I say 'in a way' because, although Dirty Harry, arguably Clint Eastwood's most memorable character on film ever, isn't the character he plays in the film, his hard-nosed, tough-as-nails attitude certainly makes its presence felt - and more, even - in his role as Walt Kowalski, the anti-hero in Gran Torino.
Walt Kowalski is a Korean War veteran and a retired assembly line worker for Ford. He views his sons and their families as a disappointment, and with his wife's recent passing, he just spends his day either drinking beer on the front porch of his house or taking meticulous care of his most prized possession, a 1972 Ford Gran Torino that's in immaculately good condition, like it just stepped off of the assembly line.
Walt Kowalski makes no apologies for being what he is; a straightforward, no-holds-barred kind of man who's never afraid to say what's on his mind, political correctness be damned. But when his new next-door neighbors, a family of Hmong people, move in, his once-quiet life changes dramatically.
First, the steady arrival of fellow Hmong well-wishers welcoming the new family to their home irritates him. But when someone breaks into his garage, trying to steal his precious Gran Torino as part of a Hmong gang's initiation, only to find out later that it was Thao (Bee Vang), the teenage son of his new next-door neighbors, Walt seethes in anger, as he angrily tells the family to keep Thao off of his property. After a few days, the gang, led by Thao's older cousin, Spider (Doua Moua), comes back and tries to drag off Thao from his home while his family tries to stop them from succeeding in their plans. But seeing how the ensuing struggle for Thao spilled onto his lawn, in the process uprooting some of the plants and breaking the ceramic gnomes that stand guard in his garden, Walt storms out of his house with his loaded M1 Garand rifle, a souvenir from his Korean War days, pointing it at the gangbangers while telling them all to get off of his lawn.
But once the heavily-Hmong populated neighborhood hears how Walt acted like a hero to save Thao, they show their gratitude by leaving his doorsteps and front porch littered with traditional Hmong gifts and offerings.
But Walt's cold, hard heart takes a turn for the better after he saves Sue (Ahney Her), the older teenage daughter of his neighbor, from being harrassed by a local gang of black teenagers. As they drive back to their own neighborhood, Walt and Sue, as well as her entire family, get to know each other a little better, to the point that Walt even takes Thao under his proverbial wing; first, as part of Thao's punishment from his family for trying to steal Walt's Gran Torino, but later on, as a friend and mentor of sorts as Walt teaches Thao what it is to be a man.
Walt then realizes that the world around him, as well as he himself, is changing. His neighborhood is now mostly populated by the Hmong people, the nurse in his doctor's clinic is a Middle Eastern woman while his previous doctor has now retired and has been replaced by an Asian woman. And after he gets the results of his medical exam, he calls one of his sons and tries to talk to him awkwardly, only to be rebuffed by the son telling Walt that he's busy but he'll talk to him during the weekend.
Soon after, the Hmong gang retaliates against Thao, first by accosting him and burning his face with a cigarette, and then by shooting up Thao's house a few days later, wounding him in the neck. But the final straw is when Sue comes back, beaten black and blue and raped. Walt's once-quiet life then goes into a headspin that, as a viewer, you know would only end in a hail of bullets and a volley of gunfire.
Once more, I was lucky enough to get invited to Warner Bros. press screening of Gran Torino. And since I grew up watching Clint Eastwood movies, thanks to my Dad who's been a loyal fan of his since Eastwood's spaghetti western days as the Man with No Name, and since this just may be his last movie as an actor, there simply was no way I was going to miss out on watching this one.
Much like his recent movies, Gran Torino follows the same pacing for each and every one of them; slow to pick up yet still captivating to watch, with the pace quickly picking up speed in the last hour of the film before coming to an abrupt stop at the end. Now, I won't spoil the ending for you but I will say this; if you know how Million Dollar Baby ended, Gran Torino ends pretty much the same - with a twist that touches your heart yet leaves you depressed.
Clint Eastwood was great, ably portraying the role of an action hero who just happens to be a senior citizen. As for the actors who played the lead Hmong teenagers, Thao and Sue, they did a pretty good job for a couple of acting rookies in their very first film role ever, particularly Sue's Ahney Her, not to mention that the chemistry among the three of them blended quite well. The other supporting actors were just as good, particularly Brian Haley who, although known more for his comedic roles, was able to play the role as one of Walt's son with the same kind of character treatment he does in his funny movies; the supposedly indifferent character who's got a hidden agenda up his sleeves. But as for the Hmong gangbangers Doua Moua hangs out with, fuhgeddaboudit. They were just plain awful, especially the loud one whose head Clint Eastwood tapdanced on.
Gran Torino is definitely one of the top films of 2009, and that's saying a lot since we're just in the second month of the year. After all, if a movie can make you root for an old crudmugeon as he tugs at your heartstrings gently, only to violently yank it at the end, particularly if it's done with Clint Eastwood's personally depressing touch, then it's certainly ranks right up there for me.
So for this Underachiever, Gran Torino is a stereotypical Clint Eastwood achievement.
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