'Gran Torino' review

Gran Torino

‘Gran Torino’ is a film directed and starred by Clint Eastwood, who brings to life the character of Walt Kawolski, a racist Korean War veteran living in a neighbourhood where people from different races, mainly Asians, live too. Walt is a grumpy old person and has a really hard character that complicates the relationship with his family and neighbours, but with the last ones it will gradually change. The film starts in the Walt wife’s funeral, apparently the only person that he really loves.

As I said, the main character is Walt and we can see how he evolves during the film. The relationship whit his family is bad, they only worry about Walt by interest, he knows it but he doesn´t mind, and he does what he wants. Walt loves his Gran Torino car, one night he sees Thao, his Asian neighbour, trying to steal it (his cousin forced him to do it if he wants to be part of the gang). When Thao’s family realize that his child has done it, they say to Walt that Thao has to help him, as a ‘punishment’ because of his mischief.

From then on, Walt sees Thao maybe as the grandchild that he would like to have. He teaches him to be a good boy, to get a job... Walt is like a teacher, or mentor to Thao. At first he ‘hates’ them, now he is growing fond whit Thao and Sue, and their family. Walt becomes the ‘hero’ of the family when he saves them from the cousin’s gang threating them. The neighbourhood gives Walt presents to express their thanks.

Teaching Thao how to use the tools

Neighbours expressing their thanks.

Teaching Thao how to speak with others.

Unfortunately, the cousin’s gang will took revenge on them, they are going to shoot Thao’s house and to rape Sue. After that, Thao wants to clear his sister’s name killing the gang, but Walt will prevent it. First of all, Walt goes to confession, he tells the priest Janovich he regrets not to be a good father, his action during the war... (He had never wanted to do it, despite it was his wife’s wish), so in this action we can see again a change in Walt’s mentality.

The end of the film is really unexpected, most people would think that Walt would go to the cousin’s house and would kill everyone who is part of the gang. But it didn’t happen like that. Right, he goes to the cousin’s house but he lets himself be killed in order to help the neighbourhood; the cousin and his gang will go to prison. We can say that Walt dies to save the rest of the neighbourhood from the gang. In that sense, Walt is a representation of Jesus Christ’s death.

The main subjects that appear in the film are:

-    + Racism: Walt hates his neighbourhood because it is plenty of immigrants, he speaks with them always with superiority... We also see that the different gangs are formed by people who are from the same culture.

-   + Prejudices: Walt is full of prejudices; he hates almost everything and everyone (his neighbours, his family, religion ...). Fortunately, he changes thanks to Thao, Sue, and the priest.

-   + Violence is everywhere, the gangs; Walt is a Korean War veteran...

-   + Interest: We can see it in the relationship that Walt’s family have with Walt, they only want to get rid of him. At the end, we see that Walt knew that and when he dies he doesn’t give anything to his family.

All of them are problems that we also see in our society nowadays.

I think this film it’s really good, it makes you really think about change, about how people can change. Walt heated the immigrants, his neighbours, and after, he dies for them.

The film is also enjoyable with touches of black humour but that Walt uses them with affection.

I love the director and actor, Clint Eastwood, and the social criticism that He does in the film.