Gran Torino (2008)
Director - Clint Eastwood
Starring - Clint Eastwood
3.5 stars
I keep going to see films with these preconceived views and expectations and I daresay it really contributes to how I judge it as a whole.
Gran Torino enjoyed a fantastic trailer that had me so intrigued to watch it.
For me, it was a little bit slow at the beginning and really took a while to get going. If I didn't have these preconceived expectations I reckon I would have gotten bored of it and thought of it is a pretty dull movie. Fortunately, I watched in anticipation because I was so sure that it was going somewhere and as soon as it got there I was going to be treated to some brilliant screenplay.
Alas, that moment did arrive and the final 15 minutes of Gran Torino really is quite gripping. That's all I'll say about that because I'm not one to poop on anyone's party.
The two focal points of this movie are the character developments and the treatment of the issue of racism.
Clint Eastwood famously stars as Walt Kowalski, a disgruntled, cynical war veteran who has recently lost his wife. Walt lives in a neighbourhood that has seen most Americans move away and an abundance of Hmong families now residing there. Being the cynical racist that he is, Walt doesn't approve of the Asians living around him until he gets to know Su, the young girl from next door and eventually her brother Tao.
As for the racism, it is used early on in almost a comedic sense. Walt calls his neighbours all the names under the sun yet it doesn't feel as if he is doing it in an overly discriminatory fashion, more so from the point of view of a man who doesn't know any better. I was so keen to see how the racism was dealt with and I think it was done in quite a realistic fashion. Whether they know it or not, I think realism is something audiences yearn for in a film. The character's actions, particularly Walt's, are quite believable. I have little doubt that men like Walt would exist in reality and if they found themselves in his position would act and speak in a similar way.
I did enjoy Gran Torino but similarly to Seven Pounds I think went in with expectations that were far too high and reaching them to satisfication was going to be a monster task. It really is a quality movie and what I like about it is the fact that it is quite different to the mainstream drama's that pervade our screens. It deals with less common (yet still contemporary) issues, and highlights a way of life that people may not fully understand or even know of its existence. It's definitely a movie I'd like to see again but unlike some of my previous form I think I'll wait until it comes out on DVD before I double up.
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