Gran Torino is exactly what you would expect from a Clint Eastwood film. Moody, evocative, able to challenge stereotypes and pleasing on the eye.
The film starts with its main character Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) attending the funeral of his late wife. Walt is a brooding and ill-tempered old man. An unfamiliar role for Eastwood after his previous incarnations as the wacky ‘The Man With No Name’ and the camp ‘Dirty Harry’.
Walt has just lost the love of his life and it seems unlikely that he is about to share his grief with either his sons, with whom he has a poor relationship, or Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), a young priest who tries to bond with him throughout the film.
Living next-door to Walt are Thao (Bee Vang) and his older sister Sue Vang Lor (Ahney Her) who are both Hmong. Walt is a veteran of the United States Army and is seemingly displeased that his neighbourhood is now full of immigrants. This animosity is heightened when Thao, as part of a gang initiation, is caught by Walt trying to steal his treasured Gran Torino.
Having failed to steal the car, Thao is visited at his house by the gang. They try to drag him away, causing a commotion which is only ended when Walt interrupts it brandishing a rifle and warns the “gooks” to stay off his property. This, and another incident in which Walt saves Sue from three black teenagers by brandishing a pistol, brings the three characters together and Walt’s hostility towards the immigrants starts to diminish.
From this point on we see the relationship between Walt and his neighbours develop to the extent that you would consider them friends. However, the inevitable twist is to come as the gang seeks retribution against Thao and Sue and Walt is forced to retaliate. The result is a dramatic and surprising conclusion to the film which, although it is frustrating, is befitting of Walt’s character.
As with several of his previous works, Eastwood has produced, directed and starred in this film so it is no wonder that the four-time Academy Award winner has seen it achieve critical and box-office success thus far. It is a moving portrait of a man who carries the burdens of his past upon his shoulders and who is forced to confront these issues as he deals with his grief. A thought provoking and well made film.
Stephen McShane
The film starts with its main character Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) attending the funeral of his late wife. Walt is a brooding and ill-tempered old man. An unfamiliar role for Eastwood after his previous incarnations as the wacky ‘The Man With No Name’ and the camp ‘Dirty Harry’.
Walt has just lost the love of his life and it seems unlikely that he is about to share his grief with either his sons, with whom he has a poor relationship, or Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), a young priest who tries to bond with him throughout the film.
Living next-door to Walt are Thao (Bee Vang) and his older sister Sue Vang Lor (Ahney Her) who are both Hmong. Walt is a veteran of the United States Army and is seemingly displeased that his neighbourhood is now full of immigrants. This animosity is heightened when Thao, as part of a gang initiation, is caught by Walt trying to steal his treasured Gran Torino.
Having failed to steal the car, Thao is visited at his house by the gang. They try to drag him away, causing a commotion which is only ended when Walt interrupts it brandishing a rifle and warns the “gooks” to stay off his property. This, and another incident in which Walt saves Sue from three black teenagers by brandishing a pistol, brings the three characters together and Walt’s hostility towards the immigrants starts to diminish.
From this point on we see the relationship between Walt and his neighbours develop to the extent that you would consider them friends. However, the inevitable twist is to come as the gang seeks retribution against Thao and Sue and Walt is forced to retaliate. The result is a dramatic and surprising conclusion to the film which, although it is frustrating, is befitting of Walt’s character.
As with several of his previous works, Eastwood has produced, directed and starred in this film so it is no wonder that the four-time Academy Award winner has seen it achieve critical and box-office success thus far. It is a moving portrait of a man who carries the burdens of his past upon his shoulders and who is forced to confront these issues as he deals with his grief. A thought provoking and well made film.
Stephen McShane
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