‘Gran Torino’ Seals Eastwood's Legacy
-----Clint Eastwood is 78 years old. What does that mean? It means a 78 year old man can absolutely own the screen. Not only does Eastwood execute the film effectively from the director’s chair, he also stars as one of the most blunt and believable characters ever to grace the silver screen.
-----‘Gran Torino’ starts off at the funeral of Walt Kowalski (Eastwood)’s wife. In the opening sequence we understand completely his opinion of how the world’s gone since his time. Many of us will be able to relate real people to his character in one aspect or another. He’s angry, upset, and hilarious. Throughout the movie he makes use of a number of derogatory terms not sociably acceptable, always staying in character and remaining someone you can root for. His past in the Marines still troubles him, and the recent death of his wife has left him alone. He doesn’t connect with his sons or their families, and doesn’t like his neighbors. His house used to be in a fine neighborhood, but like so many neighborhoods, it got old. New, cheaper places were built in newer parts of town, making his neighborhood home to many different races from foreign lands, and ultimately many gangs. He minds his own until under the influence of a gang, his young Asian American neighbor Thao (Bee Vang) tries to steal his beloved car, the Gran Torino. As the situation continues to escalate, he’s forced to fend off the local gang. The area then thinks of him as some sort of vigilante hero, but he just wants everyone to get off of his lawn and leave him alone. His neighbor Sue (Ahney Her), however, insists on her brother Thao (Bee Vang) making up for trying to steal his car by working for Walt for a week. In another theme throughout the story, Walt is consistently visited by the persistent but young, Father Janovich. Walt’s wife confided to the Father that she wanted Walt to go to confession, and in her passing, it has become the mission of Father Janovich (effectively played by Christopher Carley) to get the cynical Walt to do just that. This leads to many questions on why Walt is avoiding confession as he tries to keep Sue and Thao safe from the neighborhood’s gang violence. The extents to which he’ll go to do this only further concern Father Janovich.
-----The editing throughout the film is excellent. What could have been a slow and dull film keeps pace and your interest nicely, smoothly and subtly transitioning over specific periods of time. It never seems to cater to the audience in a blunt style as if it were just reading off the necessary plot information. You know what you need to and the mentality changes between characters are handled beautifully, always believable and relevant. The relationships too, develop well, never overstepping character traits for the conventions of Hollywood.
-----Again I must emphasize the number of laughs you’ll get from this film. While it is full of serious and epic drama, Walt’s take on other people and the world is priceless. It’s funnier than a number of comedies in a good way. It doesn’t try to tell jokes or have a bunch of slapstick, it simply has characters interact with each other as their character would, and that is where the humor comes from. Both epic and metaphoric, Gran Torino is a triumph as a fine mix between drama, and the study of a hardened character. Gran Torino should be missed by no fan of Eastwood or film alike.
-----Oscar Watch: Gran Torino received a Golden Globe Nomination for Best Original Song. This may carry over to the Academy, but what I’d really like to see is an Oscar nod for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing. It is an Eastwood film, so it’s never out of the Academy Award conversation.
