Retired Detroit auto worker Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), whose wife of many years has just died, suspects trouble is brewing when his formerly blue collar neighborhood becomes a haven for Hmong immigrants. One night Walt, a veteran of the Korean War, discovers Thao (Bee Vang), the kid next door, attempting to steal his prized 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation and chases him off. When the gang, led by Thao’s cousin Spider (Doua Moua), returns and attempts to assault Thao, in the process spilling onto Walt’s lawn, Walt grabs his rifle and threatens to kill them if they don’t leave.

His Hmong neighbors pay tribute to Walt by bringing him flowers and food, and Sue (Ahney Her), Thao’s sister invites him to a family barbecue, leading him to realize he has more in common with the proud, tradition-centric Hmong people than he does his own family. Walt eventually begins to let down his guard, even going so far as to recommend Thao for a job on a construction crew. But Spider and his gang refuse to leave Thao and his family be, and Walt knows there is only one way to give his neighbors peace.

CRITIQUE

Remember when this movie came out of nowhere, and initial speculation had it pegged as Eastwood dragging Harry Callahan out of mothballs (likely due to the fact Callahan drove a Torino in The Enforcer)? Well, had Dirty Harry retired, moved to the ‘burbs, and had a wife and kids no one knew about, Gran Torino could very well have been the final chapter in his life.

But thankfully Eastwood has stuck to his guns about Callahan’s retirement, so what we instead get here is a more universal story, one about a man who’s entering the twilight of his life and finally develops the capacity for change and seeks out redemption.

Elegiac in tone and unusually wise--as well as disarmingly funny--Gran Torino invites comparisons to Eastwood’s Unforgiven, not only thematically but also in terms of quality. Were it not for that film (and Letters From Iwo Jima), this would be Eastwood’s greatest accomplishment as a director.

Like Unforgiven or In the Line of Fire, Gran Torino was not written specifically for Eastwood; Nick Schenk’s script (from a story Schenk wrote with Dave Johannson) was a spec piece inspired by his relationships with Hmong immigrants he met while working in Minnesota. Much like those movies, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else starring in this one.

It’s also impossible to imagine Eastwood not directing himself in the movie, as (this has been said many times before but bears repeating) no one understands what Eastwood (whose visuals have never been as elegant as they are here) is capable of better than Eastwood. Also, another director or star undoubtedly would have wanted to soften up the character of Walt, which would have been detrimental to the story. But Eastwood seems to have no ego when it comes to how he comes off onscreen; his only concern is telling a story, and if the story requires him to be a reprehensible bigot much of the time, so be it.

Schenk’s script is impressive for its understanding of both sides of this story. His familiarity with the story and customs of the Hmong fuels one side, while his understanding of the mindset of a certain generation and class of American males fuels the other. I personally have no experience with the first, but it certainly feels authentic.

On the other hand, I have plenty of experience with men of Walt’s generation, as the character is only a few years older than my father would now be (at times I was so reminded of my father--as well as my maternal grandfather--I couldn’t help but wonder if Schenk had been spying on my family for the past four decades), and I can say with dead certainty that Schenk and Eastwood have totally nailed the blue-collar belief system many of these men share.

I could stand in the geographical center of the city in which I live, throw a rock and hit a dozen or so men who act and think exactly as Walt does, men who spent most of their lives working in textile mills, automobile factories, what have you, have lived most of their lives with a xenophobic, territorial chip on their shoulders, and who are clinging to some possession that represents all that’s left of an age gone by. (There’s only one line of dialog used to explain why Walt prizes the Torino, but it’s so on-target it’s the only one the movie needs.)

The movie also explores one aspect of bigotry I honestly don’t think I’ve seen on film before, which is that members of a majority often (misguidedly) view minorities as cowards, unwilling to stand up for themselves, fight for a better station, or take anything other than the easy way out. When Walt discovers Thao attempting to steal the Torino, he automatically lumps the boy in with every other thug he’s ever encountered, a lazy, aimless punk who wants something for nothing.

The first sign of change in Walt comes during a scene in which he witnesses Sue stand up to three black males who have accosted her and a white male companion; once he sees how headstrong and smart she is (the way she throws the universal infatuation non-Asian males have with Asian females back in their faces is an amazing piece of writing), Walt begins to see that one of the things he thought missing in the world still exists, albeit in a place he never expected to find it.

And his thaw continues when he realizes Thao (whose father is dead and therefore lacks an adult role model) indeed does want something better for himself, which sums up the simple yet profound truth that exists at the center of the movie: you can’t find a connection if you spend your life not looking for one. (This is beautifully illustrated in the movie’s penultimate scene. Look at what bridges the two halves of the room.)     

A few flaws prevent the movie from being an unqualified success. First, Schenk’s script can be decidedly less than subtle at times; there’s some dialog that unnecessarily spells out moments that would have worked far better had they simply been played rather explained. And while I cannot fault the intentions of the finale, the way it plays out is somewhat ungainly. Secondly, some of the supporting players are obviously neophytes when it comes to acting, delivering amateurish performances.

This movie is a perfect marriage of material, star, and director; in other hands Gran Torino could very well have ended up a heavy-handed melodrama, but Eastwood makes it one of the most intelligent, mature cinematic examinations of bigotry to come along in a long time. 2008 didn’t offer up many truly great movies, but of the ones it did, Gran Torino ranks near the top.                

THE VIDEO

The 2.40:1/1080p transfer--encoded with VC-1 onto a 50GB disc--looks very, very good; in fact, aside from some mild moiré (pesky fabric weaves again), it’s practically perfect. Colors are naturalistic, dominated by perfectly rendered earth tones and grays; blacks are impeccably deep. The image is sharp, clear and beautifully detailed, even in the darkest scenes.

THE AUDIO

The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio proves to be an excellent fit for the story being told. The mix favors the front channels, although the rears do reinforce the sonics in interiors; exteriors make good use of the entire soundstage. Dialogue (even Eastwood’s signature growl) always comes through clearly. The low end is primarily used to add weight to the dialogue and score, although it does really thrum during a few key moments.

Optional English, French, Spanish and Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks are also included, plus subtitles in English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

THE EXTRAS

All of the extras are presented in high-definition video.

Manning the Wheel (9 minutes) explores the relationship between cars and their owners, both in general and as how it pertains to Walt and his Torino.

Gran Torino: More Than a Car (4 minutes) offers more of the same, although here the input is provided by the various patrons of a classic cars show.

The Eastwood Way (20 minutes), which is a Blu-ray Exclusive, is a good making-of featurette. (There’s footage here of Eastwood and crew shooting scenes that didn’t make the final cut; too bad those scenes haven’t been included on any of the movie’s home video releases.)  

The disc is also BD-Live enabled, allowing access to the movie’s theatrical trailer and a music video.

A second disc contains a Digital Copy of the movie.

FINAL THOUGHT

Were Clint Eastwood to never appear in or direct another film, Gran Torino would make a worthy capper to his career. Luckily, though, he shows no signs of slowing down.