Grand Torino (Theaters)

I have always been a big fan of Clint Eastwood. Not only for his iconic movie characters, but more for his directing ability. He has a distinct way of directing which is refreshingly simple and straightforward.  Rather than rely too much on special camera angles or swooping panoramic 360 views, Eastwood chooses to focus on the actors and let their emotions and actions dictate what is conveyed to the audience. 

Grand Torino is the story of Korean war veteran Walt Kowalski who has recently lost his wife.  Not only is Kowalski a bit of an outcast from the world around him, which has since changed and evolved since he’s been living in the neighborhood, he is also alienated from his own sons and their families. It doesn’t help matters that Kowalski is also a racist. To clarify, he is not a racist to the extent that he has malicious intentions towards other races, rather he believes stereotypes, both positive and negative, to be true and thus he treats other people and lives his life accordingly.

Kowalski’s neighbors are a Hmong family, whose two teenagers have become the targets of a local Hmong gang.  When his neighbors are attacked, Eastwood inadvertently saves them from the gang while protecting his own house.  As a result, the Hmong neighbors are grateful and begin to view him as a hero. While he initially spurns their friendship, Walt eventually breaks down and accepts them.  Ironically, he eventually becomes closer to them than he could ever get with his own “biological” family. On the surface it sounds like your typical “grumpy old guy hates everyone then has a change of heart” storyline.

Honestly at times, it seems as if the movie may get stuck in that familiar territory if it weren’t for one factor- Eastwood himself.  As unlikeable as Eastwood’s character is, even when he is at his most despicable, one can’t help but root for him.  No matter what he does, Eastwood’s charm and charisma manages to sneak through. Forget how much of a jerk he is, chances are all that you will remember about Kowalski is his razor sharp comic timing and his incredible one liners.  Between his killer delivery and his gruff Dirty Harry demeanor, Walt Kowalski is one character you won’t soon forget.

The only minor problem I had with the movie is in the supporting cast, starting with the casting of the neighbor teens that befriend Eastwood.  I understand that he may have hired them to bring in some authentic Hmong actors to fill the roles, however, I felt that they were either a bit too authentic, too inexperienced, or perhaps a combination of the two factors. I found a majority of their dialogue to be extremely hard to understand at times. I found myself thinking that if I had that much trouble understanding them, imagine how hard it would be for a 75 year old white guy to understand. Fortunately, Eastwood has more than enough acting chops to pick up the slack in any scene they are in and his excellent performance tends to overshadow any short comings these two actors may exhibit. 

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the role of  the young priest, played by Chris Cauley, who visits Eastwood regularly following his wife’s death. While his exchanges with Eastwood are some of the best in the entire film, this is in no part due to Cauley.  His portrayal of the priest is lifeless and unemotional, even in the most intense scenes. This is made even more evident when contrasted with the intense and brooding performance delivered by Eastwood. You begin to get the feeling that the scenes could have been just as powerful had Eastwood been talking to a wall instead of the priest.  For such a pivotal role, you are left with the feeling that it could have been so much more.

Overall the movie is excellent. While I didn’t really enjoy the ending, I completely understand why it ended the way it did. For anyone that has viewed Eastwood’s prior films, this one will end no different, leaving the viewer with a bucket full of mixed emotions and no clean cut answers. This is perhaps what I enjoy best about his films. While they always steer you towards a definite ending to the story, it also leaves you to ponder the events that lead up to that point and provokes thoughts of the possibilities if things were to unfold differently. Although this movie is not quite as good as Eastwood’s best work, it is definitely an excellent film and quite a bit better than most movies out right now.