Cabba's ReviewsMovie Review: Gran Torino
December 15th 2008 06:54
"Gran Torino" is the second film to be released this year, in only a few months, that is directed by Clint Eastwood. Now in his 70's, Eastwood has almost made more of a name for himself as a director than he has as an actor. He will only add to his legacy with his latest film, "Gran Torino."
Eastwood stars in "Gran Torino" as Walt Kowalski, a Korean War vet who still harbors ill feelings toward, well, everybody. Kowalski snarls and growls at everything and everyone who is young, different, or not white. He's a racist old man who, having done despicable things in the war, loathes all people, particularly Asians. They're all Korean to him. After the passing of his wife, Kowalski returns to his home in Detroit, only to find a Hmong family moving in next door. The grandmother of the family doesn't like him either. She can't help but wonder why the only remaining American in the neighborhood refuses to move. Kowalski mutters a seemingly endless variety of racial slurs under his breath as the two scowl at one another from their porches.
The teenage children in the family, Sue and Thao, are complete opposites. The family wants Sue to find a man because they feel that Thao will never be masculine enough to be "man of the house." Thao is quiet and keeps to himself while he washes dishes, does the gardening, and obeys his sister's every order. When a local gang decides they want to recruit Thao, he decides that this would be the best way for him to prove his manhood. In one of the best scenes of the year, and one that will undoubtedly go down in history as the "get off my lawn" scene, the gang attempts to kidnap Thao from his house, and the ensuing fight spills onto Walt's lawn. Walt's response is interpreted as heroic and Thao's family feels they are indebted to him. Thao is ordered to work for Walt in order to repay him, and the two eventually develop an interesting relationship where they both learn a lot about each other's lives and culture.
Eastwood, as usual, is great. Walt's character is a composite of all the bad asses he's played through his entire career. Walt is The Man With No Name. He's Harry Callahan, Josey Wales, and Bill Munny, all wrapped in one. Walt is a man who doesn't like, know, or care to get to know, his own family. They have nothing in common with him, and his own children don't understand him. Walt seems to have more in common with his dog than he does with his family. He has no respect for his local priest, a man he calls (to his face) "an over-educated 27 year old virgin who likes to hold the hands of old ladies who are superstitious and promise them an eternity." Young people infuriate him. He snarls and growls at every tattoo, piercing, and youthful act of ignorance or rudeness. Yet, for some reason, he realizes he has more in common with the people he hates the most than he does with his own family. Walt develops a relationship with Thao; a caring relationship in which Thao calls Walt "Mr. Kowalski," and Walt regularly refers to him as female genitalia when he can't think of a new racial slur.
Though on paper the film really appears to bring nothing new to the big screen, the script is elevated by Eastwood's performance and direction. The film is very entertaining and interesting, and it's refreshing to see a major Hollywood film starring unfamiliar faces. One also can't help but smile at the fact that Eastwood appears to be leaving the acting game just as he entered: a bad ass who always wins, even when he loses.
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