Picture, if you can, Clint Eastwood as a snarling bitter old man, with a weathered face and a constant scowl. It’s a pretty simple image to conjure up, right? Not exactly a stretch from his previous roles, and he certainly brings forth the same acting abilities in his latest (and apparently last) performance in Gran Torino. Yet, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s almost a send off, a last hurrah to the tough guy he’s been playing on our screens for the past 50 odd years, and it works quite well.

Gran Torino follows Walt Kawalski (Eastwood) a hardcore racist war veteran, who lives in a suburban Michigan neighbourhood that was once Caucasian heavy, but now finds itself housing many Asian (Hmong to be specific) families…much to Walt’s disgust.

Walt finds it difficult to connect to his family, and with the recent death of his wife, spends most of his day alone, sitting on the front porch drinking beer or polishing his most prized possession, a 1972 Gran Torino.

All of this changes when a young Hmong teenager Thao (Vang), who happens to live next door to Walt, is pressured by his cousin – and gang leader – to steal the old man’s car. The robbery goes awry, resulting in the gang members attempting to beat up Thao, a threat which is made on Walt’s lawn…a bad mistake. Walt emerges, rifle in hand, scowling in a classic Eastwood voice “Get off my lawn”, it’s a line straight from a Dirty Harry film…if Harry were 70 years old.

I won’t describe too much of the story from here on out, as that’s delving into spoiler territory. The film continues with Walt setting out (begrudgingly at first) to help young Thao, forming a friendship with his sister Sue (Her) and their family, while all the time trying to deal with the ever increasing threat of revenge from the gang members, who feel both humiliated and betrayed by Thao.

It doesn’t take too much thought to see where the story is heading, and to understand that the themes of the movie are primarily about racism. The film has been criticised for being too obvious, but I feel as though this is a little unfair. I have been in the company (unwillingly) of people who are as bluntly racist at Walt Kawalski, and it’s comforting to see such a mainstream film confronting these issues head on.

Eastwood’s performance is on par with his best efforts, seeming to call upon the spirit of Harry Callahan a lot of the time. In fact, Gran Torino could very well play out as the final chapter in the Dirty Harry series. Granted, it’s not an ending a lot of fans would like, but it’s a realistic finale for a hard-hitting inspector who talks dirty and solves lifes problems through violence. Unlike the Harry franchise though, Gran Torino is light on action. You’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise, as the trailers have cut together most of the action/thriller sequences. Don’t let this deter you though, as there’s a compelling and – dare I say it – heartwarming character study to be viewed here.

The direction, much like Eastwood’s previous efforts, is quite natural and flowing. Most of the shots in the film are long, allowing time for the characters to interact in a leisurely and realistic pace. Eastwood is known as a director who concentrates on performances above all else, never looking through the camera lens, but simply watching the actors play out their roles. It’s a shame then, that some of the performances from the younger Hmong actors vary in quality throughout the film. Having said that, none of them have participated in a film before, and they aren’t so bad that you feel like switching off the TV.

Gran Torino is a fitting end to the acting career of Clint Eastwood (although I’d be happy to see him back up there on the silver screen if he ever changes his mind). It’s a study of a quintessential Eastwood character – a man with a dark past who must confront his demons. It draws on performances from his previous films, yet I don’t think this is a bad thing. Ultimately, the film serves to both entertain and inform its audience, and despite some questionable acting at times from the supporting cast, there’s not too much more you can ask from a film.

3 out of 5 stars.

Source: MPDAA