A man comes to grips with his past

Rating: 10/10 (20 June 2009)

It's hard to write about the emotional impact of 2008's "Gran Torino," directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. At times, it's so funny, you're crying with laughter, and at other times, so sad that you're crying for a different reason. Whatever it is, it's Clint Eastwood's best performance, and certainly one of his best movies.
Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a recent widower and Korean war vet who doesn't have a relationship with either of his two sons. He's a complete bigot and a racist. He has guilt about the people he killed in Korea. The best that can be said about him, at the beginning of the movie anyway, is that he loves his dog. And that seems to be about all he loves - the dog and his magnificent 1972 Gran Torino. One night, he catches someone trying to steal it and, using his trusty big gun, runs the thief off of his property. It's the Hmong boy next door, Thao (Bee Vang), whose cousin is a Hmong gang member and trying to initiate the confused Thao. "Hmong girls go to college," his sister Ahney (Sue Lor) explains to Walt. "Hmong boys go to jail." Gradually, thanks to Ahney's easy way with him, and the fact that he thinks she's "all right," Walt is lured next door for a family gathering. It's awkward at times, but he loves the food. He detests the gang - he keeps them from assaulting Ahney and stops an attack on Thao, earning him the undying gratitude of Hmong neighborhood. When Thao is sent to work for Walt as an act of contrition for trying to steal his car, Walt takes an interest in the boy's future - and he won't have a future if the gang influence isn't stopped.
What we learn about Walt - and what Walt learns and teaches - is what "Gran Torino" is all about. The car, like Walt, is out of place and part of a bygone era in an old neighborhood largely inhabited now by the Hmong people. Yet he and the car belong there.
The best moments are between Thao and Walt, especially when Walt teaches Thao to "man up" - definitely the funniest scenes in the film. A priest (Christopher Carley) promised Walt's late wife that he would get Walt to go to confession. Carley with his baby face and quiet manner, is very well cast, and the scenes between the two men are very good.
All the performances are excellent, but Eastwood here has created one of the all-time great characters. It's fascinating to see what he has accomplished since he first came to public attention as a robust, handsome western hunk in "Rawhide." He has emerged as a great artist - most of his films are infused with complex characters and profound emotions. Not every performer has the opportunity or ability to grow in his work, but Eastwood was given that opportunity and made the most of it. At 78, he's better than ever.