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"…I Confess That I Have No Desire To Confess…" –
Gran Torino on BLU RAY
Walt Kowalski is old school. A Korean War veteran and
lifelong Ford autoworker ("Would it kill you to buy American...") -
he snarls at his scantily dressed teenage granddaughter who disrespectfully
texts someone while attending his wife's funeral. He spits on his next door
neighbour's front lawn because it's not as spic and span as his own - and looks
close to punching out the well-meaning but life-naïve local young priest Father
Janovich who just wants to 'help' after his wife's passing (dialogue above).
And as the American flag flies over his home - Walt and his dog Daisy sit on
the porch not suffering anyone let alone fools gladly - while drinking brews
and cursing the rubbish printed in the Astrology section.
His middle-aged sons Mitch and Steve live as far away from
him as possible (Michigan mostly) and despair of his grouchy growling nature -
permanently frothing at the state of the America he fought for in 1952's
E-Company Platoon. He calls people in the Chinese and Mexican neighbourhood
gooks, spicks and swamp rats. When a crowd of well wishers descend on his home
for his wife's wake - he snarls "I guess they heard there's gonna be a lot
of ham..." Walt Kowalski isn't the nicest person in the world. Yet despite
his war ghosts ("The thing that haunts a man the most is the thing he
isn't ordered to do...") - Walt has decency in his veins and values in his
still-alert mind. And with rifles to fend off intruders - he's kept pristine an
American classic car in the garage adjacent to his LA home - a 1972 Gran Torino
Sport built by his beloved Ford.
Meanwhile gangs of Hmong and Mexican dudes cruise the
streets in cars with guns and semi-automatic rifles looking for trouble or an
opportunity to steal something. Walt's immediate neighbours are Hmong - and he
snarls at them too. Amongst their large number is older sister and younger
brother Sue and Thao. A cousin called Spider in a Hmong Gang has been trying to
groom the young Thao - until one day Walt intervenes with his rifle and saves
the young boy. To his cringing horror the gook neighbours he was offing all
those decades back begin to shower him and his porch with gifts of gratitude.
But again - despite their best efforts - he tells them to stick it where the
sun doesn't shine.
One afternoon as Sue (wonderfully played by Ahney Her) is
walking home with a wannabe hoodie white boy called Trey on a sort of date -
they are set upon by three youths with bad intent towards her. Walt is passing
in his truck - sorts them out with a handgun he will clearly use - and gets
talking to Sue as they drive back about her 'hill people' and especially her
obstinate but dim younger brother Thao (great work from Bee Vang). Slowly he
learns of her Asian family's origins (escaping murdering Communists in Vietnam)
and likes her spunk. A fledgling relationship begins. A relationship that will
see him defend and honour what he once body-bagged with such ease...
Directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Nick Schenk and
Dave Johannson - "Gran Torino" features a cast of unknowns and
tackles subjects rarely seen on Hollywood billboards. It's masterful stuff with Eastwood as Director and Lead Actor firing on all sixes - getting his teeth
into important and relevant stuff. It's also ballsy in its portrayals - and of
course what makes his Walt so likeable is that he does speak his mind - does
have his own marbles - even if they aren't the most politically correct
colours...
The BLU RAY picture quality is immaculate throughout -
beautifully film. It's defaulted to 2.40:1 Aspect Ratio so there are bars top
and bottom - but even stretched to Full Aspect - it looks properly fabulous.
Audio is Dolby TrueHD, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English
5.1, French 5.1, German 5.1, Italian 5.1, Castellan Spanish 5.1 and English 2.0
Audio Descriptive Service. Subtitles are English, Complex Chinese, Danish,
Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Korean, Norwegian, Castellan Spanish
and Swedish (Movie and Bonus Material). Extras include "Manning The Wheel:
The Meaning Of Manhood As Reflected In American Car Culture", "Gran
Torino: More Than A Car" and exclusive to BLU RAY "The Eastwood Way -
Exploring The Actor/Director's Filmmaking Process Up Close".
Racism is a hard one to get right on film -
"Crash" and "The Help" are stunning also (see reviews) -
and Eastwood's contribution is up there with those masterpieces.
Driving home as he warms to his Native American neighbour -
Walt says to Sue with a smile -
"You know what kid...you're all right..."
So is "Gran Torino"...
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