Gran Torino is directed and produced by Clint Eastwood and focuses on challenges with multiculturalism. Clint Eastwood also play the main role in his own movie.
It is classified as an action movie, with several action-filled moments. There are also traces of tragedgy, and a lot of the movie is based around earlier war memories.
The movie takes place in a small american town, where an old veteran from the korean war lives by himself - surrounded by Hmong immigrants in a somewhat sketchy neighbourhood. It probably takes place around the eighties, with elements such as old fashioned barbershops and gang raids (this may as well be happening today, but I’ll take a wild guess here).
The plot surrounds an old man living by himself, disgusted by the behavior of his own family and relations. His world rapidly changes the day an Hmong family moves in next door, as they bring a lot of trouble with them. A gang of asian thugs roll by his house as they begin recruiting the next door Hmong kid, who is too weak to defend himself. The kid is pressured into stealing Walt car, but in a bold attempt to steal the Gran Torino , he is chased away by Walt himself.
As time moves on, Walt realizes his neighbor Thao is not the person he thought, rather a misunderstood, shy kid, with small chances to make it in this world. Following is a build-up of events, as Walt discovers an unknown side of himself and attempts to train his kid into becoming a full-grown man.
The plot is structured in a linear way, with regular chronological time progression. Suspension builds up as we know Walt and Thao is working their way towards revenge on the neighbourhood gang. This pays off in the end, as Walt heads off alone to deal with this gang of his. No further spoilers!
The main conflict is Walt’s choice between supporting and accepting the Hmong neighbors (the same kind which he killed in the Korea war), or rejecting them and keep for himself. In the beginning, he is acting naive, closing himself off from the rest and denying their acts of friendship. As a young Hmong girl living next door explains their situation to him, he slowly realizes these people are having a rough time living in the US.
This movie shows a strong affection and understanding towards the multicultural society, showing the different sides of a community consisting of entirely different cultures and traditions. It tells a story about accepting change, letting others into your life, and managing to live with entirely different people at your side. Some may say this is an action movie with a good plot, but if you read between the lines, you will find an entirely different world of cultural acceptance.
-u
