Gran Torino – DVD Review - CLIPS ADDED!

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 8, 2009, 15:28 GMT

Clint Eastwood directs and stars in the drama Gran Torino, marking his first film role since his Oscar-winning film Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood portrays Walt Kowaski, an iron-willed and inflexible Korean War veteran living in a changing world, who is forced by his immigrant neighbours to confront his own long-held prejudices. ...more

“Get off of my lawn!”

If your elderly neighbor pulled out his finger and mimed a gun as you past you’d probably just laugh the old man off.  If your neighbor was Clint Eastwood you’d probably have to check your shorts as his theatrical legacy puts more “bullets” in that finger.  

Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) has just buried his beloved wife.  Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) promised the late Mrs. Kowalski that he’d convince Walt to come to confession.  Good luck padre, since Walt is a stubborn old bastard. 

He doesn’t really care for his kids and grandkids, but we really can’t blame him since they seem to be more about dividing up Walt’s property even before he’s in the ground. His ham-fisted granddaughter ghoulishly asks what he’s going to do with his beloved car, a 1972 Gran Torino Sport. 

The neighborhood in which Walt lives used to be much different.  It’s changing into a “third world country,” according to him, as immigrants move in.  Thao Vang Lor (Bee Vang) lives next door to Walt and is a shy boy.  His cousin Spider (Doua Moua) belongs to a gang and he wants Thao to join.  However, Thao’s initiation is to steal Walt’s Gran Torino. 

Walt isn’t exactly friendly when he pulls out his service rifle and chases the boy away.  Later this leads to a confrontation with the gang and Thao’s family on their lawn.  When it spills over onto Walt’s lawn he again brings out the rifle and chases the gang away.  His neighbors are grateful to the old man and Thao’s feisty sister Sue (Ahney Her) invites him to a family function which Walt begrudgingly attends. 

Eventually Thao’s family feels that Thao should work for Walt for a week since he saved Thao’s life.  Walt does his own maintenance and doesn’t want Thao to help him, but sees an opportunity to fix up several of the run down houses in the neighborhood.  He takes a liking to the boy, though doesn’t want the boy to know it, and tries to instruct him in the ways of men.

Unfortunately, the gang is always lurking in the background and when they attack the family once again Thao comes to Walt to help him avenge them.  

Gran Torino was played up as Clint Eastwood’s potential last trip in front of the camera.  If so, he’s chosen to go out in a fine performance.  Much was made of his character’s racism, but I’d argue that if Walt was a true racist he’d never have warmed to his neighbors or Thao. 

Walt is all bluster and hides behind his racist statements as to not show his sensitivity.  He also thinks this is the “way of men” as demonstrated with his banter with his barber (John Carroll Lynch).

This is also not Eastwood’s usual character as Walt may seem like a retired Dirty Harry, but his way of dealing with the thugs is certainly not how Harry would’ve handled things. 

We can understand Walt’s disappointment with his children and grandchildren as they only seem to contact him when they want something.  They’re not really moved by the death of their mother and it’s especially repulsive when the granddaughter basically begs for the car even though Walt isn’t exactly assumed room temperature yet. 

After your grandmother’s funeral is not exactly the time to start divvying up the household, especially when your grandfather is still living there.  The trailer played the film up as more of an action film, but it’s really more of a drama about an old man who hides his inner sadness with blustery xenophobic snarling.  

Gran Torino is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  I don’t think this is truly Eastwood’s swan song as we’d expect more special features if it were the case.  If it truly is Eastwood’s last trip in front of the camera, he’s a pro behind it then the lack of special features could be looked back at as a missed opportunity. 

Special features include the 9 minute “Manning the Wheel” which discusses the film as well as the fascination with cars.  The 4 minute “Gran Torino: More than a Car” is more on the fascination with the automobile.  

Gran Torino is a fine tuned machine that knows what cylinders to hit.  A pro sits behind the wheel in the director’s chair as well as in front of it.  Eastwood knows his machine inside and out and knows when to accelerate.  It’s a fitting capper to a film career, but I’d imagine that we’ll see the old cuss a time or two, if not several more behind the camera, before his time is up.  

Gran Torino is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a June 29th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.