Gran Torino – Muscle Movie

Just like wine, an actor’s performance also matures with age. If you disagree, look at the performance of veteran actors, Meryl Streep, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and more so of legendary Clint Eastwood in his film ‘Gran Torino’. For more than two decades, these actors have consistently breathed life in every character and continue to do so, with same verve and vigour. Now isn’t, Old is gold!

At 78, Clint Eastwood is incredible, as he reticently coughs and breathes life into the role with ease, effervescence, and growls like any other erratic senior citizen. The laconic ‘Man with no name’ prefers to be known as Walt Kowalski, acts tough like ‘Dirty Harry’ and again finds himself ‘in the line of fire’.

Gran Torino tells the story of Walt Kowalski – a former War veteran and an auto worker at Ford. The first scene in the church, cleverly presents the tortured state of Walt, an atheist, bereaving the loss of his wife and spitting venom at the young pontiff, Father Janovich (Christopher Carley). The white Americans move out and south Asians flock the neighbourhood. His son’s coerce Walt to relocate but he resents and instead stays with his Labrador Daisy guzzling cheap beer.

The film moves slowly matching Clint’s hands, delicately cleaning and polishing his pristine 1972 Gran Torino car, perennially kept in the garage. Walt is despicable as racist, holds grievances against Asians and mutters nothing but profanities. The Hmong family moves next door, their teenage son Thao (Bee Vang) is tormented and bullied by a local Hmong gang. Thao tries to steal Walt’s Gran Torino and narrowly escapes death but redemption. Meanwhile Thao’s loquacious sister Sue (the beautiful Ahney Her) befriends Walt, ends his soliloquy and provides him Asian delicacies. Walt now has a new purpose in life and to the priest’s ecstasy, makes a confession for the first time. Walt helps Thao with a job and in the process incurs the wrath of the Hmong gang. He exudes confidence of an outlaw, transforms his ugly views, bad thoughts and becomes a Good protector.

Dave Johannson and Nick Schenk story with Schenk’s screenplay presents an intriguing, surreal drama with several moments of tensions, acerbic racist slurs and an utterly unimaginable, unpredictable climax. With his short sleeves, wrinkled hands, languorous gait and acute stubbornness, Clint is outstanding as Walt. Bee Vang and Ahney Her are brilliant and look promising.

Clint Eastwood’s direction is splendid, simple with amazing scenes and brilliant camera movements. Tom Stern’s photography wonderfully captures the melancholy, through Walt’s growls, empty Detroit streets, unsuccessful automotive Gran Torino and the modern Japanese cars. Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach’s editing keeps you glued while Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens music adds various emotions. The locations coupled with old American and modern house vividly present James J. Murakami production designs. Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz and Bill Gerber display enormous courage to produce a film that perspicaciously depicts bitter realities of life.

Gran Torino is riveting with emotions, angst, realism and some humour. Ironically Clint missed his first Oscar for acting but don’t miss this film for Clint’s supposedly final film as an actor.