Movie Review: Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino Rides like a Charm

Clint Eastwood proves that he is at the top of his game with his latest effort, Gran Torino. Revolving around the story of Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), a retired Ford employee and decorated Korean War vet, the movie explores themes of loss, coming to terms, friendship, and ultimately, sacrifice and redemption.

Set in the present day, the film begins with Walt burying his wife of many years. His grown-up children have strained relations with him, and he sets to living out the rest of his years wandering about in his home, tinkering around in his garden, sitting on his porch drinking beer and taking care of his prized possession, a 1972 Ford Gran Torino. He refuses to fulfill his wife’s dying wish, to confess to a "27-year-old, over-educated, virgin priest."

He is bitter about many things, mainly about how the world has changed from his viewpoint, and how his neighborhood has slowly been encroached upon by a group of Asians known as Hmongs. He has a fast and dirty mouth, and isn’t the type of guy who would waste a second of his remaining days on anything sentimental.

The gangs that roam his neighborhood force Kowalski out of his self-imposed exile. In a twist of fate, the only piece of property that is valuable to him (his Gran Torino) sets the stage for a series of events that chip away at Walt’s hard exterior, ultimately leading up to the most climactic ending that I’ve seen in recent years.

Based on a story written by first-timer Nick Schenk, Eastwood makes the film work mainly on the basis of his screen image. He summons shades of every major character he has played: the tough Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars, the jaded, disgruntled cop in Dirty Harry, the widowed avenger in The Outlaw Josey Wales, the terminally ill singer-drifter in Honkytonk Man, the avenging preacher in Pale Rider, the foul-mouthed drill sergeant Thomas Highway in Heartbreak Ridge, and the retired assassin Will Munny called back into action one more time in Unforgiven. The only significant difference in Gran Torino is that the gun that he has held in his hand for so many years has been replaced by, among other things, a finger and a lighter, which plays a major role in the heart-wrenching climax.

Those who are not familiar with Eastwood’s previous work may find this movie bland and politically incorrect, as Walt Kowalski growls and grunts throughout the film, calling out every available racial epithet one can think of. I would then suggest going back and checking out his previous films to get in context with Torino. It is all at the same time dramatic, dark, suspenseful, and surprisingly humorous. But without over-analyzing, the film is simply about one man’s initial refusal to accept change; as he slowly yields, he finds his own redemption.

Article Author: Clarence Yu

Clarence dislikes the word "blog" but has to live with it. He likes to write about music, film and books when he wants to escape the insanity of life (which is very often). Luckily, his writings have found their way into several on-line publications. …

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