It is rare to see a movie with a senior citizen protagonist, although no one is better suited to play the part than Clint Eastwood. At the very least, Gran Torino is worth seeing for his sheer awesomeness. While some aspects of the film may be clichéd, the overall atmosphere and entertainment it provides is quite unique.  

As a gristled Korean war veteran whose wife has just died, it would be easy to label Eastwood’s character Walt Kowalski as an American stereotype. Yet it is extremely difficult to take your eyes off of Eastwood’s scowl. Walt is constantly vexed by everything around him, but his expression never conveys true anger.

The movie doesn’t force you to pity him. Instead it encourages the audience to laugh at his ridiculous slurs and baseless anger. When Walt says “f*** me” after coughing up blood, you can’t help but envy Eastwood for getting to play such a hilariously cool character. Walt is entirely aware that his remarks are exaggerated, and often says very complimentary things to his neighbors while calling his them “gooks.”         

However, this is only the façade Walt wants to present. Walt is seemingly the last white person in his run-down Detroit neighborhood. He has a massive tool shed, owns many guns, smokes cigarettes, and constantly mows his lawn. He owns a Gran Torino that he assembled during his fifty years at the Ford plant. Walt is sick of seeing traditional America destroyed by gangs and disrespectful children and takes it upon himself to clean up the neighborhood.

The majority of the movie consists of Walt’s relations with his Hmong neighbors. The teenage boy in the family, Thao, is the cousin of a gang leader who pressures him to steal Walt’s Gran Torino. He fails and is forced by the rest of his family to work for Walt as an apology. Walt also befriends Thao’s older sister Sue when he saves her from being raped. The tough-love relationship that ensues is something that has been done many times before, yet not quite under these circumstances. Few movies have documented Asian-American families and gang life as intimately as this one.

Walt inevitably finds that he has more in common with his Asian neighbors than he does with his own family, and even his own culture. Despite their amateurish acting, Thao and Sue are likable characters who are fun to watch interact with Walt.

Many other aspects of Gran Torino are worthy of praise, such as a scene where Walt teaches Thao to cuss at a barbershop. Also enjoyable is a young, redheaded priest whom Walt calls “an over-educated 27-year-old virgin who likes to hold the hands of old ladies who are superstitious and promise them eternity.” There are many touching scenes that don’t entirely advance the plot, but are captivating because of how Eastwood makes everything around him seem of dire importance, yet slightly comical.

Gran Torino is ultimately about Eastwood’s presence on screen and how his character symbolizes the last bastion of hope for American tradition. In the end, it’s easy to overlook the clichéd war veteran character and cheesy acting from Thao and Sue. By the time I had to hear Clint Eastwood’s terrible singing during the credits, I was too moved to care.