Gran Torino Review

Seventy-eight year old box office icon Clint Eastwood sitting in a dimly lit room, cigarette in his mouth and blood streaming from his tattered, glass filled knuckles may be one of the enduring images of Gran Torino, but could it also be the final image of Eastwood’s unforgettable career? According to Eastwood himself, Gran Torino is very likely to be his last appearance in front of the camera. If this is indeed true, than the legendary Hollywood tough guy could not have selected a better way to ride into the sunset. Also a two time Academy Award winning director, Eastwood maneuvered through an opulently intricate screen play to compose a multilayered masterpiece that will absolutely enter into the Oscar discussion come February. Gran Torino’s unique ability to fuse together racial tension, complex character development, bloodshed and redemption bring to life an inspiring take on several all too familiar Hollywood themes. Oh and by the way, Dirty Harry will have you laughing the whole way through.

Eastwood’s character, Walt Kowalski, is a no non-sense, racist, alcoholic Korean War vet who becomes irritated as he loses his Detroit neighborhood to an ever increasing influx of Asian immigrants. After several gang-related incidents, including the attempted theft of his beloved Gran Torino, he becomes acquainted with his two young Hmong teenager neighbors, Sue Lor (Ahney Her) and Thao Van Lor (Bee Vang). Together, Sue and Thao gradually begin to crack the surly old man and his racist convictions. As Kowalski’s gruff façade begins to crumble, the focus of the film shifts away from racial tensions into a story of redemption; a story of reconciling past sins and finding inner peace. There are events in Kowalski’s past that haunt him, and he seeks to escape from them.

Eastwood’s Dirty Harryesque portrayal of Walt Kowalski, in my opinion, should unquestionably earn him his third Academy Award nomination as an actor, and perhaps his first Oscar. For a seventy-eight year old man he is more than capable of convincing the audience that he is a legitimately dangerous individual. Complimenting his patented intensity is his sense of old fashioned morals and a multitude of sharp one liners, which give his character a certain embattled depth. This multifaceted disposition gives the audience a reason to root for him, even in his boorishness and bigotry. Ahney Her, appearing in her first film, also stood out for both her quirky persona and exceptional on screen chemistry with Eastwood. She endears herself to the audience to the extent that her role in the film’s climactic events generates genuine feelings of distress and indignation that are essential to the movie’s conclusion.

Gran Torino is an ideal concluding chapter to an illustrious, legendary journey that began in the Wild West and, fittingly, draws to a close in the equally wild Mid West. If this is indeed Clint Eastwood’s last appearance on the silver screen, he is riding out on a masterpiece that assures his role as one of the foremost tough guys in Hollywood.