Andrew McMurtrySCREENBEST BEST OF 2009: Gran Turino (2009)
January 12th 2010 00:50
Clint Eastwood has once again shown how good a moviemaker he is. His last offering “Gran Torino” isn’t a no holds barred action thriller like the movies that made him famous but rather a modern view of suburban America and racial tensions that are occurring. It has poignant views of life, death and getting by. It still has humour; it still has heart and it doesn’t feel preachy but when you see it, it’s a movie you won’t get out of your head. Fantastic acting from the whole cast, especially Clint. This is an instant classic. “Gran Torino” looks at the post-automotive industry wasteland that Detroit has become, with gangs and violence the norm.
The story begins at a funeral. Walt (Clint Eastwood) is an elderly man whose wife has just passed away. As a man who worked in the Ford factory for years and fought in Korea when he was young, he looks down at his family, who are disrespectful towards him, especially his grandchildren. His children are disrespectful as well but they feel as though they are helping him and getting turned down by a stubborn old man. With no one but his dog Daisy to keep him company, he is fairly lonely, except for constant pestering from the local priest. That is until he saves a local Asian boy named Thao from being taken by his cousin’s gang and his sister Sue from being harassed by a gang of black kids. After begrudgingly accepting them into his life at first, Walt begins to soften. He lets them into his life but the gang overtones are always present. But for his new friends to actually live their lives, Walt has to take situation into his own hands.
In a way, “Gran Torino” is all about the past. Based around Walt’s 1972 Gran Torino, the series of events that occur can only solved by the past. Whether it be skills learnt in the past or demons from the past that haunt all the main characters. It is all about retribution with an undertone of tolerance. One of the best things is the way he feels about his neighbours. From the beginning he hates them because they are Asian and he’s a Korean War vet. But by the end he loves them, much deeper than his family. In a way they become family. The reciprocated love between the two leads to the climax, which is both expected and surprising. It’s a nice idea though. You can’t blame Walt for being the way he is. With an unappreciative family who don’t understand him, Walt shuns everyone, except for an Asian girl next door, named Su. Walt, a Korean War veteran, understandably dislikes, well, everyone. And the Asian family haven’t done anything to be hated for, but after what Walt has seen and done and been shot at for, it’s very hard to blame him. Su helps Walt to open his eyes about her culture and people. The line “I have more in common with these gooks than I do my own spoilt rotten family” sums Walt Kowalski up in the beginning. And with such a disrespectful family, it’s easy to see why he latches on to a family that shows him the kindness and reverence he deserves.
Walt Kowalski is a tough man. A Vietnam vet with a fierce and intense demeanour, he has earned the right to be a little crabby sometimes. After his wife’s death Walt rejects the church and any help offered to him by anyone. It is a great character for Clint to play. Perfect even. While the other actors are good, they are shown to be very inexperienced to the brilliance of Mr Eastwood. Walt is funny in the way that he says what he feels, with no holding back. The Hmong kids, on the other hand, show Walt the respect he deserves. Their culture is one of respect of elders and traditions so Walt sees this as a much preferable alternative to his family. The film travels along until at a modest pace, with Walt’s deteriorating health condition acting as some sort of a timeline. Mundane acts, such as mowing his lawn act as pillars, help the story to flow, although they don’t seem too interesting by themselves. It helps to tell you what kind of person Walt is. It is the simple things that make the man. The other main character is the priest Father Janovich (Christopher Carley). His insight into Walt and trying to get him to open up and confess his sins is one of the best plot points. He acts as a moral radar, stopping Walt from doing anything too hasty. But it really is the Clint Eastwood show for much of the movie.
With a very intelligent script and some great acting led by the great Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino is an instant classic. Looking at the racial tension in the melting pot of post-auto Detroit is a brilliant idea. Gangs and violence throughout the neighbourhood show the displeasure and the social breakdown that has occurred. Gangs are much more prevalent in Detroit now and I know this even though I’m Australian. There has to be some reason for house prices to be cheaper than most cars. But this is a great film and I can’t believe this didn’t get any Oscar or other main awards nominations. The understated soundtrack compliments the beauty of the film. Its soft tones are subtle and follow the film, barely noticeable mostly, but just subtle enough. The imagery is intense in some instances with the images of a beaten girl and Walt bashing one of the thugs being some of the most harrowing. Either way, it’s a brilliant film and one that should go down as one of Clint’s best, which is a big call in a glittering film career bound to go down as one of the greatest. I’d give it 5 out of 5.
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