he figured, if he was going to die, he might as well go out doing something that would help Tao and Sue. A lot of growth by Walt in this movie. One of my favorites.
Wally's medical condition was such that he didn't have long to live as it was. He saw an opportunity to bring justice to the area by sacrificing himself. He couldn't have a weapon, or they may have considered it self defense. He got a suit and a shave he never had before on his last day, which was a good sign, since he was getting ready for his funeral. Although confession is good throughout life, if one anticipates an imminent death, it was fitting that he sought confession at that time, too.
In the shootout scene at the end, I like that they show multiple neighbors looking out their window to see what is happening, showing that there is multiple witnesses to what is going on. At first you don't think much of it cause you think Clint is going to try to shoot tall the gang members anyway. But afterwards you realize it is a sneaky smart shot, cause it shows how many witnesses there were to the murder, which will help prosecute them better
It's also important that Walt isn't Hmong. The film tells us the Hmong don't talk to the Police and the Police probably don't care much about gang violence anyway. So if Tao had gone instead of Walt the gang would just have shot him and the Police would have just marked it up as gang related and not done anything. But they can't ignore an old white war veteran getting gunned down by a gang in the street.
@@jrd33- Walt gained a favorable reputation in the Hmong community for standing up to the gang, and for having Thao help fix up the neighborhood. That is probably why the witnesses were more willing to come forward and testify.
20:55 "I mean, he's doing what you told him to do." Guys will test new guys. They have to be polite and know how to act right, but also be able to push back against the nonsense guys will put on them. Tao was polite, then gave his own smack-back, proving he has a spine. Perfect response, and Tao gained a skill as a man.
Never disrespect the elderly; they don't have long to live, and many aren't afraid to take you with them. The older I get the more I know this is true.
Classic! If you like Clint Eastwood movies, my favorite are the three Dollar Trilogy westerns, and the war comedies Kelly's Heroes and Heartbreak Ridge.
Clint did sing the first measure of the song at the end. He and a few others composed that song. He’s an accomplished musician and has written the scores for several of his movies. I think he also played the piano for those songs.
@Addie in addition to your wonderful patron's picks Id love to see you do a AFI top100 list and watch them all :). This film is a masterclass in story telling and character development.
@AddieCounts, someone else recently pointed this out on another reaction to this movie from @CineBinge, a very minor, yet significant detail at the end is if you pay very close attention to Walt confronting the gang, notice how his feet never leave the sidewalk, so that way when he gets shot, it's not trespassing, he's on public property, so it's a stronger case for murder.
He was dying of cancer so he sacrificed his life for a race a of people that he hated most of his life because of war. Wound up much closer to them than his own family. Great film and story line.
@@Stevaroonihe absolutely hated them at first. He curled his lips and sneered at the sight of them, he made remarks about so many of them being in his neighborhood, he called them specific slurs based on their race, etc. That's hate. And if you say calling people racist names isn't racist, go into the hood and start calling black dudes the N word. Watch what happens.
Clint Eastwood has made an excellent movie as always! Grand Torino is a reminder of the hard working old-timers that fix things rather than ignore it! Reminds me of my dad! ❤ Best scene is when he takes Tao (toad) to the barbershop to man him up! Haha lol Thanks for sharing Addie ❤️💛. For another film directed by Clint Eastwood watch "American Sniper" with Bradley Cooper!
The end of this movie has an added layer if you have watched a lot of Eastwood's movies from the 70s through the 90s. Often he played a maverick, a lone wolf, a cop on the mean streets or a gunslinger... and invariably, he shows up with a hand cannon and a mean mug and kills the thugs one by one. To have him go out this way was playing against a large portion of the films he had done. Also, Walt's real confessionw as to Tao, through the screen door, just like the screen of a confessional booth. Walt wasn't a racist. He hated himself, for what he had done in war. Seeing the faces of all those people, looking just like the ones he killed in war. The shame, the hurt, the regret - a daily reminder.
The banter between Walt and the barber is friendly. That's how guys of that generation talked to one another. Once mutual respect is established, it's understood all the insults are in jest. You have to have the respect established first. Walt's plan all along was for them to kill him. He knew he was dying and he wanted to make up for the sins of his life by protecting Tao and his family. He knew he was well known and liked in the community now so he made sure everyone was watching by drawing attention in the front yard so there were plenty of witnesses when they shot him.
Love this film, I remember watching it about a year after it came out with my dad. I grew up watching Clint in westerns with him. One of the few times I've seen my dad speechless was at the end of this film, after a few minutes he just said "that was great". Since you appear to be on the Clint train atm, I would recommend Mystic River. Clint directed it. It stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon, to name a few. It's well worth the watch.
Plus Walt had cancer. And by helping Thao, he was sort of making up for the relationship he had with his sons. He also said he missed his wife, never had a straight shave or a fitted suit. Walt set it up. Yes, Clint singing the closing credits.
Great reaction Addie like always, love this movie, Love watching people reaction to this movie. They hate Walt from the start at the end they're crying. You’ll notice that Walt insulted everyone. The barber, the construction guy, the 3 black guys, the guy with Sue, (which was actually his son, Scott Eastwood.) Walt gives a half-hearted confession to the priest, to honor his wife’s request that he do so, but he give his REAL confession to Thao. It’s even framed with them talking through a screen, just like a confessional. There are some fun-facts about this movie. Walt's dog, Daisy, is Clint Eastwood's beloved family retriever in real life. Clint Eastwood's character's name, Walt Kowalski, is the real name of legendary wrestler Walter 'Killer' Kowalski. Keep up the good work.
As an old person with a decent heart, I found that what Walt was exactly what I would expect him to. When I watch this movie I don’t see Walt changing at all! I see everyone’s understanding of him growing throughout the movie!
I saw this movie by accident in the theater. First (and only) Clint Eastwood movie I have ever seen. It started and we realized it was the wrong movie but by that time we were hooked. I think I own 3 copies of this DVD as I would loan them to everyone who wanted to watch it. Great movies are very rare. P.S. I figured out what he was doing as soon as he went up to the front of the house. With him being sick and not having long to live it was pretty obvious but I still love this movie.
I love your reactions. you are alert to details and show real empathy... you seem like such a nice person; seeing how you react to negative people and situations is so interesting.... when you get sad, I get sadder, and when you laugh, I am happy for you...
Walt knew he was dying, and the world he knew was largely gone anyway, so he decided to make the ultimate sacrifice for Thao and his family. Clint Eastwood had a movie reputation for being a tough guy with a gun, and the viewers were expecting him to go to that gang's house and blow them away with a 44 Magnum. The ending was totally unexpected.
One of Eastwood's finest hours - the power of redemption thru friendship is beyond words but thru actions. Excellent overall - glad you got to this Ads; hope you continue the rabbit-hole of Clint's canon - I also recommend MILLION DOLLAR BABY among literally dozens of other films he has done.
Clint Eastwood has made some epics, and some not so epic movies - but they have all been entertaining. Some Eastwood movies I highly recommend include: The Outlaw Josey Wales - Western Pale Rider - Western Million Dollar Baby - Sports Drama (Female Boxing) Heartbreak Ridge - War Drama Unforgiven - Western (Westerns usually deal with American myths, honor, and heroism. This nuanced masterpiece breaks all those western tropes. As such, it is best to watch some other great westerns first to understand those tropes.)
what most people miss about this movie is it's actual message. this movie is about actions speak louder then words. it's also about how words don't tell you much about what type of a person someone is. Walt speaks awfully, he openly uses racist language, he bitches and moans about people endlessly. he's aggressive and confrontational. the villians in the story don't use racist language (this is very intentional in the script) oh sure they say bad stuff, and they do bad things, but they don't talk racist. When Walt and Thao first interact it's Thao asking for jumper cables, walt is curt and direct, and tells him he doesn't have any (a lie), his family leaves the wake bad mouthing walt for his racism, while they're leaving they pass by walt giving thao a jump, doesn't even occure to help him. this is also intentional. we see through action walt is actually a nice person at heart. his wife is dead he has awful kids/family, it's probably one of the worst days of his life, and he's out in the street helping thao jump an old car while his family drives by, not thinking of lending a hand bad mouthing him while he's helping someone else. this is a common theme in this story, walt will say rude shit, but he'll do it while helping others. then we get context with the barber shop. he uses awful language to everyone. not just minorities, he's taking shots at white people's heritage as well, as he pokes fun at the barber's ancestry. it's how he communicates, and frankly, when you see the quality of his character you realize he's not a bad person despite what comes out of his mouth. meanwhile the bad people who aren't using offensive language (well racist language, i think the most racist thing said by a gangbanger, was the african american gangsters calling the white kid a honky) are out there raping and killing. The movie made these choices intentionally. his awful family never used racist language. they seemed moderately progressive actually. yet they were horrific human beings. meanwhile the reason walt warmed up to the priest in the end is because the priest walked to walk. despite Walts distain for the priest the priest never gave up, was polite, earnest and honest with him. he wasn't intimidated by the language walt was using at all. and we find something else about the priest. he's doing community outreach into the gangs. this wasn't some all talk priest. he's making inroads with gangs, that takes some cajones. he might have been a 27yo virgin out of seminary, but he was a true believer in his faith, and walked the walk, so he earned walt's respect. this movie is about how words mean next to nothing outside of action. in the end walts words never killed anyone. but those gangsters certainly killed walt. his harmful, hateful words, helped fix a neighborhood, remove a gang and rescued thao from a gang life while revenging Sue's rape. It's a message about being a good person being much more valuable then acting like a good person. people use words to mask who they are. they talk progressively yet won't help a homeless man fallen on the ground, they talk like they're religious yet only act christian to people in their social class and never would try to talk to the word to gangsters or the poor. at it's heart this is a movie about actions being the only meaningful thing people do. and how words are of almost no value whatsoever. how we as a people value words far too much.
Exactly. The world today is full of superficial child-adults. They rarely get the message. Walt didn't change. Sue and Walt were two genuine people who were actually honest, treated everyone the same, and weren't bigots. Everyone else was a bunch of bigots and discriminating fake people who changed their behavior from person to person based on what rays/color that person was. Walt and Sue cared about substance. Wish more child-adults were taught this lesson.
@@unclebounce1495 I forgot to add in my original post, the interesting thing about Walt's confession is it's strictly things he did. Walt only valued action. his biggest regrets were things he did. he only considered sinful his own actions, the priest was surprised the only thing walt asked for forgiveness for were this short list of things he did. he kissed another woman while married, he wasn't close to his sons, and he made a $100 profit selling a boat and motor and never reported it on his taxes (stealing). he was confessing strictly to his actions. Because to walt those are the only things that mattered in life. note he didn't accept Thao's apology until he saw Thao helping the old woman pick up her groceries. action, not words showed Walt that Thao was a good person and worthy of befriending.
One thing I see missing here is also the father/man figure and how important it is. I won't develop much what I mean, cause typing here isn't the nicest thing hehe. But it makes a fundamental difference in all you said and how it impacts people's lives. Thao's family was made of strong women. But that was not enough to help Thao become the man he had the potential to be. Thao will be a new Walt. Potentially even better. Anyway, just thought I'd add these 2 cents. :-)
@31:10 it is Clint singing! This man's a national treasure, he has directed and acted in so many good movies! Watch Million Dollar Baby, directed by him, Oscar winner!
The thing that threw me the most about the ending was when he went to the priest. He is standing with his iconic Western slouch; right leg straight, right arm high, left leg at an angle, left arm low. It made me think he was going to go old school, and I'd bet it was deliberate.
One of the more interesting jobs of being a priest Is the job of hearing confession. Listening to everyone's list of dirty laundry. Some of it boring, sometimes it's disgusting, other times it's interesting I'm sure. No I'm not a priest, but I do know someone who is a catholic priest and he has been for 20 years. I've known him so grade school, we still talk periodically to this day. Those things I said about hearing confessions were his words, not mine.
Walt was terminally ill and knew he didn't have long left to live. He sacrificed himself for Sue and Tao so that they could have better lives without that gang running around.
I knew this movie had an impact on people. I didn't know much about it. I didn't even know what "Grand Torino" could be in reference to. (I am the same approximate age as his car) There are aspects of this film, I would like to talk about, but I can't bring myself to engage on the subject, because several aspects make me always remember my grandfather. Always gruff, always quiet, except for the one time he talked to me one afternoon, about what he had seen in WWII. It took years for me to comprehend some of those things. He never talked about it. But I had a glimpse of what he endured, all at once, I realize he was holding some of it back because he was talking to his grandson, who was about 13 at the time. From what I understand, even his daughter... My mother... never had a conversation with him about that. IDK who he may have ever talked to about it. IDK why I was let in.. What he said was important. I realized that. So I wrote down what I could remember over the next few days. Not to share it, but to burn it into my mind. I realized there were things I didn't understand, but I wanted to remember as much as I could. From time to time, I find aspects that break my heart again when I realize what something he said meant. I see Walt as being in some ways similar. So it is difficult for me to comment on some aspects.
I love this movie. I've been accused of being very similar to Walt despite being born a generation or two later. His character reminds me of my Grandfather who was a Korean war veteran himself. Despite not being the most pleasant person, Walt embodies the core values of being a man. He takes care of things and finishes things because that's what he is and what he's supposed to do.
He made his final confession to Thao.
Also I think that Sue is a great hero. She was able to break through to Walt.
She didn't break through. No one changed. No one broke through. two people found each other who were genuine and not fake. They respected each other for being genuine. That's it. People imagine so much BS
@@unclebounce1495 This is why you will never be invited to a party or a social get together unless it's a family thing where it's mandatory to invite you. In the movie Walt showed he had a soul. I will pray for yours. With God, all things are possible.
@@paulmartin2348 Riight, also presumptive of you mr. Morality. You apparently just know I don't get invited to parties? walt didn't need redemption, you self righteous pryck. That's the whole point. he didn't change. He was the same in the end as the beginning. He made a discovery. There's a difference. He discovered people he respected. That doesn't mean he changed. Grow up and stop assuming morale superiority because of stupid superficial virytue signaling. That's the whole point of the movie. Superrficial versus substantial. have a nice day, Mr. Superficial. Have fun at all your parties.
Yep, Walt considered Thao as somebody worth opening up to
She was the best part of the movie. Haven't seen her in much else though. She had a tiny bit part in BvS.
I loved the way Clint flipped the script with the ending of this movie. Naturally his fans except him to emerge victorious in the final shoot out, like I definitely was. Then I realized that Walt Kowalski was a dying man who had one last chance to redeem himself and he willingly took it. Thanks Addie for choosing this movie.
You were definitely victorious in the final shootout? That's great!
I love how the ending is totally smart and unconventional: the ultimate sacrifice instead of the typical gun fight where the good guy kills all the bad guys. Great movie and as usual great reaction. Thanks Addie!
Made me cry like a baby when I saw it in college. Made too much sense to even be an option. You always expect guns blazing ending. And all the little symbolisms in the movie
So true. And it's so fitting for an older and "wiser" version of the types of characters Eastwood used to play a lot, where indeed it would all have ended in a big badass shootout.
Also, with the Clint Eastwood standoff at the end, we were all primed for a big shootout, because of his western movie heritage.
Well-played, wizened Eastwood.
Well-played😌🙏
What you missed on the medical paper was he had lung cancer. He chose his way out by helping a friend. He knew his family wouldn't take care of him so he did what was necessary and went in peace.
Walt was a man of action, and given the choice of a meaningless lingering death or a meaningful quick one that would help a friend he made his choice.
Edit: Adding to this it was a way for him to wipe the stain from his soul. Walt's confession to the priest was done to fulfill the priests vow to Walt's wife since Walt considered the priest a good man after getting to know him, but his real confession was in the next scene with Tao locked in the basement when he described how awful it was to kill in war and wanting to spare Tao that anguish he had carried since Korea. In Walt's mind his death allowed him to clear his sin by saving Tao and his family from the gang.
Everyone assumed that's what it was because you only have a second to take everything in, so you either have to pause or be looking in the right spot already.
@@larrybremer4930I think he held himself partially responsible for the drive by and assault.
Yep Walt was based
What I was going to say.
Good detail added by having Walt stay on the sidewalk in front of the gang's house. Takes away any self defense claim the gang can make of Walt attempting to break into their house. Walt stayed off their lawn.
There's a tremendous skill in the writing and acting here to turn quite a dislikeable character at the beginning into someone you cry for at the end. A gem of a movie.
How is he dislikeable? I liked him from the start 😂
The world needs more walts not less
The older I get, the more I like him
Eastwood did a clever subtle thing if you go back and watch the scenes. When he locked Tao in the basement and is talking to him through the mesh of the gate which looks like the mesh in a confessional in church, what he tells Tao is his real confession, what he told the real priest in church was the fluff
Thanks for sharing this. I never caught it but I think you’re right.
I made that assumption too, glad I wasn’t the only one. Pretty obvious but relatable!
One of my favorite "easter eggs" is the white kid who was with Su is actually Clint Eastwood's son. "Way to go old man.." lol
When i was in 12th grade we watched this movie in school and when the bar joke was told i was the only person in the class to laugh and everybody just stared at me……😂
I still tell the joke to this day 🤣
His last afternoon makes sense after the fact:
He takes a bath, gets a shave and a haircut, gets a fitted suit made...he's wrapping things up.
@@breadtoast1036 Google the definition of the word "suicide". Walt was "murdered". These words actually have very different definitions.
@@breadtoast1036 Not to be pedantic but paulmartin2348 is right. It would be more appropriate to say 'impending death' here. While I agree in what you said that those things are indicators of someone about to commit suicide that's not always the exact case nor is it exactly what occurred here - Walt knew he was either going to be murdered or die from disease, but he did not take his own life deliberately all by himself.
You see the same thing in other instances; People finding out they have terminal illness or servicemen before being deployed, and so forth. They know they could or even will die, but that doesn't make it specifically suicide though.
I could tell Walt was expecting to die right from the start. The bath and smoking in the house was the first clue, but the fitted suit and big tip on the shave and haircut confirmed it. Walt was getting all of his affairs in order. By the time he showed up for his confession, I knew he didn't expect to survive the night.
@@paulmartin2348it's a variation of the phrase suicide by cop. Men would point a gun at a cop, expecting to be killed by the cop. It has fallen out of common usage.
@@Ladco77he was preparing for a quick funeral. Shave, haircut, new suit. Burial within a day.
30:35 "Walt Kowalski once told me that I was ...."
Martin the barber is laughing at the young priest's eulogy..... 😆
I didn't notice that before. 😁
Yep noticed it hahaha
This could be my favorite Clint Eastwood movie. It is one of my favorite ones to watch people's reaction to. A great emotional movie that everyone seems to appreciate.
Walt, like my dad and most of the dads I grew up around was a problem solver. He solved two problems at one time by goading the gang into gunning him down with the entire neighborhood watching. He was likely facing a painful and debilitating death from whatever was making him cough up blood so the end, of his choosing, was a quick way out for him. I knew a lot of "Walts" in my life. There were no better friends or more terrible enemies. BTW have you seen his movies, "Pale Rider" of "The outlaw Josey Wales"? You really should. Good reaction.
I'm a Missourian like Josey Wales and approve this message
Pale rider is dope
One of the best pieces of cinema ever made, right up there with Shawshank Redemption.
both are in my top 5. Shawshank always being #1
@@pkdude5334 have to agree with both of you, you have good taste . . . in movies at least 🤣🤟
Walt is a true introvert. His motto is like 'leave me alone and I will leave you alone'. Also like a true introvert, you cannot just befriend him. You need to take steps, slowly, and he can enjoy spending time with ppl not his age :)
As for the Gran Torino - that's an actual car. A Ford Torino, but this specific front grille was made only in 72".
Another famous Gran Torino is the (red-with-white-stripes) one from TV's Starsky & Hutch (1975-1979).
I think any family member who asks..” what are you doing with X..after you die”..will definitely be one that is overlooked in my will!!
Great movie, great reaction
This is the story of a man comfortable with his legend. We ALL expected "Pale Rider" to emerge and win. He knew that.
To turn that on its head shows security with his legend. Genius.
At the end. He made sure that he was standing on the sidewalk which is public property. He made sure he wasn’t trespassing. He had everybody in the neighborhood, paying attention to be a witness.
There's no greater love than a man who'd die for his friends.
The best aspect about this film is that it somehow becomes more and more relevant the older it gets.
This movie is a unicorn. It is actually great.
There are so many great films out there. This is one of them.
"Oh, I am at peace."
That delivery is so good
“These guys don’t wanna be your bro and I don’t blame ‘em!” 😂
You gotta love a good "character arc!" Walt definitely has one from start to finish. One of the best moments is when he realizes he has more in common with the Hmong, than he does his own "spoiled, rotten children."
Thanks for reacting to the best movie of all time, Walt's relationship with Tao was one of the best things about this movie.
Walt's final real confession to Thao through the screen was incredibly genius.
GT was a spectacular study of humanity. Fun reaction and review 👊🏻
Not many films have an impact on me but I tear up every time I see this, I think this is the first time I watched one of your reaction vids and was more emotional than you lol. Genuinely one of the greatest films ever made
Clint Eastwood, in addition to actor/director/writer, is also a musician. An intermediate jazz and blues pianist, he has sung the credits before. In the early 80s, he did a movie with Burt Reynolds, and he (and Burt, I believe) sang songs in the movie, including a video on MTV.
One of my top five favorites of all time. People are good inside (most), they just have to overcome their environment.
This is one of my all-time favorite films. Everybody needs some Walt in their life.
That was a beautiful, genuine reaction. Great job Addie Counts. I hope that gets you to 100k
Walt knew the gang would never leave, so he did what he had too...
The white boy hanging with Sue is Clint Eastwood's son in real life , and yes that is Clint Eastwood singing at the end.
That goofball guy is Clint Eastwood's son in real life.
You have to remember, too, that Walt was coughing up blood. We never see the results of his tests, but they likely weren't good. So he figured, if he was going to die, he might as well go out doing something that would help Tao and Sue. A lot of growth by Walt in this movie. One of my favorites.
Walt knew he was dying, and so he thought the best way to go out was to help his friends.
Wally's medical condition was such that he didn't have long to live as it was. He saw an opportunity to bring justice to the area by sacrificing himself. He couldn't have a weapon, or they may have considered it self defense. He got a suit and a shave he never had before on his last day, which was a good sign, since he was getting ready for his funeral. Although confession is good throughout life, if one anticipates an imminent death, it was fitting that he sought confession at that time, too.
In the shootout scene at the end, I like that they show multiple neighbors looking out their window to see what is happening, showing that there is multiple witnesses to what is going on. At first you don't think much of it cause you think Clint is going to try to shoot tall the gang members anyway. But afterwards you realize it is a sneaky smart shot, cause it shows how many witnesses there were to the murder, which will help prosecute them better
It's also important that Walt isn't Hmong. The film tells us the Hmong don't talk to the Police and the Police probably don't care much about gang violence anyway. So if Tao had gone instead of Walt the gang would just have shot him and the Police would have just marked it up as gang related and not done anything. But they can't ignore an old white war veteran getting gunned down by a gang in the street.
You'll also see they make sure to show Walt's feet never leave the sidewalk so he wasn't trespassing either.
@@jrd33- Walt gained a favorable reputation in the Hmong community for standing up to the gang, and for having Thao help fix up the neighborhood. That is probably why the witnesses were more willing to come forward and testify.
This is one of greatest movies i've seen
20:55 "I mean, he's doing what you told him to do."
Guys will test new guys. They have to be polite and know how to act right, but also be able to push back against the nonsense guys will put on them. Tao was polite, then gave his own smack-back, proving he has a spine. Perfect response, and Tao gained a skill as a man.
The whiteboy on the sidewalk is Clint son, now looks EXACTLY like Clint from his spaghetti western days!
Never disrespect the elderly; they don't have long to live, and many aren't afraid to take you with them. The older I get the more I know this is true.
Classic! If you like Clint Eastwood movies, my favorite are the three Dollar Trilogy westerns, and the war comedies Kelly's Heroes and Heartbreak Ridge.
Clint did sing the first measure of the song at the end. He and a few others composed that song. He’s an accomplished musician and has written the scores for several of his movies. I think he also played the piano for those songs.
@Addie in addition to your wonderful patron's picks Id love to see you do a AFI top100 list and watch them all :). This film is a masterclass in story telling and character development.
@AddieCounts, someone else recently pointed this out on another reaction to this movie from @CineBinge, a very minor, yet significant detail at the end is if you pay very close attention to Walt confronting the gang, notice how his feet never leave the sidewalk, so that way when he gets shot, it's not trespassing, he's on public property, so it's a stronger case for murder.
I cry every time i watch this movie, or watch someone react to it. gets me every time.
He was dying of cancer so he sacrificed his life for a race a of people that he hated most of his life because of war. Wound up much closer to them than his own family. Great film and story line.
He didn't hate them, he acknowledged that they were human beings, kids who were fighting for their own country under orders.
@@Stevaroonihe absolutely hated them at first. He curled his lips and sneered at the sight of them, he made remarks about so many of them being in his neighborhood, he called them specific slurs based on their race, etc. That's hate. And if you say calling people racist names isn't racist, go into the hood and start calling black dudes the N word. Watch what happens.
The funny thing was that Hmong people(in the movie) were fighting with Americans to stop "Communism"@butkusfan23
Clint Eastwood has made so many fantastic movies over his storied career but this is my favorite.... ❤️😭
Same
Clint Eastwood has made an excellent movie as always! Grand Torino is a reminder of the hard working old-timers that fix things rather than ignore it! Reminds me of my dad! ❤ Best scene is when he takes Tao (toad) to the barbershop to man him up! Haha lol Thanks for sharing Addie ❤️💛. For another film directed by Clint Eastwood watch "American Sniper" with Bradley Cooper!
The end of this movie has an added layer if you have watched a lot of Eastwood's movies from the 70s through the 90s. Often he played a maverick, a lone wolf, a cop on the mean streets or a gunslinger... and invariably, he shows up with a hand cannon and a mean mug and kills the thugs one by one. To have him go out this way was playing against a large portion of the films he had done.
Also, Walt's real confessionw as to Tao, through the screen door, just like the screen of a confessional booth.
Walt wasn't a racist. He hated himself, for what he had done in war. Seeing the faces of all those people, looking just like the ones he killed in war. The shame, the hurt, the regret - a daily reminder.
The banter between Walt and the barber is friendly. That's how guys of that generation talked to one another. Once mutual respect is established, it's understood all the insults are in jest. You have to have the respect established first.
Walt's plan all along was for them to kill him. He knew he was dying and he wanted to make up for the sins of his life by protecting Tao and his family. He knew he was well known and liked in the community now so he made sure everyone was watching by drawing attention in the front yard so there were plenty of witnesses when they shot him.
Love this film, I remember watching it about a year after it came out with my dad. I grew up watching Clint in westerns with him. One of the few times I've seen my dad speechless was at the end of this film, after a few minutes he just said "that was great".
Since you appear to be on the Clint train atm, I would recommend Mystic River. Clint directed it. It stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon, to name a few. It's well worth the watch.
Walt didn't think he was worthy of the medal he received in the war, and his finally action he may of lived up to it.
Clint is the greatest actor/director ever. He has so many top tier movies. Million Dollar Baby is a must.
Yes he knew he was going to die that's why he got a suit ready for his funeral
Great reaction
Addie, I wish you all the best on your 100k subscriptions and your acting career. I hope to see you in one of your performances one day. 👍
Clint all around is a great writer, producer, actor, etc.. You should see "Letters from Iwo Jima" which was another great film he directed.
Heartbreak Ridge and Pale Rider are a lot of fun!!!!! Kelly's Heroes is also one of the greatest!!!!!!
The gate between the basement and upstairs is the same as this panel and the church confessional
Clint actually sang in an early film Paint Your Wagon. So he can sing a bit. There’s lots of interesting information about Clint Eastwood.
I love your reactions. And I am very happy that you finally watched this one. It is one of my favorites.
Plus Walt had cancer. And by helping Thao, he was sort of making up for the relationship he had with his sons. He also said he missed his wife, never had a straight shave or a fitted suit. Walt set it up. Yes, Clint singing the closing credits.
Great reaction Addie like always, love this movie, Love watching people reaction to this movie. They hate Walt from the start at the end they're crying. You’ll notice that Walt insulted everyone. The barber, the construction guy, the 3 black guys, the guy with Sue, (which was actually his son, Scott Eastwood.) Walt gives a half-hearted confession to the priest, to honor his wife’s request that he do so, but he give his REAL confession to Thao. It’s even framed with them talking through a screen, just like a confessional. There are some fun-facts about this movie.
Walt's dog, Daisy, is Clint Eastwood's beloved family retriever in real life. Clint Eastwood's character's name, Walt Kowalski, is the real name of legendary wrestler Walter 'Killer' Kowalski. Keep up the good work.
As an old person with a decent heart, I found that what Walt was exactly what I would expect him to. When I watch this movie I don’t see Walt changing at all! I see everyone’s understanding of him growing throughout the movie!
Beautiful reaction to a great film. Thank you
I saw this movie by accident in the theater. First (and only) Clint Eastwood movie I have ever seen. It started and we realized it was the wrong movie but by that time we were hooked. I think I own 3 copies of this DVD as I would loan them to everyone who wanted to watch it. Great movies are very rare. P.S. I figured out what he was doing as soon as he went up to the front of the house. With him being sick and not having long to live it was pretty obvious but I still love this movie.
I love your reactions. you are alert to details and show real empathy... you seem like such a nice person; seeing how you react to negative people and situations is so interesting.... when you get sad, I get sadder, and when you laugh, I am happy for you...
Walt knew he was dying, and the world he knew was largely gone anyway, so he decided to make the ultimate sacrifice for Thao and his family. Clint Eastwood had a movie reputation for being a tough guy with a gun, and the viewers were expecting him to go to that gang's house and blow them away with a 44 Magnum. The ending was totally unexpected.
Such a fantastic movie! Great reaction Addie!
One of Eastwood's finest hours - the power of redemption thru friendship is beyond words but thru actions. Excellent overall - glad you got to this Ads; hope you continue the rabbit-hole of Clint's canon - I also recommend MILLION DOLLAR BABY among literally dozens of other films he has done.
Totally hooked on Addie counts channel. Going back to binge watch a few more. Peace, from NM ✌️
Clint Eastwood has made some epics, and some not so epic movies - but they have all been entertaining.
Some Eastwood movies I highly recommend include:
The Outlaw Josey Wales - Western
Pale Rider - Western
Million Dollar Baby - Sports Drama (Female Boxing)
Heartbreak Ridge - War Drama
Unforgiven - Western (Westerns usually deal with American myths, honor, and heroism. This nuanced masterpiece breaks all those western tropes. As such, it is best to watch some other great westerns first to understand those tropes.)
This is such a good movie. We were all caught off guard by this ending. 😢
clints most personal movie. a masterpiece of human relations.
what most people miss about this movie is it's actual message. this movie is about actions speak louder then words. it's also about how words don't tell you much about what type of a person someone is. Walt speaks awfully, he openly uses racist language, he bitches and moans about people endlessly. he's aggressive and confrontational. the villians in the story don't use racist language (this is very intentional in the script) oh sure they say bad stuff, and they do bad things, but they don't talk racist.
When Walt and Thao first interact it's Thao asking for jumper cables, walt is curt and direct, and tells him he doesn't have any (a lie), his family leaves the wake bad mouthing walt for his racism, while they're leaving they pass by walt giving thao a jump, doesn't even occure to help him. this is also intentional. we see through action walt is actually a nice person at heart. his wife is dead he has awful kids/family, it's probably one of the worst days of his life, and he's out in the street helping thao jump an old car while his family drives by, not thinking of lending a hand bad mouthing him while he's helping someone else.
this is a common theme in this story, walt will say rude shit, but he'll do it while helping others. then we get context with the barber shop. he uses awful language to everyone. not just minorities, he's taking shots at white people's heritage as well, as he pokes fun at the barber's ancestry. it's how he communicates, and frankly, when you see the quality of his character you realize he's not a bad person despite what comes out of his mouth.
meanwhile the bad people who aren't using offensive language (well racist language, i think the most racist thing said by a gangbanger, was the african american gangsters calling the white kid a honky) are out there raping and killing.
The movie made these choices intentionally. his awful family never used racist language. they seemed moderately progressive actually. yet they were horrific human beings. meanwhile the reason walt warmed up to the priest in the end is because the priest walked to walk. despite Walts distain for the priest the priest never gave up, was polite, earnest and honest with him. he wasn't intimidated by the language walt was using at all. and we find something else about the priest. he's doing community outreach into the gangs. this wasn't some all talk priest. he's making inroads with gangs, that takes some cajones. he might have been a 27yo virgin out of seminary, but he was a true believer in his faith, and walked the walk, so he earned walt's respect.
this movie is about how words mean next to nothing outside of action. in the end walts words never killed anyone. but those gangsters certainly killed walt. his harmful, hateful words, helped fix a neighborhood, remove a gang and rescued thao from a gang life while revenging Sue's rape.
It's a message about being a good person being much more valuable then acting like a good person. people use words to mask who they are. they talk progressively yet won't help a homeless man fallen on the ground, they talk like they're religious yet only act christian to people in their social class and never would try to talk to the word to gangsters or the poor. at it's heart this is a movie about actions being the only meaningful thing people do. and how words are of almost no value whatsoever. how we as a people value words far too much.
Exactly. The world today is full of superficial child-adults. They rarely get the message. Walt didn't change. Sue and Walt were two genuine people who were actually honest, treated everyone the same, and weren't bigots. Everyone else was a bunch of bigots and discriminating fake people who changed their behavior from person to person based on what rays/color that person was. Walt and Sue cared about substance. Wish more child-adults were taught this lesson.
@@unclebounce1495 I forgot to add in my original post, the interesting thing about Walt's confession is it's strictly things he did. Walt only valued action. his biggest regrets were things he did. he only considered sinful his own actions, the priest was surprised the only thing walt asked for forgiveness for were this short list of things he did. he kissed another woman while married, he wasn't close to his sons, and he made a $100 profit selling a boat and motor and never reported it on his taxes (stealing). he was confessing strictly to his actions. Because to walt those are the only things that mattered in life.
note he didn't accept Thao's apology until he saw Thao helping the old woman pick up her groceries. action, not words showed Walt that Thao was a good person and worthy of befriending.
One thing I see missing here is also the father/man figure and how important it is. I won't develop much what I mean, cause typing here isn't the nicest thing hehe. But it makes a fundamental difference in all you said and how it impacts people's lives. Thao's family was made of strong women. But that was not enough to help Thao become the man he had the potential to be. Thao will be a new Walt. Potentially even better. Anyway, just thought I'd add these 2 cents. :-)
@31:10 it is Clint singing! This man's a national treasure, he has directed and acted in so many good movies! Watch Million Dollar Baby, directed by him, Oscar winner!
That goofball guy Mr Clint referred to is, wait for it..his son 😂
great movie, always glad to see more people watching it
This movie is an absolute materpiece across the board.
"Get off my lawn" LOL became a monster meme.
“I don’t want anything to happen to either of you…but definitely not the dog…”
Oooooook
Loved the reaction. I just wish it were longer. It just seemed to go by so quickly.
The little buffering symbol cracks me up every time.
Such a great unexpected charming and human movie. Kind of amazing to see in the modern (ish) day at such a high Hollywood level.
I loved the scene where Clint's real son is with Sue and when he's taking her home he says "What were you doing with that goofball anyway?" 😂
It is one of the best movies made! Loved your speechless reaction! 😉
Clint Eastwood.What a Legend!
This is just a great movie. Some people with a tough exterior are good if you give them a chance. Great reaction
FYI
that is Clint Eastwoods dog in real life.
The thing that threw me the most about the ending was when he went to the priest. He is standing with his iconic Western slouch; right leg straight, right arm high, left leg at an angle, left arm low. It made me think he was going to go old school, and I'd bet it was deliberate.
One of the more interesting jobs of being a priest Is the job of hearing confession. Listening to everyone's list of dirty laundry. Some of it boring, sometimes it's disgusting, other times it's interesting I'm sure. No I'm not a priest, but I do know someone who is a catholic priest and he has been for 20 years. I've known him so grade school, we still talk periodically to this day. Those things I said about hearing confessions were his words, not mine.
This is one of my favorites!😂😅
"Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life for his friends."
Walt was terminally ill and knew he didn't have long left to live. He sacrificed himself for Sue and Tao so that they could have better lives without that gang running around.
I knew this movie had an impact on people. I didn't know much about it. I didn't even know what "Grand Torino" could be in reference to. (I am the same approximate age as his car)
There are aspects of this film, I would like to talk about, but I can't bring myself to engage on the subject, because several aspects make me always remember my grandfather. Always gruff, always quiet, except for the one time he talked to me one afternoon, about what he had seen in WWII. It took years for me to comprehend some of those things. He never talked about it. But I had a glimpse of what he endured, all at once, I realize he was holding some of it back because he was talking to his grandson, who was about 13 at the time. From what I understand, even his daughter... My mother... never had a conversation with him about that. IDK who he may have ever talked to about it. IDK why I was let in.. What he said was important. I realized that. So I wrote down what I could remember over the next few days. Not to share it, but to burn it into my mind. I realized there were things I didn't understand, but I wanted to remember as much as I could. From time to time, I find aspects that break my heart again when I realize what something he said meant. I see Walt as being in some ways similar. So it is difficult for me to comment on some aspects.
Great Reaction as always! You would really enjoy his role in Million Dollar Baby 😊
I love this movie. I've been accused of being very similar to Walt despite being born a generation or two later. His character reminds me of my Grandfather who was a Korean war veteran himself.
Despite not being the most pleasant person, Walt embodies the core values of being a man. He takes care of things and finishes things because that's what he is and what he's supposed to do.
0:43 Right after Pacific and Masters of the Air 😘