Despite the title, Gran Torino isn't really about cars. It is, however, a story about a special make and model -- one Walt Kowalski, a furious old curmudgeon.
Walt (Clint Eastwood) is a blue-collar, stand-up guy living in a Detroit suburb. He's a former auto worker, a vet of the Korean War and a widower, and his retirement is spent watching his old neighbourhood change before his eyes.
Walt seems to be the last white resident, and his block is filled with immigrants, mostly Asian. He's a quick man with a racial epithet, our Walt, and happy to refer to his Hmong neighbours as a "zipper" or "gook." Truth is, he doesn't really like anybody, regardless of their race or colour. He doesn't even like his own children.
He likes his grandchildren even less.
Like the sleek 1970s Gran Torino that he keeps in mint condition, Walt is a well-preserved symbol of the past. Freedom of speech and the right to bear arms seem to be his two favourite amendments; he's a pre-politically correct speaker, and his loaded gun is handy when required. And he smokes and drinks, cinema shorthand for people who spit in the face of convention.
Walt, who is a clenched fist of fury at all times, has little time for the people who live next door. They are Hmong.
The teenage brother, Tao (Bee Vang) and sister, Sue (Ahney Her) seem like good kids, but the brother is being harassed by a local Asian gang.
Walt's animosity toward the family notwithstanding, he is happy to point a rifle at the gang members when they turn up to cause trouble for Tao.
When Sue comes over to thank him for defending the family, Walt snarls, "Get off my lawn."
In time, Walt slowly warms up to the young man and his sister, and begins to learn a little about their culture. He also defends both kids from various gangs and predators in the neighborhood.
Walt attempts to show the young man, Tao, how to function in American society, helping him get a job and coaching him in how to speak well and offer a firm handshake.
But despite Walt's help, events in the neighbourhood become increasingly violent, and Gran Torino moves toward a surprising (and somewhat overwrought) finale.
While Gran Torino has some very funny moments, the movie is a heartbreaking homage to an older and apparently wiser generation. It's also a look at violence in everyday life, although it's essentially an anti-violence picture.
The movie, which has several non-professional actors in the cast, is sometimes clunky and the action is often predictable, but the character of Walt is solid gold.
Eastwood's performance is the big draw in Gran Torino.
As the stalwart but bewildered Walt, Eastwood brings to life an old-school guy who has always done the right thing, but who has lived long enough to understand that for some people, that doesn't count for much.
His work makes Gran Torino -- a weird little film that will grow on you -- the project that may finally win Eastwood an acting Oscar.
(This film is rated 14-A)
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