SYNOPSIS:
A newly widowed Korean War veteran faces his racism and his past when the son of the Hmong family next door tries to steal his beloved 1972 Gran Torino
REVIEW: ANOTHER DEATH OF AN ARCHETYPE. "Make my day..."
Upon the end of the film, it is quite clear to me that his death, which is being shot in an upside-down crucifixion, is not really a resolution for his character, but ultimately a commentary on the end of an era and a middle finger towards the current state of the country and perhaps the film industry. An era where Clint Eastwood himself (and many others) ruled the screen as the cultural icon of masculinity.
And the irony that Clint Eastwood's protagonist (Walt Kowalski) goes past race and gender in choosing who to pass the torch to (symbolized by the shiny 1972 Gran Torino). It is kind of like an act of giving up, despite having to fight for the country in the Korean War. It is probably why he grows fond of the Hmong family as an act of redemption.
It is true what G. Michael Hopf said,
"Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men."
And ultimately, weak men create hard times. Not to blame it entirely on the affected generation. They are just the byproduct of the time they're in. The wheel of time shall keep on spinning. Like that Noel Harrison song, "The Windmill Of Your Mind".
It is interesting to see if we are able to place Walt Kowalski in the same scene together with John Rambo (First Blood) where both survived the horror of war and struggled with society's reception back home (although in the original script, John Rambo was to commit suicide at the end. What a statement that would've been!)
This one is Clint Eastwood bidding farewell to an era. The closing of the 'American Dream'. Others, as we all can see are bowing to the demands of the industry to make a 'comeback' and are not able to just rest on their screen legacy. Indiana Jones, Jackie Chan, Stallone, and Arnold.
Who are the current screen 'cultural icons of masculinity'? Dr. Strange? Spiderman? Mat Kilau?
"Get off my lawn...."
