Directed by Clint Eastwood Starring Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley, Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes. Synopsis: A bitter widower and Korean War veteran laments the cultural changes in his community and neighborhood, in particular the number of Hmong families living on his street. In spite of his feelings, he grows especially close to one teen age boy and his sister and a bond develops that rivals his closeness with his own children and grandchildren.
I didn't see Gran Torino until it came out on DVD and I must say it is not what I expected to see judging from the trailers I had seen for the flick when it first came out in theaters.Frankly, judging from that, I was expecting to see something like a Dirty Harry type character cleaning up the streets even in retirement. So, of course, my thought was "I'm in!" Because, if there is one man you can buy kicking butt when he's pushing 80, its Clint.
But, its not like that at all. Don't get me wrong, Clint fans need not panic, its not like he's gone soft or anything, its just that this flick was trying to say a lot more on an emotional and family level than I thought it was. Which was fine by me because its an excellent flick.
Walt Kowalksi (Eastwood) is a stubborn, Korean War vet, and retired autoworker who is still living in the home in which and his wife raised the children. He's alone now, our story starting at the time of her funeral, but Walt has no intention of getting out of there...its his home. He's also not too particular about finding solace in his church, unlike his deceased wife, despite the aggressive attempts by the young priest (Christopher Carley)
Walt is content to keep his home and property meticulously maintained, have a brew with the boys, and, of course, give TLC to his prized possession....his Gran Torino automobile.
His son and daughter in law (Brian Haley The Departed Geraldine Hughes Rocky Balboa) are particularly trying to convince him to move South, but Walt is having none of it. In truth, he's obviously not especially close to either his children or grandchildren. Not only that, but what once was, at least in Walt's opinion, a very nice, familiar community is now changing radically. There is a large influx of people who are ethnic Hmong, and their ways and culture are not familiar or welcome as far as Walt is concerned.
One young man from the Hmong community, Thao (Bee Vang), is Walt's next door neighbor and a pretty decent kid who is being harassed to join the gangs. With no real male influence, he could go the wrong way and, in fact, is pressured into attempting a burglary...at Walt's house, which is how he and Walt first meet.
Thao has a sister, Sue (Aheny Her) whom Walt also meets under somewhat stressful circumstances, when Walt intervenes on Sue's behalf as she is being disturbed by some street thugs.
Warm, if reluctant, feelings begin to develop on Walt's part towards Sue and Thao as well as the Hmong families on tyhe block. Walt takes Thao under his wing, so to speak, looking to "man the kid up". But, the issue of the gangs won't go away and its there that the flim has its suprising, at least to me, finale.
It wouldn't be an Eastwood flick without at least one iconic and/or memorable line from the actor who gave birth to the modern action hero genre. There are several, of course, but my favorite is what Walt utters to the street thugs when he intervenes on Sue's behalf. After getting out of his pickup and confronting the thugs, Clint, while reaching slowly into his jacket, says slowly, "You know how in everyone's life there is that one guy they just wish they hadn't f***** with? {pause} That's me". Done in only that tone and pacing that Clint can do. Priceless.
There is also a hilarious scene where Walt takes Thao to his barber (John Carroll Lynch Zodiac) , to try to teach him how to talk to other guys "like a man". (Translation: good natured banter involving a lot of low brow humor and crude refrences to human anatomy, sex, and ethnic origin) Trust me, its so funny its almost worth the price of purchase or rental alone. If you're the type who can laugh at that type of thing.
Eastwood the director doesn't disappoint, either. The story unfolds at a nice pace, and its easy to empathize with all of the characters, though the film is shot from Walt's point of view. He deserves special mention for the casting Her and Vang. They are both excellent and, if my information is correct, neither had any acting credits prior to Gran Torino. Can you imagine? Your first time on the big screen and you're acting opposite one of the all time living legends? Wow. And they both hold their own very well. I hope to see more from both, especially Her, these are talented young actors.
Highly recomended for anyone who likes good movies. Its just that simple.
I didn't see Gran Torino until it came out on DVD and I must say it is not what I expected to see judging from the trailers I had seen for the flick when it first came out in theaters.Frankly, judging from that, I was expecting to see something like a Dirty Harry type character cleaning up the streets even in retirement. So, of course, my thought was "I'm in!" Because, if there is one man you can buy kicking butt when he's pushing 80, its Clint.
But, its not like that at all. Don't get me wrong, Clint fans need not panic, its not like he's gone soft or anything, its just that this flick was trying to say a lot more on an emotional and family level than I thought it was. Which was fine by me because its an excellent flick.
Walt Kowalksi (Eastwood) is a stubborn, Korean War vet, and retired autoworker who is still living in the home in which and his wife raised the children. He's alone now, our story starting at the time of her funeral, but Walt has no intention of getting out of there...its his home. He's also not too particular about finding solace in his church, unlike his deceased wife, despite the aggressive attempts by the young priest (Christopher Carley)
Walt is content to keep his home and property meticulously maintained, have a brew with the boys, and, of course, give TLC to his prized possession....his Gran Torino automobile.
His son and daughter in law (Brian Haley The Departed Geraldine Hughes Rocky Balboa) are particularly trying to convince him to move South, but Walt is having none of it. In truth, he's obviously not especially close to either his children or grandchildren. Not only that, but what once was, at least in Walt's opinion, a very nice, familiar community is now changing radically. There is a large influx of people who are ethnic Hmong, and their ways and culture are not familiar or welcome as far as Walt is concerned.
One young man from the Hmong community, Thao (Bee Vang), is Walt's next door neighbor and a pretty decent kid who is being harassed to join the gangs. With no real male influence, he could go the wrong way and, in fact, is pressured into attempting a burglary...at Walt's house, which is how he and Walt first meet.
Thao has a sister, Sue (Aheny Her) whom Walt also meets under somewhat stressful circumstances, when Walt intervenes on Sue's behalf as she is being disturbed by some street thugs.
Warm, if reluctant, feelings begin to develop on Walt's part towards Sue and Thao as well as the Hmong families on tyhe block. Walt takes Thao under his wing, so to speak, looking to "man the kid up". But, the issue of the gangs won't go away and its there that the flim has its suprising, at least to me, finale.
It wouldn't be an Eastwood flick without at least one iconic and/or memorable line from the actor who gave birth to the modern action hero genre. There are several, of course, but my favorite is what Walt utters to the street thugs when he intervenes on Sue's behalf. After getting out of his pickup and confronting the thugs, Clint, while reaching slowly into his jacket, says slowly, "You know how in everyone's life there is that one guy they just wish they hadn't f***** with? {pause} That's me". Done in only that tone and pacing that Clint can do. Priceless.
There is also a hilarious scene where Walt takes Thao to his barber (John Carroll Lynch Zodiac) , to try to teach him how to talk to other guys "like a man". (Translation: good natured banter involving a lot of low brow humor and crude refrences to human anatomy, sex, and ethnic origin) Trust me, its so funny its almost worth the price of purchase or rental alone. If you're the type who can laugh at that type of thing.
Eastwood the director doesn't disappoint, either. The story unfolds at a nice pace, and its easy to empathize with all of the characters, though the film is shot from Walt's point of view. He deserves special mention for the casting Her and Vang. They are both excellent and, if my information is correct, neither had any acting credits prior to Gran Torino. Can you imagine? Your first time on the big screen and you're acting opposite one of the all time living legends? Wow. And they both hold their own very well. I hope to see more from both, especially Her, these are talented young actors.
Highly recomended for anyone who likes good movies. Its just that simple.
Leave a comment