- Gran Torino
- OPENING: 01/09/2009
- STUDIO: Village Roadshow
- TRAILER: Trailer
- ACCOMPLICES: Official Site
The Charge
“Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn’t have messed with? That’s me.” –Walt
Opening Statement
It has been said that Gran Torino may very well be the last onscreen performance from Clint Eastwood. If that’s true, it seems like a somewhat fitting concluding note. In many ways, Walt Kowalski is a distillation of Eastwood’s screen image. He’s angry, bitter, tough, violent, and frustrated with the sort of “punks” who go around messing up society. Of course, Eastwood has played many characters that are nothing like this, but this is perhaps the persona that people remember Eastwood for. If Unforgiven was a final statement on The Man with No Name, then Gran Torino is a final statement on Dirty Harry.
Facts of the Case
Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is not a particularly happy man. His wife of many years has just passed away, and he doesn’t have a very good relationship with his children. Walt lives in a predominantly Asian-American neighborhood, and regards his neighbors with bitter disgust. As Walt is both a racist and a generally unfriendly fellow, he doesn’t have many friends. He seems to be a man beyond redemption, the sort of cranky old codger who inspires apologetic statements like, “Well, you just have to understand, he’s from a different generation.”
One night, Walt hears a noise in his garage. He grabs his shotgun and goes to investigate, and discovers a neighborhood boy attempting to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino. Walt angrily chases the boy away. A few days later, he hears something else going on. He goes outside, and discovers a group of local thugs beating up on that very same boy and his sister. Walt scares them off and, by doing so, unintentionally wins the respect of his neighbors. Begrudgingly, Walt gets to know his neighbors just a little bit, and even ends up becoming a mentor for the young man who tried to steal his car. However, it quickly becomes evident the gang members are not simply going to let the kid off the hook. Their acts of violence and aggression continue to escalate, and soon Walt realizes he’s going to have to take drastic action.
The Evidence
Throughout Eastwood’s career, the theme of righteous rage and vengeance has frequently played some sort of role. However, Clint has grown increasingly reflective and complex as he’s aged, and here creates an interesting scenario: he must find a way to save the kid from the local thugs. At first, we expect him to just do what Detective Harry Callahan would do and take them all out. Walt is certainly a man capable of doing such a thing, but this film is looking at the bigger picture. There’s no question that he could kill those punk kids, but how can Walt solve this problem without destroying what’s left of his soul?
Eastwood’s portrayal of the character is very much inspired by Dirty Harry, but Gran Torino is by no means a sixth installment in that particular franchise. The movie is not fueled by action and violence, but rather by relationships and moral questions. There are antagonistic scenes between Walt and a young priest that reminded me a good deal of similar scenes in Million Dollar Baby. Their scenes together provide conversations about some of the bigger questions the film is addressing: life, death, forgiveness, redemption, and vengeance. The resolution the film ultimately provides is a satisfying one, though it may anger some audience members. Eastwood thinks a man like Walt can still find redemption, despite leading a life full of bitterness and hatred. Some may feel Walt doesn’t deserve to be redeemed, and his behavior is nothing more than a cheap route to feeling better about himself as a human being. Whether you agree or disagree with the conclusion, Gran Torino offers a good bit to chew on, as most Eastwood films do.
Gran Torino is a good film featuring a superb performance from Eastwood, but doesn’t quite rank among the actor/director’s best works. Like Walt, the movie is a little rough around the edges. There are a few miscalculated scenes involving the friendly exchange of racial epithets. These should either be very funny or painfully uncomfortable, but for some reason they feel precocious. In addition, some of the supporting performances seem a tad too amateurish at times. There are individual lines here and there which feel inauthentic, mostly due to unconvincing delivery. These awkward missteps prevent the movie from hitting great heights.
Closing Statement
Despite the occasional flaws, Gran Torino delivers where it counts. The first act which establishes Walt is quite strong, and the third offers an excellent and unavoidable conclusion. There’s enough good stuff peppered through the middle to keep the film afloat during the rough patches. The greatest pleasure is seeing Eastwood, who has hit a new peak of rough charisma. It’s great to hear that rumbling growl, even if it is just one last time.
The Verdict
8/10
13 comments ↓
Watching the trailer to this movie, it looks like one of those afterschool special or movie of the week drama on TV. It’s full of stereotypical characters we’ve seen before about issues we’ve heard before that I can’t take it seriously. Nonetheless, I will check this out on DVD when it comes out. Thanks for your review!
I had the opportunity to get a screener copy of this (yes, piracy is bad, I’m going to Hell, blah blah) and I really, really enjoyed it. While some of the people I watched the film with complained of its wildly divergent tones (from broad humor to pathos to gritty action to quiet contemplation), I thought it was just a great character study, a real slice-of-life type movie that you just don’t see too often anymore. I’d definitely put it up there with Clint’s most entertaining films, if not his best.
I hope people don’t judge this movie strictly by the trailer as Bobby C above did. I’ve had friends say to me, “Oh, it looks like Dirty Harry meets Grumpy Old Men”. The trailer doesn’t do the movie justice. The movie is something else entirely. In these insecure times with PC browbeating, it’s refreshing to see a movie this enjoyably vulgar, daring and funny to come along. It’s hugely entertaining and unexpectedly moving. Even my wife loved it. I say if you’re sick of typical Hollywood cookie product, give this movie a shot. You won’t be sorry.
Clint Eastwood used his outward crankiness to come across as tough and yet also heroic at the same time, well done i’d say
I barely…just barely…made it through this whole movie. the unchecked racism, the utter lack of character development, the ham-handed acting and Clint Eastwood singing the closing song. I’ll repeat that. Clint Eastwood. Singing. This movie was a big barrel of stupid and I defy you to prove me wrong. We meet Walt, bitter xenophobe, and his next door neighbors, shy, foreign, aloof. It ends much the same, only one of the characters is dead.
I really enjoyed this film. It got off to a slow start and the insults and swearing were over the top, but then once I stayed with it, I realized there is real character development here, relationships formed, and a real moral selfless lesson at its final, gripping conclusion. I was deeply impressed.
Your review is generally right on, Clark. But Walt would be all over you for not knowing the difference between a shotgun and the M-1 rifle Walt uses to chase off the would-be car thief and the gang bangers. The M-1 was the main rifle GIs used during WWII and Korea.
This film is so utterly true. This is the way it is.
And those who do not like it, don’t like it because it IS so politically incorrect, the thought police can’t seen to get this one beat down.
I think Eastwood played this part to perfection. Walt reminded me so much of my own father and others like him from an older generation. He just wants to be left alone and avoid the possibility of having to discuss the things he may have done that now haunt him. He doesn’t respect the people around him who don’t live up to the same codes he does, and he is not aware of any reasons why they shouldn’t live by the same codes. He is polite and intelligent while simultaneously being crass and ignorant. Such a true portrait!
It’s refreshing to see a movie truly reflect what people are like, rather than how they should be. That’s what makes art instead of trash.
Deeply impressed. Profound message. Probably the only one that will work today as 2000 years ago.
I think Walt is a true Christian Orthodox icon of waht every one of us should become in todays world. I think Clint showed us through Walt character that is possible for the modern American to be transformed and get to the “… knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ” (Ef.3:14) , through Love and Self Sacrifice. Well done Clint!
I can’t say enough about the work of all the actor’s and actress’s well done,well done.Clint you amaze me every time i see your name.If this is your last i thank you and Farewell ,you always went ahead and made my day.
Cheers
Duanne Welsh
I disagree that Walt was a racist. The movie clearly pointed out that Walt was good friends with the barber and the construction super and showed that Walt treated everyone with his rough, rude bantor. Even when it he befriended Sue, he made one “racist” comment after another about eating dogs, etc. and the gook food, which he genuinely enjoyed.
Walt did not become a different person when he sacrificed himself for the Asians, that is exactly who he always was.
Even when he “confessed” he didn’t have much to confess which surprised the priest, as Walt was always a hard working honorable person.
He had friends from a wide variety of races. His sons family, however, might always refer to the asians as asian american, but would never sit down and eat dinner with them or fix their dryer. Who is the racist? The politically correct liberal that waives the “Asian-American” flag around, or the guy that, with his actions, did everything he could to actually help them including giving his life?
ok, he did NOT pull a shotgun when he went out to the garage it was a military rifle – m1 garand i think – might have been a 1903 but i can’t tell lol
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