Story - Gran Torino

Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino is about a retired auto worker Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) who fills his days with home repair, beer, and monthly trips to the barber. Though his late wife's final wish was for him to take confession, for Walt—an embittered veteran of the Korean War who keeps his M-1 rifle cleaned and ready—there's nothing to confess. And no one he trusts enough to confess to other than his dog, Daisy.

The people he once called his neighbours have all moved or passed away, replaced by the Hmong immigrants, from Southeast Asia, he despises. Resentful of virtually everything he sees—the drooping eaves, overgrown lawns and the foreign faces surrounding him; the aimless gangs of Hmong, Latino and African American teenagers who all think the neighbourhood belongs to them; the callow strangers his children have grown up to be—Walt is just waiting out the rest of his life.

Until the night someone tries to steal his Gran Torino.

Still gleaming as it did the day Walt himself helped roll it off the assembly line decades ago, the Gran Torino brings his shy teenaged neighbour Thao (Bee Vang) into his life when Hmong gang-bangers pressure the boy into trying to steal it.

But Walt stands in the way of both the heist and the gang, making him the reluctant hero of the neighbourhood—especially to Thao's mother and older sister, Sue (Ahney Her), who insist that Thao work for Walt as a way to make amends. Though he initially wants nothing to do with these people, Walt eventually gives in and puts the boy to work fixing up the neighbourhood, setting into motion an unlikely friendship that will change both their lives.

Through Thao and his family's unrelenting kindness, Walt eventually comes to understand certain truths about the people next door. And about himself. These people—provincial refugees from a cruel past—have more in common with Walt than he has with his own family, and reveal to him parts of his soul that have been walled off since the war...like the Gran Torino preserved in the shadows of his garage.

Gran Torino is yet another Clint Eastwood gem

Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino is a highly engaging film about t ageing, change, racism and redemption. It tells the story of Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), a bitter, racist and detached Korean War veteran who has just lost his wife. Fiercely proud, Walt doesn't want to move out of his neighbourhood despite the fact that he's one of the few white people left there. Walt's immediate neighbors are a Hmong family (of Vietnamese descent) and he doesn’t take too kindly to them initially. The crisis point happens when Walt catches their teenage son Thao (Bee Vang) attempts to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino car as part of a gang initiation rite. Despite this, he ends up reluctantly taking Thao under his wing, much to the delight of Thao's older sister Sue (Ahney Her). This however infuriates the gang and they soon target Thao and Sue for revenge.

Told from an older mans perspective, Gran Torino is an honest, poignant and powerful movie that approaches its subject in a matter of fact manner. The plot, though simple in substance and style, is brilliantly planned and executed. Clint Eastwood’s storytelling knack is much evident and instead of being preachy, he lets his viewers make up their own minds. What perhaps gives the film its formidable strength is the way Eastwood shows Walt struggling with his prejudices and coming to terms with a changing world and with his inner demons, many of the latter stemming from the horrors he witnessed in the Korean War. Also, Nick Shenk's well written script manages to be suspenseful, shocking, emotionally engaging, thought-provoking and frequently funny throughout.

Another major thing going for the film is its characters. Not only are they true to life and believable, but also portray palpable emotion. Walt remains a likeable and sympathetic character, despite his entrenched racism. His one liner's bring on the laughs though it may also be argued that they are a little too insensitive. Clint Eastwood has cast himself perfectly in the role of Walt. He delivers an acting master class and his towering comes across in every scene. The supporting cast works because they are real kids. Newcomer Ahney Her delivers a heart warming performance as the smart and spunky Sue.  Bee Vang also hits the right notes as Thao.

Gran Torino is enormously watchable and a must see for all.