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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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Gran Torino Stars: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley, John Carroll Lynch and Chee Thao Director: Clint Eastwood Scriptwriter: Nick Schenk from a story by Nick Schenk and Dave Johannson Composer: Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens Cinematography: Tom Stern Warner Brothers Rating: R for violence and language Running Length: 116 minutes Clint Eastwood has stated that this film will be his last acting job. I don’t think so. He so fits the role of Walt Kowalski, ex-soldier with an attitude, that fans just won’t let him stop. Eastwood also directs, plus, if I’m not mistaken, may also sing on the soundtrack with music by Kyle Eastwood. The story is set in Chicago and that Gran Torino is just that, a classic, vintage car. Emphasis is on cultural differences between the Hmong people of Southeast Asia, who are now settling in the Midwest, and area residents. One difference that is discussed in the film is the American habit of looking someone directly in the eye when you are talking to them, while the Hmong people think this is discourteous and keep their eyes downward. Gran Torino begins with the funeral of Walt Kowalski’s beloved wife, a presence felt throughout the film. Walt now lives alone in his aging house. The community has Hmong people who have come here to live and work. They have a quiet existence, but Walt can’t stand them as he fought Asians during the Korean War and can’t get this hatred or the war out of his mind. His pristine lawn is a challenge from Walt to them---stay away from my perfect world. The problem is, Walt’s world is not perfect and he is estranged from the church and his children, who want to sell the house and move Walt to a retirement facility. His quiet “Grrr,” says it all. Walt is more feared than his pet dog, Daisy. Eventually, Walt becomes involved with a neighborhood dispute between the teens next door, Sue (Ahney Her), her brother Thao (Bee Vang) and an area gang with some Hmong in the gang. Thao is on the edge of entering a street gang and tries to steal Walt’s beloved Gran Torino. To take care of family shame, Thao has to work for Walt for a week. During that time, they get to know each other, and Walt is invited to the family home for a meal. Barriers start coming down and a certain protectiveness on Walt’s part is beginning. It is when street violence escalates toward Sue and Thao, that Walt brings the guns out. The soldier is never far from Walt’s mindset. There is humor in Gran Torino and it comes from the language, which is ripe and blistering. Walt tones it down when he talks to the persistent priest dialogue between Walt and the local persistent priest, Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) who promised Walt’s late wife he would look in on Walt from time to time. It certainly is present in the dialogue between Walt and his barber (John Carroll Lynch.) Walt tries to teach Thao to “man up” and use profanity to fit into a man’s world, and Thao is rightly hesitant. The scenes in the barbershop or when Thao applies for construction work are finely written. Clint Eastwood simply walks away in the role of Walt Kowalski. Here is a man who is lonely and can’t express it. When he speaks of his late wife, it is with a kind of reverence that she would even have married him. In one scene, Walt says he is more accepted by his neighbors than his own children. Eastwood’s craggy face and gravel voice speaks volumes of acting lessons for beginning drama students. The Hmong actors are just beginning their acting careers and Ahney Her as Sue finely expresses a young woman who is leaving one culture behind her for another. Bee Vang’s Thao is a young man who is not a fighter, but has a strong moral compass. They bounce off each other well. Whether there are people from Southeast Asia, the Middle East or Mexico in America, the situation depicted in Gran Torino could happen with any of them. As Sue states of her culture, “The women go to school and the men don’t.” Gran Torino tells a subtle tale of grief, family relations, religious beliefs, home ownership and friendship. It is Americana woven into a tapestry of nationalities. Oscar nominations are sure to come for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director and possibly Best Screenplay. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner
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