He was a Korean War vet who learned only to trust his own kind.

Rating: 8/10 (27 October 2010)

The two main themes of this film I thought were: acceptance and courage. Walt Kowalski was an older man who believed that only Americans and American made things were important. He was a Korean War vet who learned only to trust his own kind. He had lived in the same neighborhood and house for years, but after time the neighborhood was slowly overpopulated with Koreans. At first, his neighbors annoyed him, because of their Korean heritage, and he wanted nothing more than for them to move out. However, his excessive name calling and stereotypes slowly began to change throughout the movie. Over time, he began to get to know his neighbors for who they really were and helped them overcome challenges in the lives. Tao, his neighbor, tried to steal his 1972 Gran Torino; this infuriated Waltz and he despised Tao for awhile. He eventually helped Tao become a man. Walt became a good male role model for him when he took him under his wing and got him a job and showed him responsibility. In return, his neighbors helped him to overcome challenges. For example, judging people, name calling, being cold hearted, and being selfish. The theme played a huge role in making the film important. Without acceptance and courage the conflicts would've never been resolved. Also, Walt would've never learned his lesson. The theme of the movie was based on Walt and what he gained from the film. This set a good example for others with prejudices and stereotypes. Two techniques that were relevant to the films theme were: the angle at which the film was portrayed and motifs. The repeated stereotypes that were used throughout the film along with the director's angle made the film complex and intriguing. Another film that comes to mind that deals with this related theme is American History X. Courage and acceptance were two big issues throughout that film that had to be overcome. Racial issues are nothing to fight about; acceptance is the main reason that god made each of us unique. Dialogue, conflict and the acting were all elements that made the movie entertaining. They all worked together to provide a great storyline that taught a very important message at the end. Sometimes we need to watch movies like this that involve prejudges, or similar scenarios in order to understand why people feel and act certain ways. This can open our eyes to many things (explanations, reasoning, admittance, etc.).