The viewer is introduced to Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) at the funeral of his wife. As the movie develops, you learn that Walt is a hard man to know. His family has quit trying to live up to his expectations, simply being there for him during the important dates and leaving him alone the rest of the time. Walt lives in a neighborhood that used to house his colleagues at the Ford plant but after most of them have passed on; it is now filled with poor immigrants and rife with gangs. Walt tries to ignore the Asian family that moves in next-door but this proves impossible when members of a youth gang try to indoctrinate the boy, Thao. A former Korean war veteran, Walt inserts himself into the tense situation, chasing the gang away. Despite his intentions, he is unexpectedly welcomed as a hero by the neighborhood. But the gang does not forget and a day of reckoning is not far off.
The grumpy curmudgeon, Walt, fluctuates from being unlikeable early in the picture, to being an honorable and caring man by the end. The film does not try to whitewash who Walt is; he is racist, insensitive, and generally unforgiving. But the character learns during the course of the story that people are not always what they appear and it is never too late to change. The growth of his character into neighborhood savior is entirely believable and shows a different side of a difficult man. When he takes to protecting the kids next-door, Thao and Sue, their presence in his life makes him a better man. Grunting and grumbling much of the movie, what starts as an intimidating growl turns into an endearing trait.
There is unexpected humor in this otherwise serious story, coming from Walt changing his nature. There is also a multitude of themes explored in the course of the film, including: the peer pressure in bad neighborhoods to join gangs, the frustration and loneliness of aging, the toll wars can take on people, the role of religion in your life, and whether deeds or intentions define whether you are a good person. The priest, Father Janovich, plays an important role in the story as he tries to connect with Walt, upholding a dying promise. What could have been a minor, insignificant role becomes an important person in the direction of the life of Walt and the story as a whole.
Gran Torino exceeds its genre as both a character drama and thriller by taking a seemingly irredeemable man and using his experiences to comment on the times we live in. Highly entertaining and worthy of every ounce of acclaim, Gran Torino deserves a special place on the mantelpiece of Eastwood.
Rated R for language throughout, and some violence.
