"Gran Torino" The Great Bull of Clint Eastwood

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2012)

By: Ernesto Ruiz
Many people are scarred after going to war. It may change your personality and the way of seen the world as it is. The ones who go to war will maybe remember those moments and may behave as a soldier for the rest of their life. But at the verge of life events may change a person. This idea is presented in Gran Torino, a film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood, which is an excellent movie that must be talked about. This week I saw this movie with my Film Appreciation class and found it to be very interested.
The mood of this story is a drama. The main characters are developed in depth, since the audience starts to get acquainted with them. Also, the interactions between the characters become also very intimate and the theme that is portrayed by Eastwood is very emotional. The story takes place in a Hmong neighborhood in the USA. Walt Kowalski is a man on the verge of his life who used to live in this neighborhood long before it was taken by the Hmong. He suddenly becomes a hero for the neighborhood after he expels a gang. Thao Vang Lor is a Hmong adolescent that lives in this neighborhood. According to his family tradition, he is not the usual Hmong who likes to do man's chores; instead he likes more to do woman's chores. His cousin, Spider, tries to bring him into his own gang in order to make Thao manlier. His initiation ends up in a disaster while he tries to steal Walt's Gran Torino. Due to this, Thao starts working for Walt, later becoming friends with him. Sue Vang Lor which is Thao's friend also becomes a very good friend with Walt. She is very sweet toward a man who is bitter about life. Father Janovich is also an important character who by promise of Walt's wife death tries to get Walt to confession.
The acting in this story has great swings. While Clint Eastwood does a great job at being the main character of the story, the Hmong do not make a good job. Walt Kowaltski is perfectly acted by Clint Eastwood. You get caught into this characters life as the story passes along. Being a very interesting character that has a lot of morals and good intentions but is also bitter and sometimes mistreating, is a very difficult job to do. Clint Eastwood is able to portray every feeling and action of the character. The acting of Sue and Thao were not convincing. They were being exaggerated and false in their acting, it is very difficult to believe the feelings of these characters. Spider is one of the Koreans who did a good job at portraying a gang member, who follows well into the role of being evil. Father Janovich also does a good job. His way of talking and the things that he says and how he says it really makes you believe that the actor in deed is a father and not an actor.
The movie is a great movie almost in its totality. It follows a chronological order in the events and the main characters are very well developed. The audience throughout the story gets to know Walt Kowaltski,an interesting character that by the things he does reveals his way of being. The plot of the story is very well developed with all the information needed for the audience to understand the conflicts of the story. I liked the part when Walt shakes his hand with Thao showing that he finally respects and cares about him. What I did not like was the scene when Thao starts screaming because Walt locks him in his house. This scene seemed to me very false since the acting of Thao is not well developed.
The themes of the story are very emotional. Even though someone doesn't show his true feelings or sometimes brings you down that does not mean that he does not care about you. In this story is revealed that not always the ones who mistreat you are the ones who do not like you. Another moral that can be learned is that if you do well you will always get a good reward. The ones who do not care for others will not get any rewards at the end. Spectators may learn that even though someone is at the end of their lives that does not mean they cannot do justice for others, and make actions that can make a difference. Also, that sometimes the ones that look weaker can be the strongest. All these morals are directed to the targets of the movie.
This movie is directed to adolescent and adults. It is a move that anyone who has a good sense about life may be able to see it. This is a very good movie that teaches the audience lessons about life. I recommend it to anyone who is open to learn about how important is to be a good person with others and the changes that it can make in your life. My MPAA rating for this movie is PG-13, since it sometimes has vulgar language or some violent scenes that a kid would not be able to see. Overall, this film is a great film of Clint Eastwood that unites humor with a very dramatic story. This movie will maintain any spectator without blinking throughout the whole story. Rating Scale 1 to 5 4
Ernesto Ruiz is a Costa Rican student. Ernesto studies at Lincoln School and is a junior student. He likes to listen to music constantly and investigate about it. He does box in an academy near his home and also likes to watch soccer matches in the weekends. He is recently in a Film Appreciation course in his school with the teacher Pablo Morales.