The movie, Gran Torino was released in 2008. The movie tells a story about a retired auto worker who was also a Korean War vet. The retired vet, Walt Kowalski who is played by Clint Eastwood has an empty life and fills his days with drinking beer, repairing his home, and despising the Asian, Black, and Latino families in the neighborhood. In the movie he becomes a reluctant hero when he stands up to the gangs who tried to force an Asian teen to steel Walt’s most prized position, his car. An unexpected
The movie “Gran Torino” has many instances of inequality. Inequality in the United States of America is a problem that has been around and will continue to be around until the United States no longer exists. Since Clint Eastwood’s character, Walt Kowalski, is a racist, inequality abounds in this movie. The movie shows the interactions Walt has with his grandchildren and, more importantly, the Hmong people. Walt has a problem communicating with any non-white person. He is wildly inappropriate and
Today’s society is brimming with discrimination, violence and prejudice between races and cultures. The critically acclaimed drama, Gran Torino does an exceptional job in tackling these issues head on. Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski, is angered by the ongoing cultural changes throughout his neighbourhood. However, as Walt develops a strong relationship with a Hmong family, he recognizes the importance of acceptance in society, while overall enhancing his character development. Through Clint Eastwood’s
weeks of learning American studies, it can be said that “Gran Torino”, directed by Clint Eastwood, is the most enchanting one taking an unbiased look at race issues. Personally, I believe that the film successfully illustrates racial stereotypes and discrimination against Asian American through Walt Kowalski’s attitude; the character of Thao - Sue and the depiction of Thao’s family, along with the Hmong community. Additionally, “Gran Torino” also unfolds a beautiful picture of friendship overcoming
Gran Torino Gran Torino by Clint Eastwood is a story of a gang and those that coexsist by that gang that has inner dilemmas dealing with the reality of gang violence, and living in a low class neighborhood. Many of the residents of the neighborhood deal with their own hardships of living in a day to day in a run down area and inner family problems. All of these problems create tension between the different people of the neighborhood. Most are afraid of gangs that take over the neighborhood, others
In the 2008 movie Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, a retired autoworker who is recently widowed. Walt lives in what once was a thriving middle class, predominantly white, Detroit neighborhood that now is run down, ran by gangs, and has violence crime. Walt’s neighborhood is also has a large Asian community. A lot of this movie focuses on racial prejudices he has towards the Asian people living next door. Walt is a Korean War veteran and often recalls the horrific treatment of the
The movie Gran Torino from 2008 stars Clint Eastwood as a Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran. The film starts at his wife’s funeral and when he goes back home, he notices his neighbors, who are Hmong. Walt’s displeasure with them is clear as he spits when he sees the grandmother of the family. That night, the Hmong boy Thao tries to steal his Gran Torino as an initiation to join his cousin’s gang. His attempt is fruitless and caught by Walt. Thao then tries to avoid joining the gang, but they come
Gran Torino is a all American story based off a man living in the gang ridden parts of Detroit. Clint Eastwood plays retired American assembly line worker and Korean War veteran. His highland park neighborhood in the Detroit area of Michigan was full of working class middle Americans and is now overtaken by poor Asian immigrants and gang violence is common. Set in Detroit, Michigan the movie is the first of its kind to future Hmong Americans who came in large migrations. The story follows Walt (Clint
The film Gran Torino distributed by Warner Bros Pictures in 2008 is a well-rounded story that brings current social and cultural issues into focus. It was directed by Clint Eastwood, who also plays the character, Walt. This film introduces symbolism by focusing on objects that have deeper meaning, it discusses the rising issues of racism, class structure, gang violence and the returning veterans struggle with values and outlook on life after their service. This film is truly thought provoking and
Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008) draws attention to the cultural differences between people living in a working class neighborhood in Michigan. An ideology of multiculturalism is promoted as Walt, a heterosexual white man, moves past his prejudices and forms a relationship with his Hmong neighbors. It promotes this ideology, however, without challenging hegemonic white masculinity and has an underlying theme of natural white superiority, as Walt takes on the role of a white savior for this cultural
Gran Torino is one of those films with an outstanding and significant topic presented to its viewers. The character of Walt is introduced as a bitter old man who does not seem to have loving emotions. Living in a low income and immigrant populated neighborhood, the audience is exposed to a different and perhaps unknown perspective, such as Hmong’s cultural norms. Walt, a Korean War veteran man was full of anger towards everyone. His lack of egotism, principles, and discipline are revolting. He has
The film, “Gran Torino,” is an American drama film that follows the journey of a grizzled old Korean War veteran following the death of his late wife of 50 years. The film was released to select audiences in the United States in December of 2008 and was released internationally in January of the following year. “Gran Torino” is directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, who also stars as the films lead character, Walk Kowalski. It was given fairly positive reviews by critics and fans alike, earning
For the third and final paper film review, I decided to watch “Gran Torino” after I heard our class hyped it up and classmates said it is the best film about Hmong that has ever been released. I believe the representation of the Hmong characters in “Gran Torino” are closely aligned with stereotypical representations of Asian Americans. For instance, Sue and Thao, part of the family that live next door to Walt Kowalski, and most of the members of the Hmong characters in the film, are depicted as people
In the film “Gran Torino” violence and the use of revenge is needed to help protect those who can not do it themselves. Walt does not really want to help at first but will change with time as he knows his time is short. In the film Walt has to reconcile his guilt for his past experiences in war and life. Walt is trying to establish tranquility and safety in his neighborhood that is suffer from gang violence and is falling apart. He does this by his actions of eventually helping those in the neighborhood
In Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino (2008), the main character Thao Vang Lor struggles to fulfill the male role in a Hmong household, and initially Thao is introduced washing dishes, considered “women’s work”. To obtain his masculinity, Thao has two paths to choose. The first is to join his cousin’s gang, which will inevitably lead to jail. The other option is to accept the tutelage of his neighbor Walt Kowalski, who will teach him to be a self-sufficient American man. Thao accepts his help, and Walt
appealing directing style. It was recognized by the American Drama Institute as one of the “Ten Best Films of 2008”(Gran Torino, 2013) and debutedthe writer, Nick Schenk. Clint Eastwood demonstrates, through Mr. Walt, that if your past negatively affects your life and the way you see things, then its best to let go of it and start a new beginning. An intense film told with great humor, Gran Torino is a cinematic masterpiece. This film succeeds in its development in portraying the negative aspects involving
persistent prejudice when a misguided Hmong teenage from his neighborhood is peer pressured to steal his highly cherished Gran Torino. Hmong, which means “free people” are culturally Chinese and fought with the United States during the Vietnam War and then migrated to the United States at the end of the war. The two things that matter most to Walt in life are his 1972 Gran Torino that signifies his happier
he had been given and work to find both large and small ways to contribute to the public good. Yet despite this assumption, the horror of death had scarred the lives of many war veterans, obviating them from the joy of living. Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino (2008) explores this idea of returned war vets and presents it through the persona of Walt Kowalski, a racist retired autoworker, Korean war veteran, and the film’s eventual hero of his multiracial Detroit neighbourhood. Riding on the same wave
reinforced in the scene “Inevitable Disappointment,” when Walt catches his granddaughter Ashley in the garage smoking a cigarette. She walks up to him asks, “So what are you going to do with it when you, like, die?” (Gran Torino) in reference to Walt’s most prized possession the Gran Torino. This dialogue shows the lack of
of the characters are solid figures that ‘Still have the Right Stuff” as lectured by Professor Gleberzon, PHD . Clint Eastwood dispels the myth of ageism and illustrates he still has the right stuff in the movie, Gran Torino (2008). The smash-hit at the box office, Gran Torino (2008) exposes and defends against ageism conventions although many believe the underlying themes are those of racism, bigotry and redemption. We see an older man, Walt Kowalski, (Eastwood) who has lost his wife, and