It's all about life and death

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 2020)

"Gran Torino" is a 2008 drama directed by Clint Eastwood starring him and Bee Vang. Not many people have managed to stay relevant in Hollywood for more than fifty years and be known to several different generations like Clint Eastwood did. The legend is the prime example of seemingly never-ending fame, as he established himself as an actor at an early age and discovered his talent as a not less brilliant director in the sere and yellow as well. While I can't really call myself a fan of his acting roles of the beginning of his career (I haven't seen enough titles to judge that), I certainly consider myself an admirer of his later work and especially his directorial features. From merciless western "Unforgiven" over heartbreaking sports drama "Million Dollar Baby" to this 2008 feature I love all of them, and the last two received perfect scores as I have watched them early in January 2018. Since it has been more than two years since I watched them both and my taste in films has changed a lot since then, I decided to finally revisit them and see if they still live up to their perfect rating. In the case of this one, I can say beforehand, it definitely still does. What Eastwood has created with this movie is nothing short of masterfully breathtaking drama. In the focus of the film is his character Walt Kowalski, a grumpy old racist who seems to be annoyed by everyone and everything, especially after his wife has passed away. The only relatives he has left are his grown-up sons and their own families, the thing is that the relationship between them is rather estranged and dysfunctional than happy and healthy. Hence, he is a loner who is only accompanied by his dog Daisy and a lot of alcohol. The fact that he is a total racist and probably knows more racial slurs than common words should not make him any more congenial, but surprisingly, it is still impossible to hate him completely, as the tough cookie still shows a lot of vulnerability at times that gives him a lot of sympathy to him. What I am trying to say is that the way the film establishes its original and tremendously authentic characters is without a doubt one of its biggest strengths, because how is it plausible to still like a racist character? The answer is the background. It is often mentioned that Walt served in the Korean War and that it is the burnt in enemy image that created his basic scorn for Asian people, especially for his Hmong neighbours, but one of the most outstanding things this film depicts that it is possible that a stubborn old man like him with an obviously outdated world view allows himself to learn and over the course of the film discover a new form of sympathy he never felt before. It is one of the most outstanding character developments I have ever seen in a motion picture. Seriously. As he accidentally saves the Hmong family next door from being killed, he becomes a hero against his own will and that is where his transformation begins. The more he gets to know about the foreign culture, the people and their habits and realizes that he actually has a lot in common with them, the more he overcomes his stereotypical thinking. Even when he sometimes makes a prejudice induced comment, it is not tolerated just like this, because his opposite knows how to deal with his quirks and actually offending behaviour. While it is Thao who affronts him in the second half of the film, it is teenage girl Sue who defies him with her sassy but extremely smart clap backs and thus earns his respect in the process. It is palpable that he more and more takes them into his heart and accepts that all his previous prejudices turn out to be wrong. Why else would he take the boy under his wings who almost stole his car, the titular Gran Torino, and who he almost killed after he has caught him while attempting that? He and Thao more and more from and unlikely teacher-and-student bond and even friendship in the process and he even worries about him and Sue and wants to enable that both of them have a bright future and don't end up on the street of the ghetto they live in, like most of the people from that area do. The man who hated everyone and everything that is related to the Asian culture suddenly learns a lot about compassion and benevolence, they even sort of become the family he wished he had. It is even getting to the point that he realizes that the local gang is the only reason why his new friends will never have the future he wants them to have. As things escalate heavily, he knows the only solution and as the viewer I thought he would take it in his own hands and kill everyone who stands in his way, but what happened then is what I consider to be one of the greatest moments in the history of drama. Instead of the bloody massacre everyone probably expected, he makes the ultimate sacrifice and makes sure that he gets killed without carrying a weapon himself. Who does he manage to do that? In this extremely intelligent scene that was sort of foreshadowed before, he pretends to draw his gun, only to reveal that he was reaching for his lighter. Thus, every member of the criminal gang is charged for murder of an unarmed man, what allows the neighbourhood to become safe for a very long time. I am not ashamed to admit that this scene once again made me cry, because this selfless act is not just beautiful but also indescribably breathtaking. The antihero who almost shot everyone with his rifle in the beginning ends up sacrificing himself so that the same people will live in peace after all. If you can tell me a better redemption story and character conversion, go ahead and make my day. On top of that, there is also the fact that it is implied that he is suffering from a fatal disease and instead of taking it to the grave he is using it for a pure act of charity. I think this is just the final statement of the life and death metaphoric that is constantly conveyed throughout the film, mostly through the conversations between Walt and Father Janovich. He has killed dozens of people in the past and was only honoured for murder, so to make peace with himself, he settles the score by sacrificing himself in order to ensure the future of his loved ones and thus will be remembered for giving life. He settled his affairs and uses it for something selfless. If that doesn't make me cry, I don't know what does. What underlines this feeling even more is Eastwood's powerful and versatile performance and the tremendously intelligently written dialogues. The fact that the film ends with the reading of the will in which he gives everything he has ever owned (including the precious car) to the ones who really cared for him instead of his own flesh and blood rounds it all up perfectly. It is never to late to learn and make amends and this film shows it in a masterful way. All in all, this drama remains one of my favourite dramas and still holds up to its original perfect score. In all its facets, this film is perfect to me, as it includes a perfectly build up story and character development, a powerhouse performance of its lead actor, extremely intelligent dialogue and authentic characters. This film undoubtedly has got a lot of heart and doesn't fail to tantalise my emotions. It is amazingly original, brutally realistic and touching and most importantly, beautifully heartbreaking. Some people might not agree, but this film is pure perfection to me and deservedly ranks up extremely high in the list of my all-time favourites. Clint Eastwood is an absolute legend and this film is the proof why.