Running time: 116 minutes
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Ahney Her, Bee Vang, Brian Haley, Brian Howe
Rating 6 out of 10
Clint Eastwood's workload is impressive for a man half his age, but even by his standards 2008 has been a busy year for the 78-year-old. Hot on the heels of the impressive Changeling comes Gran Torino in which Eastwood stars as well as directs and produces. His track record as a director is spotty, with as many hits as misses. In keeping with that ratio, where Changeling qualifies as the former, so Gran Torino is the latter. Nick Schnek's screenplay, based on Dave Johannson's story of a cantankerous bigot who finds redemption, hardly qualifies as original, though there have been few cinematic characters with a selection of racist insults as rich and extensive as those exhibited by Walt Kowalski (Eastwood). The colourful and creative epithets he directs at everyone is one of the film's motifs, as though Schnek was using the character as an excuse to display his arsenal of vituperative put-downs. It becomes more comical than offensive, though ultimately more wearing than either.
Eastwood has made a career of playing taciturn tough guys, which renders his depiction of Kowalski as almost a caricature. An embittered, hard nose Korean war veteran still haunted by the horrors of his army days, Kowalski finds his once white, mid-west neighbourhood a ghetto for minorities. Following the recent death of his wife, Kowalski spends his days tending his lawn and polishing his 1972 Ford Gran Torino. His contempt for his two sons and their families means his only company is his faithful Labrador.
His hostile relationship with his Hmong neighbors changes one day when their teenage son Thao (Bee Vang) is assaulted by a Hmong gang trying to recruit him into their ranks. When the altercation spills over on to Walt's lawn, he pulls a gun on the gang members. They flee and Walt's neighbours show their appreciation in traditional Hmong fashion by showering the reluctant hero with gifts. Thao's sister Sue (Ahney Her) is not phased by Walt's bluster and her sheer persistence and charm start to win Walt over.
The essence of Gran Torino is Walt's relationship with Sue, Thao and their family. It's a family he is surprised to discover he has a greater connection with than his own. Other influences on Walt's miraculous transformation are a local priest, Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), and his failing health.
One of Eastwood's traits as a director is an unabashed sentimentality. It's one that's evident again in Gran Torino. Despite the abrasiveness of the central character, the film is peppered with plenty of warm and fuzzy moments, which lend it an air of cuteness rather than harsh realism. And then you have those scenes where the septuagenarian Kowalski echoes the fearless heroism of some of Eastwood's past characters. At such times Gran Torino seems more intent on reminding us that Eastwood's still as tough as ever than being a convincing and compelling drama.
Kevin Murphy
