David Deutsch emails: Wasn’t it an awesome movie? I love the way it’s totally unapologetic about Eastwood’s character, and that there’s really no character growth. Essentially, he’s still the same racist misanthrope at the end, just one who’s extended the benefits of his protection to this one family. After it was over, I went over all the places where it could have gone wrong–(could have reconciled with his sons, could have given his granddaughter the car, could have had a relationship with the neighbor, could have confessed to the priest, could have had scenes with his black best friend to show he’s not really so bad) but he really kept it true to the character. And that last scene with him, nobody else could have pulled it off, because back in my head, there was that thought of "it would be absurd for him to go nuts and start shooting up these guys–but he is Clint Eastwood…"
Aside from that how’s tricks? We were in Israel much of the summer–even found myself in Mea Shearim at the start of a demonstration for the woman arrested for abusing her kid. I was with a Hasidic friend of mine, and I was walking around in a bermuda shorts, a bright red guyaberra, and a straw hat, sticking out like a fairly sore thumb. I turned to my friend and said "I don’t think anything’s going to happen, but right about now, I feel like a black man at a klan rally." I actually wanted to stay, but my friend was embarrassed and somewhat enraged by the whole thing, so we left.
