Eastwood Learns About Living in 'Gran Torino'

Rating: 8/10 (2 February 2009)

Read more at http://FrameRate.blog.com There's a surprising amount of humanity and emotion packed into Clint Eastwood's latest film, Gran Torino. The story is so much more than what's on the surface. It touches on topics like race relations, generational gaps, aging, loss, regret, family, and culture. And this multi-level facet of the story makes the movie powerful, emotional, and moving. So many films rely on big budgets, special effects, up-tempo pacing, and surprise endings as crutches. In contrast, Gran Torino simply tells us about people -- people trying to deal with their own issues and cope with the obstacles that life throws at them.
Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a bitter and angry Korean War veteran who spends his days complaining about the deterioration of the neighborhood around him, and the minorities who have invaded his territory. He's particularly irritated by a family of Asians who live next door and much of the film is filled with Walt's incessant racial slurs. But Walt makes no apologies for his behavior. He is who he is. Even the Asian teens who live next door aren't offended by his remarks, because they learn to connect with him in ways that Walt doesn't expect. And he finds that he too is somehow drawn to their innate goodness.
The trailer and movie poster for this film can be misleading. They seem to speak about an old man taking the law into his own hands and dishing out vengeance on the gang bangers in his neighborhood; a geriatric Rambo, if you will. That certainly plays a part in the story, and leads Walt to learn more about his neighbors. But Walt's confrontation with gangs only opens the door to deeper, more meaningful commentaries on human understanding and true friendships. Through Walt's past in Korea he learned a lot about dying, but in this film we see that Walt has a lot to learn about living. And the beauty of the story is found in that journey.