Gran Torino: A closer look at angry, racist grandpas

By Marni Newell
In one of the most believable scenes in Clint Eastwood’s newest film, “Gran Torino”, Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) sits on his porch accompanied by his dog, Daisey, and a cooler full of Pabst Blue Ribbon and grumbles about his neighbors. Like most grandfathers who served in the military during a conflict and now spend their time at the bar or the VFW, Kowalski balances his time between his passionate racism and sense of elitism while maintaining his yard and 1972 Gran Torino. In this sense, Eastwood pulls on the heartstrings (and brings out the guilt) of grandchildren everywhere, which gives enjoying this film a deeper conflict: we all want Grandpa’s movie to pull through.

Statistically, “Gran Torino” is the leading film in box offices everywhere, allowing me more leeway emotionally (that is, with less guilt) in giving an honest review. Although Eastwood is convincing in his rendition of nearly every middle class white racist grandpa in the country, the symbolism is thinly veiled, the cinematography is almost cartoonish at times, and the acting always falls short of realistic.

This may have to do with the authentic Hmong actors, all of which, excepting Duoa Muoa (Fong, aka “Spider”) are newbies to the craft. It doesn’t explain, however, nearly every other actor in the film, leading me to blame the script for being too simple for the dramatic shots and lofty message. After all, Ahney Her (Sue Lor) is believable as the spunky older sister who will never take flak, even when her safety is compromised, but her insults are grade school-esque: she retaliates to a come-on from a gang member with, “Mentally, I’m too old for you” and ends multiple snarky comments with the signifier, “stupid.”

Not to mention the overt racism of Kowalski’s character who teeters between appreciating the Hmong culture and showing off his extensive knowledge of anti-Asian slurs, leaving the audience in a perpetual hesitant chuckle. For Kowalski, tough love is the only love, but even the most racist of love is never enough to be convincing.

As far as the films deeper meaning goes, I was either being distracted by the young persistent priest’s (Christopher Carley) ability to position himself in half-shadows and maintain an uncomfortably large ego even with Grandpa Kowalski’s constant atheism, or I was being bludgeoned in the head by Biblical symbolism and parallels to Jesus. On second, thought, they’re the same thing.

The one commonality between all of the characters in Gran Torino was their keen ability to portray typical middle class Americans, only more exaggerated. Kowalski’s oldest son Mitch (Brian Haley) and his wife Karen (Geraldine Hughs) are too ignorant of how to act respectfully and logically around the grumbling Walt, and never seem to notice when his growls get louder until they’re being kicked out of his house, claiming their kids are more sensible than they are for refusing to visit Grandpa Walt on his birthday in the first place (another forcefully spoon-fed theme).
In the end, thirty-something racial slurs and countless hours of Eastwood’s disapproving growl later, the movie ends. But it doesn’t end without drama and tears, another kick-in-the-face symbolic moment and a shot of the Gran Torino accompanied by Eastwood’s gravelly rendition of the song, “Gran Torino.” Other than a sense of guilt for buying Grandpa a jitterbug phone instead of a new lawn mower for his birthday, Gran Torino leaves you feeling cheated out of a more involved and complex story and a convincing cast.