Not the story of a car, but of two unlikely friends on the same road

Rating: 8/10 (10 June 2009)

Gran Tarino is the story not of a car but of a man who discovers that there is a meaning to his life. The problem isn't that his life is difficult. The problem is that he sees no reason to enjoy life. A dead wife, distant kids, and a neighborhood falling apart around him, give him the idea that there isn't much to live for. It will be two unlikely friends who will change his mind.
Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is bitter. Alone and single, living in the house he has called home for years, he can only sit and watch as the world around him descends into what he sees as madness. Immigrant families moving in around him, gangs running around his neighborhood, and his own sickness, leave him little to hope for. Every neighborhood has that one old man who is angry and Walt is very much the local angry recluse who would rather use racial slurs than smile and say hello. Walt also has little problem sharing his feelings about Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), the priest his wife confided in before her death. Not only does Walt seems to hate Asian ethnic groups, he hates religion and devout priests.
Next door a Hmong immigrant family has moved in. Shy and timid Thao (Bee Vang), and his bold sister Sue (Ahney Her), live with their widowed mother and attempt to fit into both Hmong and American culture. The problem is that when a local Hmong gang attempts to "recruit" Thao, they find themselves on the defense. It is then that their paths will cross with their racist neighbor who will become a kind of father figure and hero not only to them and their family but also the local Hmong community.
Gran Tarino is a story about redemption. Not only for Walt, whose bitterness begins to fade as he slowly befriends first Sue and then Thao, but also for Thao himself who finds himself forced to redeem his honor after his attempt to steal Walt's Gran Tarino. The two are opposite in almost every way but they will learn from each other important truths that both needed to discover. Walt, insensitive to cultures different from his own, will discover that he enjoys spending time with immigrants he once despised. Thao will learn from Walt courage and the strength to stand up to those around him. Walt will also learn that his past experiences in the Korean War, experiences that have haunted him to this day, no longer have to be the burden they always have been.
Some have complained about the acting by the Hmong actors and actresses used. However, there was a sense of cultural realness in the use of Bee Vang, Ahney Her, and the other Hmongs. The use of these new actors and actresses along with the experience of Clint Eastwood was a contrast that worked well for Gran Tarino. Walt's character seemed more real in dealing with kids and not professional actors. The dialogue was more valid and seemed realistic in terms of the cultural and age differences.
There is some plot weakness that holds back Gran Tarino from being a notable classic. The conflict with the gang feels tacked on at times and distracts from the character development of Walt and Thao. Clint Eastwood's direction is notable, but the writing itself is weak in terms of trying to create a more vivid conflict. A more powerful conflict would have been Walt dealing with his own cancer and his struggling relationship with his two sons. Walt's death is a Christ like moment where he is the savior for Thao and Sue but also the one being saved himself. A touching ending, but one that felt forced.
One of the best films to showcase Clint Eastwood's talent as an actor and director, Gran Tarino is worth watching and good ending to a career that has lasted over three decades. Not a perfect movie, but one that will be remembered as one of Clint's most humane stories.
8/10