- Walt Kowalski: Clint Eastwood.
- Thao: Bee Vang.
- Sue Lor: Ahney Her.
- Father Janovich: Christopher Carley.
- Mitch Kowalski: Brian Haley.
- Trey: Scott Eastwood.
- Directed by Clint Eastwood.
REVIEW
"Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while you shouldn't have messed with? That's me." -Walt Kowalski.
This film is about men trying to be men. It might not seem that way at first glance, but the theme that was constantly rolling around in my head while watching Gran Torino was, "What does it take to be a man?" The answer to that question is obvious in the literal, anatomical sense. However, different societies and different cultures have different ideas about the metaphorcal passage from boy to man. What is manhood all about? Is it a function of physical growth alone, or do strength and athleticism play a role? What about intelligence?
This film will not answer the question entirely, but from the second Clint Eastwood shoves the barrel of his Korean War-era service rifle in the face of a teenage Asian gangster and shouts, "Get off my lawn," we have some idea of what it means to Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood). To him, being a man is about defending your honor, your country, and property lines. As an attorney, I find that last part to be especially wise.
The story is relatively simple. Walt's wife just passed away, and the film begins at her funeral. No one dares approach Walt, not even his sons, who whisper about past arguments from the pews. Walt is clearly offended by the words of the priest (Carley) that provide him little comfort, by the whispering from the pews that Walt is not supposed to hear but clearly can, and especially by his granddaughter, whose only purpose in the story is to annoy Walt in every scene she is in. She succeeds: watch carefully when she asks Walt if she can have his couch for her dorm room. Eastwood's expression is brilliant and apt.
Following the funeral, Walt realizes that he has no real relationship with his family, who encourage him to sell his house and to move into an assisted-living community that they market as a vacation resort, complete with brochures. Sure, they are well-intentioned, but the "support" they offer consists mostly of suggestions to change, and Walt never much cared for change. Of course, they are right to be concerned: Walt isn't in the best of health. While we're not told what precisely is wrong, those with a quick eye for detail will know enough.
At the same time, Walt's neighborhood is going downhill. Gangs have moved in, and soon all his neighbors are Asian. Of course, Walt is a racist, and he most especially hates Asians (he is a Korean war veteran, after all). But is he a racist, and does he really hate Asians?
If he is, and if he did, then why save his new neighbor, Thao (Vang), from gang members? Walt says it is because they were trespassing on his lawn, but we know better. Thao is an interesting character who first meets Walt as he tries to steal Walt's prize possession, a 1972 Gran Torino Walt assembled himself working the line in a Ford factory. Walt scares Thao out of the attempted theft, which we understand: getting caught in a dark room alone with Dirty Harry himself would turn anyone from a life of crime. Walt soon realizes that Thao isn't a bad kid, but a local gang is pressuring him. Walt is faced with a decision, and he does what is in his nature to do.
As a small part of that, Walt tries to show Thao how to "be a man": working construction, helping the elderly neighbor, and teaching him about tools, respect, and the usage of racial slurs as a term of endearment. When the gang persists in harassing Thao and Walt's other neighbors, however, Walt is forced to choose between looking to his own problems and showing the rest of the world what he believes it means to really be a man. When asked by his priest (Carley) what he intends to do, Walt responds: "Whatever it is, they don't have a chance."
PROS: Eastwood's portrayal of Walt shows a fallen, sinful man, who shows the ability to change. Here is a selfish man who squandered his life away drinking, blaspheming, and spreading misery to all, but when tested, he chooses to act in love by defending the fatherless, aiding widows, and seeking justice (Isaiah 1:17). He does all this without any thought for himself. I won't go so far as to say it is a story of redemption or that Walt's ideas about manliness are the right ones: certainly the macho bravado, racist slurs, excessive drinking, profanity, and general antagonism he flings at every person he meets are not part of what it Biblically means to be a man. However, Walt's work ethic, his dedication, and his generosity (for some), coupled with his decision to be a mentor for a boy he barely knows, resonate with me as being "manly" in a Biblical e sense. If nothing else, Walt's forgiveness of Thao, who tried to steal the legendary, titular Gran Torino, struck me as being Christlike.
CONS: Walt is no role model. Maybe no human is, though. None of us our perfect, and we all fall short of God's glory, but God knows that Walt is no different. He reminds me of my great grandfather, who had little use for people who weren't white, but who had an amazing work ethic and capacity for love, nobility, and honor. Like him, Walt is a man of strengths and weaknesses, with admirable traits and not-so-admirable traits. Unfortunately, the audience is forced to endure some of Walt's less admirable traits for the duration of the film, such as his non-stop profanity. Walt curses endlessly, uses the Lord's name in vain, and even refers to Christianity as a faerie-tale that priests tell superstitious old ladies on their deathbeds (referring to his wife - though he does seem to recant somewhat later in the film). To see Walt change for the better with the progression of the film, Eastwood apparently felt that the audience needed to first see him at his worst. While this may be logical, one wonders whether seeing Walt's progression is worth listening to him curse our Lord repeatedly.
Perhaps my largest trepidation: Eastwood makes you believe in Walt Kowalski, but does Walt deserve that sort of faith? His blue collar work ethic, veteran's sense of honor, and tough-guy demeanor are inspiring, but people are as much their flaws as they are their strengths. Walt has many flaws, and I hope that believers would be offended rather than inspired by those flaws, but somehow I doubt that will often be the case, given the applause I heard in the theater.
Final Thought: Eastwood's performance is amazing. The film is well-directed and produced. There are no special effects of note or amazing costumes/make-up, but this movie is about people. It is about the story, and even more to the point, it is about its characters, which it treats with a sort of reverance, losing no detail on even the most minor of their number. This movie may very well make you laugh, make you angry, and make you cry, all within 116 minutes of runtime. Eastwood does what he sets out to do in movies, both as a director and as an actor, and this movie is a likely contender for several academy awards, including "best picture." That said, there are many great character pieces out there, and this movie did not go beyond the boundaries of what has been done before. Nor can I say that it is the best example of any genre. What I will say is this: for good or for ill, it does not fail to deliver on any of its promises.
Bottom Line: 4/5
I thought this was a well-crafted film with an amazing performance by Eastwood. I loved its bucking of political correctness -- Walt uses racial slurs, but truly cares for his neighbors. Too often in this PC world we get caught up in what a person says, rather than his character. Remember the incident where a man was fired for using the word "niggardly," which has no etymological relationship to any sort of racial slur but just happens to sort of sound like one?
ReplyDeleteWalt is an intentionally difficult man to like. But in the way of all real men, when others earn his respect he gives it to them. Walt's automatic willingness to help those who need it is a reminder of how important it is for all of us to train ourselves in moral behavior. Walt doesn't second-guess himself or consider the risk to himself when others are in trouble, he acts instinctively because it's a part of his character to do so.
It's also refreshing to see an adult character portrayed at the movies who doesn't endeavor to pretend he's a young man. We've seen enough movies about boys in their teens becoming men to last us forever, but there are many different seasons in the lives of human beings and there are interesting stories to tell within them all.
Finally I always admire a film which can educate without constant clunky exposition or preachiness. A film like this or The Last Samurai can help us understand a foreign culture without being a documentary, and to return to a major theme of the film the more we come to know the people around us the more we see that they are human souls just like ourselves.
And the more we understand other souls made by the Creator, the more we can understand the God who made us all.