Gran Torino: Review of Clint Eastwood's Latest
Old school Clint Eastwood Meets the New Reality of America
Feb 3, 2009
We know Eastwood’s Walt Kowalski is going to be a gruff old man from the opening scenes at his sainted wife’s funeral. The growl he gives as he catches his granddaughter texting during the proceedings is enough to make a strong man recoil. Kowalski just can’t relate to his sons who have fled the inner city for the suburbs and who left American made cars for foreign made. This is a most egregious sin since Kowalski worked on the assembly line of those American cars including his beloved 1972 Gran Torino.
Eastwood Character Baffled and Angered by Modern America
His neighborhood is now filled immigrants and not the Poles and Italians he grew up with. The Hmong of Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam have moved into his Michigan world. And he isn’t happy about it. As far as he is concerned they aren’t any different from the Koreans he killed in the war. Ahney Her as Sue Lor explains that he should blame the Lutherans for them being there since they were the ones who assisted the refugees in finding new homes. This is the first acting job that most of the Hmong characters have ever had and it is a credit to them and Eastwood that every bit is totally believable. Sue finds her way into Kolwaski’s heart although he’d never admit it.
Sue’s brother Thao (Bee Vang) is pressured by the local gang into attempting to steal Kowalski’s prized Gran Torino – thus the plot takes flight. Kowalski catches Thao. Thao’s mother punishes him by making him do chores for Kowalski. An unlikely mentorship develops. Or maybe Thao is a son Kowalski can teach his skills to and Kowalski is the American father Thao needs. Keeping Thao out of the gang is one goal but fixing up his beloved old neighborhood is another.
Saving Dirty Harry's Soul
Sure, Kowalski is more than ready to put the young priest, (played by Christopher Carley) in his place but it isn’t because he is young. Father Janovich is just not ready to deal with a hard case like Kowalski. That doesn’t stop him from trying to get him to confess. Mrs. Kowalski’s dying wish is that the young priest get her husband to confession. She’d like to see him heaven and confession isn’t just good for the soul, it is an essential element of her Catholic faith. So the faith is up against the hardened Korean War vet.
The Hmong are trying to build a life and the gangs are determined to be a part of that life. Here Eastwood is determined not to romanticize the American obsession with movie violence. The resolution isn’t going to go down easily. But you have to give Eastwood credit for not one but two awesome lines that should be in the movie lexicon just as much as his Dirty Harry – do you feel lucky punk?
"Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while who you shouldn’t have f-ed with? That’s me."
"The thing that haunts a man most is what he isn’t ordered to do."
Gran Torino is totally un-PC in its language and action and deserves its R rating. First time writers Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson are two guys to watch in the future. There are some misteps in this film, but Eastwood on a bad day is still better than most.
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