As the years carry on one of the best "tough-guy" actors becomes less and less believable as being intimidating as he gets older, right? Well, watch Gran Torino and you will see exactly how not true this notion is in relation to Clint Eastwood.

Clint Eastwood stars in, produces, and directs this gem of a film that is about a lot of things, mostly about someone terribly stuck in his ways (and quite racist) getting turned around by an unlikely bond that he forms with his immigrant neighbors.

Clint plays Walt Kowalski, a recently widowed Korean War veteran who sees his neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan slowly becoming less and less "desirable" in his opinion due to the dramatic increase in Asian immigrants that are living there. He tends to hang out on his own with his dog and prefers the neighbors simply keep away from him.

Fate intervenes one night when he catches one of the immigrant teenagers attempting to steal his car as an initiation to a gang. Walt goes after him with a rifle and doesn't shoot him only because Walt trips and falls. However, he is aware of who the boy is because it is his next door neighbor. The family is shamed and because of their Hmong traditions, it is now determined that "Thao" (who Walt calls "Toad") is now forced into indentured servitude to Walt for many weeks.

An unlikely friendship begins and Thao starts to get along with Walt, who becomes a sort of father figure to him. Walt helps him to "be a man" and teaches him how to use tools and Walt uses his connections in the local community to get Thao a job with a construction crew. He also helps him to stop being "such a pussy" and to flirt with a girl that Thao is clearly interested in.

And that is where I am going to leave the plot because I don't want to ruin the story.

What makes this movie great is the heartwarming story of people who don't understand one-another and how they simply decide to harbor mutual hatred, rather than try to bridge that divide. However, once forced to come together to a certain degree because of Thao's punishment Walt discovers that he "has more in common with these gooks than his own spoiled rotten family."

This film is a rarity in Hollywood, because it doesn't end the way you think it is going to. Clint Eastwood's portrayal of the "greatest generation" is spot on - likely because he was part of that generation and is well-versed in the attitude. Despite being older, he is intimidating as crap in this movie and anyone who is a fan of his older work, will appreciate that Eastwood still has that edge.

this is just for the people who have already seen it - simply an epic scene

Also, this was the first film to feature the Hmong people and to be honest with you, despite living quite near the origin of this ethnic group, I had no idea they existed. So the film was a learning experience as well. It is interesting that of all the cast members, Eastwood is the ONLY established actor((except for maybe John Carroll Lynch -who is only in the movie briefly) and he actually served as a father figure in real-life on set, giving the new actors pointers and helping them with scenes. Many of the Hmong actors didn't even speak English fluently and translators had to be used.

I actually don't think this trailer does the movie justice, but it's the only one there is.

This was considered one of the best films of 2008 and I agree with that notion entirely. The fact that it wasn't nominated for a single Oscar remains an mystery. Perhaps they don't like Eastwood.

9 / 10

Name: Gran Torino (flim): watch this immediately
Item: Gran Torino
Rating: 90
Author: @gooddream

Comments · 8

@bharat273(45)· 2903d

Hiii... Gooddream

Great Post.

@coolguy222(73)· 2905d

It should be nominated for Oscar award, as it's the best film of 2003. What makes a movie perfect for it to get listed in the water list, your answer will be high rating and popularity, which the movie already have, so it is injustice.

@gamesandother(41)· 2905d

very good movie, clint eastwood to a very good director!

@nattybongo(71)· 2905d

And that is where I am going to leave the plot because I don't want to ruin the story.

Oh don't stop now i was just getting into it

@aydogdy(58)· 2905d

Quite often in his films, Clint Eastwood touches upon the topic of racial and social conflicts, and also raises the classic question of the interrelations of different generations with each other. What to do to a man whom, in his old age, has become useless to anyone? How to survive the death of the only truly close person? Is it possible in principle the friendship of people of completely different cultures, ages and upbringing? And can the tortured soul of an elderly veteran, rejected by his own family, find the long-awaited peace and tranquility? It is about this and tells the "Gran Torino". The first and most important advantage of the film is its sincerity. And it's not just a genuine acting game of almost all the characters (some of which, by the way, are not played by professional actors, thanks to which the emotions on the screen are genuine). The director showed the most that there is a life story, devoid of any pathos, political correctness and other annoying things in American films. Narration touches the depths of the soul, the inner metamorphosis of the rough old man, gradually imbued with sympathy for the once hated people and their culture causes a storm of emotions - from mere empathy to tears at the very end. And the life of immigrants in the US is shown without a bill. As one of the main heroines said: "Girls come to college and boys to jail." Comments are unnecessary. The voiced problems are also uncovered in full and without undue molasses: the life of the modest in the whole positive guy in ethnic neighborhoods is as complex as it is shown here, just as grown up children are sometimes so soulless and self-interested. After watching this film, there is a slight melancholy of sadness - after all, even the strongest and strong-willed person gets old sooner or later, and not everyone at the end of life finds peace in friendship with someone whom he hated before. It's a pity.

@sunsethunter(73)· 2905d

Yep this is a great film, I was really impressed with this. Clint is a genius! Love how it all turns out, a super engaging watch that’s for sure!

It reminds me of a pretty famous English (sort of similar) film that came out about 10 years ago but I can’t think of the name....

@kwadjobonsu(61)· 2905d

With his performance Eastwood shows you why people like himself, Jack Nicholson, or Paul Newman only come around once in a lifetime. Though Eastwood would rather focus on directing, he can still carry a movie with his on screen presence, and he's pure dynamite in "Gran Torino". Perhaps the poor box office results of "hollywoody" movies like Absolute Power, True Crime, Space Cowboys, and Blood Work, caused Eastwood to shy away from acting, but given cutting edge material to work with as "Million Dollar Baby" and "Gran Torino", he's as good as ever. His character as the racist and salty war vet makes you think of that old guy we've all had on our blocks with the garbage door open, the million tools hanging everywhere, and always fixing or building something. I found myself not wanting the movie to end because the scenes between himself and the various Hmong characters where priceless. There may be complaints over the racist remarks and scenes, but Eastwood pulls it off in a way a real person like that would talk or act to a point where it ends up being lighthearted. I'm not going to give the plot away, but if you like your Clint Eastwood as a hard-nosed tough guy with foul language alla Dirty Harry or Heartbreak Ridge, you'll love this movie!!

@bharat273(45)· 2905d

Hiii... gooddream

Gm Have a great day.