“Gran Torino,” directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, is about overcoming prejudice and although Nick Schenk’s script piles everything on with a heavy hand, watching Eastwood play a grumpy old man who’s quick to grab his gun in difficult situations harkens back to the Dirty Harry movies and it’s like visiting an old friend. Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), a disagreeable old curmudgeon, lives alone with his dog after the death of his wife. He is barely on speaking terms with his sons and grandchildren and his neighborhood is changing, becoming more diverse and troubled by gangs. He only just tolerates the Hmong family living next door, but when the son, Thao (Bee Vang) tries to steal Walt’s 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, Walt chases him away with a shotgun. Later, when the gang members arrive to give Thao a second chance and a fight breaks out, Walt (and his shotgun) drive off the gang. Walt becomes a reluctant hero to the neighborhood and Thao’s smart older sister Sue (Ahney Her), takes it upon herself to make friends with Walt. As penance for his attempted theft, Thao is forced to work for Walt, which leads to some bonding and Walt’s realization that as long as the gang is around, Thao and his family are not safe.
“Gran Torino” is a cross-generational buddy movie as Walt imparts important life lessons to Thao (including how to interact with others in a ‘manly’ way) and Thao opens the heart of this bigoted grouch. However, Walt’s transformation, although effective, occurs a little to easily. While Eastwood is a strong, reliable presence in this movie, kudos goes to his two Asian co-stars. As Thao, Bee Vang shows character growth and there’s good chemistry between him and Eastwood. Ahney Her is bright and energetic and she lights up the screen whenever she’s on. As Walt discovers, he can lament change all he wants, but what’s really important is what we leave behind. Eastwood has said this will be the last movie where he appears in front of the camera. We can appreciate what he leaves behind with “Grand Torino” and can only hope that he continues to work behind the camera. 12/18/08
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