Clint Eastwood stars and directs this low-key film which ranges from sarcastic to sappy and manages to be meaningful without becoming too melodramatic. Gran Torino is the epilogue of the life of Walt Kowalski, played by Eastwood (sort of like a retired Dirty Harry at times) who fought in Korea and worked for forty years at the nearby Ford plant. After his wife died, he begins to connect with the Hmong family living next door and helps them out when they have trouble with a local gang.
At times, the film is not plausible yet the audience enjoyed the film. Walt’s offensive jokes drew laughs, in an “I can’t believe he just said that” sort of way. The plot was perfunctory at times but Eastwood’s performance drew many viewers in. Whether it was lending tools or lending his car – a 1970s mint condition Gran Torino that becomes the focal point of the film – Walt grows as a person, moving from intolerant to accepting to helpful.
Times when Walt mentors his neighbour Tao so that he has the skills to work instead of joining a gang are the highlights of the film, not the clichéd confrontations. It is funny when Walt throws his son out of his house for suggesting a retirement home but the moment when Walt finally opens his mind after seventy years and sees things a in different light makes the film stand out. ***½