Movie chosen by class Film Appreciation

Rating: 8/10 (24 April 2012)

Lucia Rodriguez is a senior at Lincoln School. She is a lover of all types of art, fan of movies and books. Works in the organization, Un Techo para mi Pais and plans to study psychology and environmental law at the University of Costa Rica.
He is more than just grumpy old man, he is a hero, he is the owner of Gran Torino.
Gran Torino was chosen to be watched by my classmates in one of my classes. I didn't know what to expect from it, I just have heard that Clint Eastwood was involved with the film, and he is usually great in whatever he do, directing or acting. I really liked this movie. This movie is great in not just one aspect but in many; it has comedy, tragedy, mysteriousness and it has an unexpected finale. This is a movie that is made for different kinds of people and they will enjoy themselves. Gran Torino is just one of those films that will make you think about it for the rest of the day.
Korean War vet named Walt Kowalski is a particular character. He is old, grumpy, and very lonely, tormented by the war and has no one special in his life. His wife just died and his son doesn't have a good relationship with him. His grandchildren only care for his things and not for him. People doesn't like him because of his humor but he is okay with it because he prefers to be alone. He lives in Highland Park, Michigan, a place in which lived working-class white families but through time it becomes a place populated by poor Asian immigrants and gangs; Mr. Kowalski was one of the few American white citizens who lived there. On a common night, Walt encounters one Hmong kid trying to steal his beloved Gran Torino, (a car that he had with him since the 70's), so he could become part of a gang. Since this kid, called Thao was caught by Walt, didn't succeed, so he becomes bullied by the gang. Through the movie it shows the process in which Walt creates a special relation with Thao and his family because Sue, his sister is always trying to include Walt into their life. Since he was in war, he is fearless and he is always defending their neighbors when he encounters them being bullied by some kind of gang. Gran Torino is mostly about Walt's life and his relationship with the Hmong's family and how he deals with the gangs.
Clint Eastwood didn't just succeed as the director of this movie, he also did an excellent job acting the character, Walt. His acting was the most outstanding of all, I feel the he made the other characters acting seem decent but not incredible as his. He got right all the emotions and Walt's strong and intense personality. Since he was the principle character, he is the actor in which most of the viewers have their eyes on and with this incredible work he was even more notorious. Another character that seemed to do a great job is Thao. Bee Vang, the actor's name can be analyzed because of his growth and his change throughout the movie. He started as an innocent Hmong boy, who only follows everyone's orders and doesn't speak for himself. Then we can see how at the end of the film was a completely different person, he become a "real" man and he became stronger. This is actually a very difficult thing to do since getting into the characters' personality it is already difficult, but it is even more difficult to change so much throughout the movie. An acting that I didn't liked and in my opinion was kind of poor was of one member of the gang, Thao and Sue's cousin, Fong, also known as Spider. This actor name is Doua Moua. I felt that his acting was too forced and that he didn't get so into the character as he should be.
Of my favorite scenes in the movie was in which Walt was firstly introduced into those Hmong's lives as one of them. It was when Sue invited him to her house where all her family was and his presence was kind of controversial to all the guests. This scene it is important because it tells a lot about Walt's personality and it is vital because it shows the beginning of the relationship between the Hmong and grumpy, old man, Walt. There is good comedy in the film that you can't simply avoid to smile or to laugh; for example, the scene in which all the Hmong from Highland Park come to his house with food, flowers and other gifts because he is considered as a hero because he saved Thao from the gang. He is frustrated because he doesn't want to get involve with any of these people and he is always pleading them to stop coming. There is a lot of comedy in those scenes such as when Walt decides that he is going to make Thao a real man and stop making him a "pussy".
You get a very special and moral lesson from Gran Torino. Firstly, it shows that there is much more about a person than the first impression and there is an ability to love for everyone. Sometimes putting someone before of you, it is making the right decision and never to judge someone because you don't know the person's history and what he has gone through.
As I said in the beginning this movie is for everyone because it has a little bit of everything. And I would rate this movie PG 13 because of the language and the violence in the film, and it is highly recommended to have parental supervision. I do enjoyed this film very much and I recommend it to everyone this Clint Eastwood's piece of work.