Movie Review of “Gran Torino”
“Gran Torino” – is one of the masterpieces of American actor and director Clint Eastwood. His films astound me with their sincerity, sensuality, uniqueness. I believe this film to be a masterpiece of cinematography, which is worth of the highest awards. “Gran Torino” – is an abstruse film, which makes its cinemagoers think much about, rethink many things. It addresses a number of problems, which, unfortunately, are present in the modern world.
The main character – Walter Kowalski – is a former military man, a man of the old school. Every new is alien to him, he does not recognize and does not buy any of the things that are brought to the U.S. from abroad, he does not like newcomers. One eternal theme, arising in a film, is a problem of “fathers and sons”. Walter is not communicating with his children, calls them almost never, as well as they do. Moreover, his son wants Walter to shelter in a nursing house, where due care will be taken of him, which horribly angers a veteran of the Korean War – Mr. Kowalski.
Metaphorically, one of the main characters in the movie is the car of Walter – Ford Gran Torino that is greatly valued and adored by its owner. “Gran Torino” is a symbol that reflects the values of lives of different generations, the banner, which must be transmitted into good hands, into the hands of the pious man, but not be forcibly seized by individuals Kowalski despises. Walter's life changes when the neighbor's kid Tao, forced by local mob, is trying to steal his “Gran Torino”. One day, Walter becomes a witness of how this band threatens Tao, trying to turn the boy into criminal circles. Walter comes to the defense of the little boy, seeing that the latter cannot fight back. And the story of Walter oppressing the corrupted gang begins.
The beauty of the film is not in the story itself, and not even in the way it is shot (although the director's work, in my humble opinion, deserves much respect). What makes the film remarkable is how charismatic the protagonist, played by the inimitable Clint Eastwood, is. The man who radiates an incredible inner strength, who is faithful to his convictions, but is able to get rid of his own stereotypes and to look at the situation from a different angle – it is what attracts mostly. Eastwood's acting skills, his originality, uniqueness and a special magnetism of his individuality are unlikely to allow the viewer to come off the screen, not watching the film till the end.
Works Cited
Eastwood, Clint, dir. Gran Torino. Warner Brothers, 2008. Film.
