Gran Torino

The film Gran Torino by Clint Eastwood was first released in December 2008. The protagonist of the film is Walt Kowalski who was performed by the director and producer of the film Clint Eastwood. Kowalski is a Polish American man and a Korean War veteran who almost all his life had worked in the Ford factory. Eastwood depicts an old man who experiences the loss of love, has ungrateful sons and grandchildren, questions about life, death and racial biases. Gran Torino is a film about a bitter and miserable widowed man and a war veteran who with the help of his new Asian friends transforms into a kind-hearted person. The main causes of Walt Kowalskis changes are both the influence of Hmong neighbors Thao and Sue and guilt that he has carried through all his life. Therefore, the film explores the themes of racism, religion, sexual preferences and violence that exist in modern society between relatives, neighbors and strangers. Eastwoods Gran Torino is a representation of atonement, an opportunity of second chance and hope that force people to change their future.

One of the principal issues raised in the film is racism and discrimination. The protagonist of the film is a racist who insults the surrounding people and does not accept their attempts to make contact with him. Eastwoods hero is a grumpy, tough-minded, and miserable old man who does not want to refuse his prejudices that everything in his neighborhood, especially inhabitants, has to be American. Walt Kowalski is the epitome of the ideal patriotic American, including their modes of behavior, convictions and deeds. Hmong and other mixed races inhabit Kowalskis city that recently has been a dominant Anglo-Catholic place. According to a Korean War veterans view of the ultimate American, the protagonist is the most appropriate example of a patriot of his state. The reason is that he has fought for the United States and its nation, owns an American car, drinks American beer and cares for the lawn as every true American has to do. However, Kowalskis life convictions are reflections of his stereotypical ego of an American man with the idea of his peculiarity based upon his war experience. Nevertheless, the protagonist of Gran Torino made friends with Sue and Thao, and this event proved him that their personal and cultural qualities were better than in his own family. Thus, Kowalskis racism disappeared, and his new Asian neighbors changed him into a better man. Walt Kowalski previously tended to judge people of other nationalities only by their looks, but eventually he recognized his blindness.

Furthermore, Eastwoods character was alienated and distant from religion. According to the desire of Kowalskis wife, the young priest tries to establish good relations with the old veteran and forces him to go to confession. However, Walt Kowalski is a very prejudiced man who has never liked to visit church and did it solely because of his wife. The main hero of the film does not appreciate an inept priest and his attempts to bring him to church because the man is certain that the young priest knows nothing about life or death and is not qualified enough to teach the experienced war veteran. From the beginning of the film, at the funeral of the wife, Walt Kowalski showed a certain reluctance to belong to religion and church. In spite of Kowalskis religious prejudices, Hmong family represents strong religious ties, respect to aged people and homeless. However, Walt Kowalski gradually changes under the influence of his neighbors, words of a shaman, and at the end of the film he makes peace with God. The old man received the reading of him from the shaman, which allowed Walt to reveal himself. Thus, the appeal to religion and confession to Father Janovich cleansed the soul and conscience of the skeptical and reticent Korean War veteran.

In addition, Gran Torino is an example of violence between both people of different nationalities and blood relatives. Through the film, the hero of Clint Eastwood transforms from cruel and brutal man into someone who is ready to sacrifice himself to suspend the acts of violence that involve his new neighbors Sue and Thao. However, Walt Kowalski is not the only character who demonstrate violent attitude to other people. Violence exists in the film between individuals of Mexican, Afro-American and Asian descent. Therefore, Thao become both a subject of Mexicans violent insults and threats and Hmong harmful influence that forces him to commit a crime. The fact of violence can be also seen from the relationships between Thao and his cousin Fong who together with his friends tries to integrate the brother into the gang by beating, intimidation, physical and mental abuse. Throughout the film, the theme of violence is followed by the issue of sexual preferences. For the first time, Walt Kowalski has saved Sue from a company of black ruffians. However, a second time, Kowalski could not protect the girl from rape of Hmong gang led by her brother. Therefore, Gran Torino represents the acceleration of violence, sexual abuse as a form of revenge and its consequences.

In summary, Gran Torino is not a fictitious story by Clint Eastwood but a real representation of modern society and its problems connected with violence, racism, sexual preference and religion. A person can face these issues directly or indirectly at work, school, and shop or at home because hidden questions of cultural, national, gender, social or religious character sooner or later become apparent to public. Therefore, each person has believes and outlooks on life that may not coincide with others but have to be respected by them. On the one hand, the film Gran Torino shows how human cruelty and ego can destroy lives of people. However, on the other hand, this film teaches that human courage and sacrifice are of paramount importance and they impel a lot of people to think about their lives.

About author
Linda works as an author and she's working on swot analysis nintendo now. She has always enjoyed working with a variety of literature and being interested in new facts. In addition, she easily finds common ground with many people. She also received her master's degree from American University Washington