800 Bullets (5 Stars)

Is it better to die as a hero or live as a fool?

I'd rather live as a fool. I'm no hero. But I'm not a man like Julian Torralba. His whole life was spent pretending to be a hero, while everyone around him knew he was a fool. He gave up his wife and his family to pursue his fictional lifestyle. He lives in the past, but the irony is that in the past that he remembers he was already living in the past. He's dreaming about the dreams he had when he was young.

Now the the real world catches up with him. He meets his grandson Carlos for the first time. Carlos admires Julian and wants to be like him, but it's time for the dreams to stop. No more sleeping in the arms of prostitutes while pretending to be a hero. The only way he can become a hero is to die a hero.

I've watched this film several times, but today is the first time that it made me cry. It was right for Julian to die. Carlos admired his grandfather's lifestyle because he was still a child. As he grew older he would have recognised that Julian was a buffoon. When Julian died, he became a hero in Carlos' eyes, and he'll remain a hero forever. Carlos will love the myth of his grandfather longer than he would ever have loved the real man.

I'm selfish. I don't want to die to make my grandson love me more. I want to remain alive as long as possible and share his love.

Death is the final destination for all of us. My life won't end with a bang. I'm not a legendary hero. My life will end with a whimper.

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