Gran Torino (***)

Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley
Seen: March 29th 2009

*** Out of ****

Clint Eastwood just goes on and on, and this is yet another good film from the great director/actor. This time he plays Walt Kowalski, an old man living in a neighbourhood being “overrun” by immigrants. His wife has just died, as the movie starts at her funeral, with Walt fuming at the edges after the young Father Janovich’s (Carley) eulogy. Walt pretty much fumes at the edges about everything in this film, and his two sons, Mitch and Steve have all but given up on their father. Mitch calls Walt at one stage, and when Walt asks him what he wants, he says nothing, only to try and slip in a question about a guy who owns season tickets for the Detroit Lions before Walt simply cuts him off.

Walt is also very stubborn whenever Father Janovich asks him to come to confession, stating that he confesses that he has no desire to confess to a boy just out of the seminary. As Walt’s anger grows at his new Korean (Hmong) neighbours, Thao’s (Vang) cousins, who want to drag him into the life of crime with them, continues to bug the family. They charge Thao with stealing Walt’s Gran Torino as initiation to their gang, but Walt stops Thao, and when they return a few days later, they try to drag Thao away, but end up on Walt’s lawn. Big mistake. Walt is right there with his rifle, chasing them off his lawn. The gang leaves, and the good Hmong people can’t stop thanking Walt, bringing him food and gifts which he keeps spurning. Sue (Her), Thao’s sister, is especially thankful for Walt’s actions. Thao’s mother also eventually insists (through Sue’s interpretation, since she can’t speak English) that Thao pay off his debt for trying to steal Walt’s car by working for Walt. Slowly but surely Walt opens up to these people, even though it is only in his own way, and he even ends up visiting their home, drinking their beer, eating their food, and being “read” by their Shaman (he says Walt is not happy – which annoys Walt).

The film escalates as the tension between the gang and Walt grow towards the films conclusion, and the viewer is drawn into the lives of these very diverse people. Clint Eastwood is great as the continually growling old man and Ahney Her impresses as the Hmong girl Sue who teaches Walt some of the cultural differences between the two. Bee Vang as Thao is sufficient, but at times it does seem like his acting is more perfunctory than thoughtful, and in the intense scenes between him and Walt this is slightly distracting. The film also has a rather surprising conclusion, with a big lesson about the impact that war and the taking of others’ lives can have on one’s psyche, and that redemption is not an easy thing to achieve, even though the killings were legal/sanctioned at the time. It has become too easy in film to just go after the villains guns blazing, killing everyone, and Gran Torino definitely sidesteps this very deftly. If you aren’t squeamish regarding pervasive bad language (even the priest uses God’s name in vain), then I can definitely recommend Gran Torino, it is a good story with plenty of humour and lots of food for thought regarding racism and hate and intolerance.