Review of Gran Torino (2008) by Richard S — 11 Jul 2013

Clint Eastwood. That's really all you need to know about this film, because though this film may be very strange, riddled with inaccuracies, and a little cheesy, it involves the actor and director Clint Eastwood.

After so many years playing the tough cop, or street fighter, or cowboy, Eastwood plays a less than humble veteran who is a bit of a racist, yet also simply a man who has faced many horrors in his life.

Haunted by the deaths of Koreans he has shot in war, without his wife for the first time in his life, and finding himself faced with the violence of gangs, Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is done playing around.

Morphing from the quiet, displeased old man into a fighter for justice, Kowalski takes on a Hmong street gang in order to save the lives of his Hmong neighbors. One of them is a young man who is trying to straighten his life out.

The lives of these immigrants have come under scrutiny in many critics' and academics' circles, because many of the traditions, ceremonies, and culture have been misrepresented. On a positive note, this is the first film to feature a Hmong cast, and many of said cast were encouraged to improvise, leading to an authentic atmosphere for the characters represented.

Though Eastwood's character doesn't always do what is correct, he does what he feels is right. Having Walt be so haunted by his past and unable to deal with it, makes his relationship with his neighbor interesting, and holds weight compared to the story of an old man who tracks down gang members and punches them out.

Most of the fighting that Walt engages in throughout the film feels over the top and cheesy, but it's a serious film about the violent ways of gangs, so some of it is going to be unrealistic. Overall, this film is entertaining, sometimes sweet, and always interesting.