Review: ‘Gran Torino’

Ram Man:

Clint Eastwood is back pulling double-duty again in his new film ‘Gran Torino’.   Eastwood directs and stars in  a film that is best described as “Dirty Harry retires to the suburbs”.   I can’t think of a better guy to be in charge of the neighborhood watch! Dave Johannson penned the story of a chiseled war veteran who must adapt to the changing world around him.

Eastwood plays Walter Kowalski, a retired auto worker and hard nosed veteran of the Korean war.   Walt is a recent widower and spends his retirement filling his days with home improvement and sucking down beer on the front porch. That is until a family of Hmoung (Loas and Taiwanese mountain people) move in next door. This forces Walt to begin a patrol of the perimeter of his yard to keep the “gooks” off. If you didn’t know any Asian slurs before following ‘Gran Torino’ you will be well versed. Thao and Sue Lor are the lucky kids living next door to grizzly old Walt. They live there with their mother and grandmother who continually gives Walt the evil eye from her porch. I feel a battle brewing.

There is but not between the AARP cast. Thao is being forced to join an Asian gang run by his cousin Spider. Thao, a good kid at heart, caves to the pressure and decides to go through with the initiation…..He has to steal Walt’s mint condition 1972 Gran Torino out of the garage next door. As you could probably guess, Thao gets caught and luckily escapes unhurt with Walt shooting a round into a beer sign instead of Thao. Thao must work off his shame by doing tasks for Walt. Walt soon develops a friendship for the kids and the family. He is closer to them than his own kids. Walt also drives away Spider and his gang of thugs by telling them to stay away from Thao or else. They ask or else what and Walt proceeds to explain how “in Korea they would kill gooks and stack their dead bodies up and use them for sand bags”. Walt explained, “Kid no one would ever miss you”. That would be enough for me, but I’m not a stupid gang-banger.

The battle that is brewing the entire film is set off by a brutal rape of Thao’s sister Sue that sends Walt for his rifle. The end of this film is not what you would expect from a Clint Eastwood picture. When you see how Walt handles the gang and the repercussion for Thao, Sue and Lor family your jaw will hit the floor. Some people aren’t able to look past the slurs and racism. If you can you will find a very good performance by Clint Eastwood in a fine film that will have you cheering. Stick around for the closing credits for  The original song “Gran Torino” performed by Clint Eastwood and his son.

[Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5]

Travis:

“Crusty Old Man.” This could have easily been the title of Clint Eastwood’s newest film. He’s back as the hard-nosed, no BS, straight-shooting character that would just as much kick your a** around the block as give you the time of day that we all love and remember from his earlier films as Dirty Harry. However, Clint’s put on a few years since then and it adds a marvelous layer of character depth to ‘Gran Torino’.

Eastwood plays Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski. Walt recently lost his wife and now lives alone in his home, which is smack-dab in the middle of what now might be referred to as a Detroit ghetto. Walt can be described as an angry, belligerent old man that’s stuck in the 1950’s and has about as much faith in humanity as he has nice things to say about just about anyone. When a Hmong family moves in next door to Walt, he finds himself resisting their traditional ways and relatively kind nature as a result of his prejudice. It’s not until he sees an uncommon spark of humanity in the neighbor boy Thao and a series of horrible events take place at the hands of a local gang that he decides to take action for himself, changing his life and the lives of those close to him forever.

At once shockingly humorous and appallingly forward, Eastwood manages to take the clashing of two very different eras and cultures and combine them into and wonderful tale of one man’s ability to find his own redemption for an unforgivable act in the selfless sacrifice for another. Walt has a super-sweet 1972 Gran Torino and makes us laugh with his rough-edged wit and insults, but it takes time for him to wiggle free of racist stereotype we place him into and become the decent human being that is created from the violence and indecency that surrounds him. Eastwood’s performance in this film is singular and well-received, but the remainder of the film unfortunately falls short of anything Oscar-worthy. Nonetheless, ‘Gran Torino’ is well-worth seeing and is more than just a film with humor or nostalgic Eastwood violence.

[Overall: 4 stars out of 5]

Melissa:

Only Clint Eastwood can get away with calling African Americans spooks in a movie… Only Clint Eastwood…

Gran Torino is the story of Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), a Korean War vet with a major chip on his shoulder. His wife just passed on and his neighborhood has become overrun with by Mexican and Asian gangs. He tries aimlessly to protect his home, and more importantly his prize possession, a 1972 Gran Torino that he helped build during his career at the Ford Motor plant.

During a brawl that happened to happen in his lawn, he ends up protecting his Asian neighbors with his shotgun… More importantly, Thao (Bee Vang), the boy next door who is being pressured to join his cousins gang. They will stop at nothing to get him initiated… that is… until Walt steps in. During Thaos punishment, in which he is made by his family and traditions to work of his crime (his cousin forced him into trying to steal Walt’s Gran Torino), Walt, Thao, and his sister Sue begin a friendship. Walt takes the kids under his wing, more so than his son’s, or his family that absolutely hate him.

See… the thing is… Walt is a racist bastard. He will say anything about anyone! He calls people spooks, zipperheads, and every other name in the book. That’s why I say that only Clint Eastwood can pull it off. Almost every line of his has something negative and wildly inappropriate included in it. His delivery left the screening audience, a nicely eclectic crowd roaring with awkward laughter.

This movie was AMAZING. The only thing that was slightly disappointing was Bee Vang’s performance. Vang was a little less than realistic and believable in parts… which is a shame because in other parts he was very respectable. This movie gives you a hard dose of what is happening to once respectable neighborhoods in America. I am not talking about minorities. I am talking about the senseless violence that a lot of us have to deal with on a daily basis. It was a little hard to swallow (in a much needed way) as someone who has been held up at gunpoint more than once. I can honestly say that this movie is a MUST SEE.

[Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5]