Well-Written Drama Of Cultural Clashes And Surprising Friendships In Blue-Collar Michigan

Rating: 6/10 (2 November 2014)

Walt Kowalski is a retired Detroit auto plant worker and Korean War veteran, who is newly widowed. When Thao, an Asian-American kid who lives next door, unsuccessfully tries to steal Walt's classic car, the pair form an unlikely bond ...
This is yet another low-key offbeat quality drama from Eastwood, with rich characters, a powerful bite, wry humour and and an exceptionally well plotted script by Nick Schenk. The story is full of poignant metaphor and juxtaposition. Walt is a bitter and xenophobic hardass - a sour, judgemental old man who doesn't like anything in the modern world and does his best to withdraw from everyone in it. The fact that he gradually comes to accept his neighbours, enjoy their company and supports Thao far more than his own children is compelling and ironic, summed up by the line where he says, "God, I've got more in common with these gooks than I do my own spoilt rotten family.". His final self-sacrifice not only mirrors his experience in the war (in reverse) but is the last creative act of a man who has spent his whole life literally fixing things. It's a great story, full of surprising scenes and in many ways it fits perfectly with Eastwood's classic antiheroes, presenting us with a man who is deeply flawed but who achieves redemption through positive social action. It also has a unique aspect in the portrayal of the Hmong characters (mountain people originally from areas of China/Laos/Vietnam), a very specific ethnic group I don't recall being featured in any other movie. Thao and Sue put up with Walt's relentless slurs and racist language but they see beyond his offensive exterior and teach him more about why he is the way he is than he would have thought possible. All the performances are good, particularly from the Hmong actors, almost all of whom had never been in a film before. Eastwood fans should also note the smooth, subtle score written by his elder son Kyle (and featuring a cool end-title song performed by jazz/pop singer Jamie Cullum) and the smart cameo by his younger son Scott as Sue's luckless date. For motorheads, the car is a 1972 Ford Gran Torino SportsRoof, an earlier version of the old TV Starsky & Hutch Striped Tomato copmobile. A fine, thought provoking, intelligent drama.