"Gran Torino" Shows the Power of a Good Man

Clint Eastwood is not only a powerful actor, but a powerful director too. I’ve enjoyed two Clint films in the past week, first it was Mystic River, and last night, his latest film “Gran Torino.”
Torino begins with a premise…this character Walt Kowalski is a grump, and he’s carrying the world’s heaviest chip on his shoulder.

A comically young priest is dispatched to his house after his wife’s funeral, telling him that his wife’s last wish was that he give confession in the church.
There is no way this little redheaded twenty-something priest is going to get Walt back into a church, and it’s even less likely that he’s going to ever confess anything. Yet the idea stays with the priest, and as the movie unfolds it’s revisited again and again.

Walt makes friends with the Hmong who live in a communal way just next door. We see the attempt to steal his beloved 1972 Ford Gran Torino that quickly turns into much more. The family asks Walt if Tao can make it up to him, will he put him to work to make up for the insult of trying to steal his car?

The grumpy old guy is energized….and given a true purpose to carry on. All the while he’s spitting blood and it’s clear he doesn’t have a lot of time left, yet he works with Tao and helps him find a job. Eastwood’s character is believable, and he’s noble in his good intentions. The Hmong community reveres him since he’s driven away the gang bangers. He accepts their gifts and their flowers relucantly, after a sniff he can’t resist more of this fabulous and strange cooking. The movie’s conclusion shows Walt’s ultimate wisdom; instead of gunning the bad guys down he sets it up so they’ll kill him and go to prison for the deed.