Gran Torino Film Review

Kowalski a Symbol for All
By Jessica Maas

Clint Eastwood’s first scene in “Gran Torino” couldn’t be more fitting. Walt Kowalski, Eastwood’s character, stands at the front of the church for his wife’s funeral and meets anyone who dares to enter the ceremony with intense scrutiny and quick judgment. As the director and main feature of “Gran Torino,” it’s easy to draw a parallel between Kowalski overlooking the funeral and Eastwood overlooking the set. Eastwood’s judgments may be more on target than Kowalski’s, though, as he brings an overall must-see film for society to the box office.

Walt Kowalski is a hardened Korean War veteran set in his prejudices and general dislike of everyone, most notably his new Hmong neighbors. Though he is eventually befriended by and even defends teenagers Sue (Ahney Her) and Thao (Bee Vang) after Thao attempts to steal his prized ’72 Gran Torino, Kowalski has more than a few stereotypes and derogatory terms in his vocabulary with which to use against the community. The journey he takes as he learns more about the Hmong community, and subsequently more about himself, is by no means a quick one, but this nonetheless adds to the realistic component of the film.

Almost everyone knows or has known a Walt Kowalski, and Eastwood does a remarkable job in the role, bringing a true charisma to the character. The same praise cannot be given to his co-stars, however. While Eastwood should be applauded for his desire to use Hmong actors, and while it can be recognized that Hmong actors are not at all abundant in quantity, his choice to use two first-time actors is more than obvious throughout the film. Her’s lines are, at times, awkward and forced and Vang’s performance vacillates between stiff and overeager. There is no doubt that Eastwood carries the cast, but his performance and the poignancy of the story itself make up for any flaw in other performer’s abilities.

The script does a great job of bringing issues of stereotyping and visibility to the forefront. Many viewers can identify with Walt’s lack of knowledge about the Hmong community, and everyone is guilty of stereotyping or judging too soon at some point in their lives, if not everyday. “Gran Torino” offers hope for communities still seeking acceptance, and does so through the creation and realistic growth of authentic characters. The film doesn’t fall into the trap of clichés or even attempt to use sex to draw viewers in, as many other films are guilty of these days, but instead stays true to the message at hand, and that in itself is commendable.

“Gran Torino” is brilliant not only for Clint Eastwood’s acting, but for the risk taken with and the delicacy exhibited with the subject itself. The laughs that Eastwood is able to elicit through his sometimes overzealous character allow for a few lighter moments in an otherwise serious story, establishing an agreeable balance. Anyone who identifies with the term “American” needs to see this film.