Gran Torino's got style and class

Rating: Null/10 (31 July 2011)

Clint Eastwood is back at his best in Gran Torino, a film about prejudice, hatred, and tolerance through the unlikely passage of neighborly love and understanding; and, the unmistakably iconic 1972 Gran Torino. This is not an action movie, but the action is never too far away. Living in a Hmong community, Walter Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is in the minority, an elderly ex-Korean war veteran, a white male with a comical disdain for everything. He hates his Hmong neighbors. He hates his kids. He hates religion. His wife is dead, the kids have fled and the grand kids are typical spoiled brats. He's old and he lacks respect. The world is a bitter place. But rather than sentimentalizing about the 'good old days' Walter growls and scowls his way through life with gritted teeth and an inimitable style that reminds you just how good Clint Eastwood is. Walter is not bad. He's just forgotten what it means to be good. The shots of Walter making a gun symbol with his finger and 'shooting' one by one is a classic Clint Eastwood Motif: the lonely Pale Rider, the shooter Dirty Harry. Walter means business. Walter's not afraid of a fight. The Hmong community is like any lower-class suburban area: deprived, crime-ridden, where young people are faced with the dilemmas of adolescence: drugs, peer pressure and a struggle to survive the agonizing pressures of those that rule the roost. Thao (Bee Vang) is the young Hmong male struggling to find any positive signs of masculinity in this community. His English is poor, his manner is soft, and his heart is in the right place. His sister Sue (Ahney Her) is intelligent, witty and acts as the 'translator' of Hmong culture and traditions. This is where the 1972 Gran Torino steps in and becomes the well-earned sign of masculinity for the young Thao. The motif is symbolic and the moment iconic for the thematic development of the film. Walter is the hero. Thao is his successor. Walter and Thao make an unlikely but formidable team. There are moments of fatherly love, and of hilarious misunderstandings as Walter tries his hand at diversity and transgresses the rites of culture. The 'getting to know you' scenes will have you crying laughing. There is no doubt that the movie is simple in its formula. It's raw and the language is strong but real. Walter is tough. But comedy is never too far away: Walter sips a beer at the barbecue keeping a close eye on his dog for fear that the Hmong may place it on the menu too. Gran Torino mixes comedy with brutality. The film shocks and surprises and we see how vengeance can lead to nowhere. I was moved to tears at the end and this is a testimony to Eastwood. The ultimate message of the movie is one of hope