Gran Torino

Submitted by Lurple on 12/22/08

Posted in

Movie Info

Director:

Clint Eastwood

Writer:

Nick Schenk

Dave Johannson

Year:

2008

External Links:

IMDB

Gran Torino

As Clint Eastwood nears his eighties I found it curious that the iconic movie tough guy would choose to take on a role where the trailer shows him as a cranky old man, shouting that cliched old line at some teens: "Get off my lawn!" Taken out of the context of the film the line is funny, and I admit it's one of the things that piqued my interest in Gran Torino.

In the context of the film it's not funny at all. It's not the only thing Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) says to the hoodlums that have ventured onto his lawn, and it's a downright chilling moment in one of the best films I've seen this year.

Walt's wife has just passed away, he's alienated from his own kids and their families, and he’s the sole remaining white guy in a neighborhood that is now largely Asian. He’s a lonely, bitter man that whiles away his hours smoking, drinking Pabst, and trying to get the local priest to leave him alone.

Things begin to change when he runs off some local hoods that are hassling one of the neighbor’s kids, although he maintains that he was only doing it so that they’d get off his lawn and leave him alone. The neighbors insist on bringing Walt gifts, and Walt begrudgingly befriends Sue Lor (Ahney Her), the girl next door. She’s persistent enough to see past his bitterness and racist comments and find that perhaps there’s something more to the man. Eventually he even befriends her brother Thao (Bee Vang)—after they find a way to resolve some issues regarding the titular Gran Torino.

Culture clashes and racism are a large part of Gran Torino. The racist remarks—which are plentiful—could offend some people, but they’re a fact of life. They’re not a one-sided affair either; in some of the more amusing instances Walt and his equally irritable old Asian neighbor (who doesn’t speak English) grumble at each other and trade dirty looks.

As the gang continues to hassle his neighbors Walt proves to be a man that you shouldn’t mess with. If you came to Gran Torino looking to see if Clint Eastwood can still be intimidating as a grumpy old man, you’re not going to be disappointed.

If you came looking for something more than dangerous, grumpy old men—maybe looking for a film that has something to say about cultural differences, tolerance, family, and friendship—that's where Gran Torino really delivers. This is a movie that affected me deeply, something that happens all too rarely.

Eastwood’s performance is nothing short of great, and Ahney Her and Bee Vang are both excellent. Go see this one.

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Excellent Review

Submitted by Steve Baldwin (not verified) on 12/23/08.

One of the best reviews I've read of Gran Torino that touches all the right bases. I'd only add that in a world of generally escapist entertainment, Gran Torino shines a light on what's real about America, and it does so in a way that's unsparing and yet supremely idealistic. One of the best movies I've ever seen.

Thanks.

Submitted by Lurple on 12/24/08.

There's more I'd like to have said about why it affected me the way it did but I'd rather not spoil anything. It's been a poor year for US films in my opinion but Gran Torino is good stuff.

I also recommend The Film Fiend's review, as he managed to capture a lot of what I wanted to say.

Good Stuff

Submitted by Klaric on 12/29/08.

Great movie. Call me shallow, but I would have preferred a different ending. Funny though, this movie (more accurately, the ending) actually reminds me of another movie I watched just the other night - Seven Pounds.

I won't say any more for fear of ruining the ending. Lurple, if I've said to much already, feel free to digitally white-out my comment!

I'll talk a little bit about

Submitted by Lurple on 12/29/08.

I'll talk a little bit about the end. You won't want to read this until you've seen the film.

Spoiler: Highlight to view

I know what you wanted from the end. I certainly wanted to see the same thing, but I think it's better that the film didn't give it to us.

There are only so many ways you can end a film dealing with issues like revenge and justice. They could have provided a bloodbath, which would have made us feel better... but it's hardly the legacy Walt wanted to leave for Thao. I didn't like the ending at first, but I thought about it for a while and decided it made more sense this way,

Think of it as the opposite of Unforgiven. You can always go watch that if you must have Eastwood filling people full of lead at the end.

I agree

Submitted by Klaric on 12/30/08.

I agree, my thoughts below:

Spoiler: Highlight to view

I would have preferred the bloodier ending (a good compromise would have been he kills the gang and dies in the process), but I think the ending Eastwood chose is definitely the better ending - it's growing on me. There's definitely enough movies in the genre to fill the Hollywood bloody ending that we all crave, so this was a nice change of pace. My only qualm would be that I felt the movie was definitely building up to a bloody ending, so the actual ending was a big surprise and bittersweet. This may have been what Eastwood intended, but I would have preferred not to have been steered in the wrong direction for 95% of the movie. I confess my hopes were way up! ;) But yeah, I think Eastwood got it right, it just threw me for a loop at first. Great movie!

What I saw was a bittersweet

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 01/31/11.

What I saw was a bittersweet superbly written, well acted story of humanity and friendship,this film is something that we can all relate to in some way, and isn't Hollywooded up in anyway, the film tells it story without any un needed hidden undertones that so many mainstream directors do to films.

Eastwood is excellent as the hard nosed war vet, and his direction is perfect as always, and supporting cast did there job just fine too

Clint Eastwood was perfect for the role and as director, as he has the knack of taking a story and making a film for the audience to get sucked into the story, and not for critics to pick apart....great film making.
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Submitted by john williams (not verified) on 03/16/11.

This is one of the best movies that you will see. I am such a big fan of Clint. He has made some awesome movies in the past. Rhinestone Dog Collars

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For me, any movie with a good actor makes it great. Eastwood does that each and every time.
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Gran Torino

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