Reviews of "Gran Torino" will interest everyone, without exception, who plans to see this film. This is a famous drama filmed by Clint Eastwood in 2008. The main role in the film was played by the director himself. This is the story of a Korean war veteran who lives in the dysfunctional area of ââDetroit at sunset. The Ford Gran Torino car remains his only joy. He worked almost all his life at the Ford plant, where he also assembled this car back in 1972.
The plot of the picture
The reviews of Gran Torino were mostly positive. The picture begins with the scene of the funeral of the wife of the grumpy and always dissatisfied with the world around Walt Kowalski. He worked all his life at the Ford plant. His adult sons, whose names are Steve and Mitch, came to the funeral. Now they live separately, each with its own family. They do not care about their parents, even at the funeral of their mother, they behave inappropriately, making inappropriate jokes.
When the priest finishes the sermon, Walt returns with his relatives to his house in a suburb of Detroit. There are commemorations. As soon as everyone begins to diverge, he realizes that he will now have to live alone until his death. The only living creature is the Labrador Retriever named Daisy. Next, we will tell you in detail about the contents of Gran Torino so that you can make a full impression of the tape.
Suburb of detroit
In the movie "Gran Torino", the viewer clearly sees the picture of decline in which Detroit was by this time. Once the city was almost completely populated by white Americans. These were mainly representatives of the working class. But after the crisis, when most automobile factories in the okrug were closed, they were replaced by immigrants from Asian countries.
The streets became restless. There armed armed youth gangs of blacks and colored. Walt, a Korean war veteran, hates emigrants, especially from Asia. When a Hmong family from Southeast Asia settles next to him, he is especially irritated.
He constantly smokes, which is why he is overcome by a strong cough. Walt considers the Gran Torino car, the assembly of which he took part several decades ago, to be his only remaining outlet in life.
Soon after the funeral, priest Father Yanovich comes to visit him, trying to persuade him to go to church to confess. It was on this that his wife insisted before her death. Walt is categorically against, but admits that the terrible nightmares about the Korean War still do not let him go.
Acquaintance with Tao
Meanwhile, a conflict occurs in the family of neighbors. Shy teenager Tao, who does not traditionally male work, is attacked by the gang of his cousin Phong, nicknamed Spider. They force Tao to quit the ignoble affair in order to join the gang. As a test of strength, he is given the task of hijacking a Ford parked in Walt's garage. When Tao tries to steal a car, the old man descends into the garage, frightening away the young criminal.
The next day, the bandits again visit Tao, but he says that he will not be a member of their gang. Between the bandit group and the teenager's family, a fight begins, which continues to unfold on Walt's lawn. He appears on the porch with a rifle in his hands, forcing the bandits to retreat.
The neighbors are grateful to the old man, begin to bring him various gifts as a thank you. Meanwhile, Tao is tormented by guilt. The young man admits that he was trying to steal his Ford. Despite all the changes, Walt is still so gloomy and unsociable. He does not accept gifts, demanding that new neighbors leave him alone.
But after a few days, he sees a group of three blacks pestering Tao's sister named Xu. She walked with a white guy who talked too much hot-tempered opponents. After a short conversation, Walt takes a pistol-shaped finger from his pocket, but this does not frighten the bandits. Then he takes out a real âColtâ, at the sight of which black people release Xu.
Walt takes Xu home. On the way, she answers her neighborâs questions, explaining why her family ended up in America. Her parents were allies of the Americans during the Second Indochina War. Because of this, they now had to become refugees. The next evening, Xu invites Walt to a family celebration. He initially traditionally refuses, but having quarreled with one of his sons, who insists on his moving to a nursing home, decides to go all the same. In addition, today is his birthday, he does not want to stay alone on the holiday.
While visiting, Walt understands that the Asian neighbors are very nice to him, he has much more in common with them than with his own family. After dinner, Tao's mother asks for the opportunity for the young man to atone for trying to steal a car. He helps the old man around the house for free for a week. During this time, he tidies the roof, gets rid of hornet's nests, uproots old trees, repaints the house. Walt sees that the teenager is weak-willed, so he decides to help him. He begins to spend more and more time with him, to teach repair and carpentry, gives tools, helps to get a job on a construction site. Walt helps the young man understand himself, persuades him to stop shy and invite the girl Yua, which he likes, on a date. In addition, Walt begins to accept gifts that the family of neighbors continues to leave on his porch. Over time, their relationship is finally getting better. It is noteworthy that he does not refuse racist curses, but no one pays any attention to this.
Meanwhile, Walt's health begins to deteriorate. He coughs up blood, so Tao fears for his life. The old man goes for a medical examination, but his result remains unknown to the viewer.
The return of the bandits
The Tao family is again attacked by the youth cousin of the youth. He is caught when he returns from work, they burn a cigarette to his cheek, and they break the tools donated by Walt. When the old man finds out about this in a few days, he becomes furious. He hunts down one of the gang members, beats him, demanding that the bandits leave Tao alone.
In response, the criminals organize an attack on the Hmong house. At night, they drive up in a car, shelling the building with submachine guns. In addition, they rape Xu and beat her severely. Tao, furious, wants revenge; he asks Walt for help. The angry protagonist himself feels part of his guilt for what happened. He agrees that this cannot be left this way, but at the same time he dissuades from reckless and unprepared actions. The revenge plan must be carefully thought out.
The next day, Walt orders a costume for the first time in his life, visits a hairdresser, and confesses in church. Then he meets with Tao, carefully discusses the plan. The old man shows the young man weapons, and then locks in the basement of his house. He says that he committed many murders in the war, but for his one act he is still ashamed. Every day, he recalls the killing of a Korean soldier who wanted to surrender, and Walt shot him in the face. Now he does not want the heavy burden of killing another person to fall on the shoulders of a teenager.
After making sure that Tao is now safe, the main character goes to a gangster stash. Already on the threshold of their home, he comes into conflict with criminals. Neighbors appear to the noise, they call the police. Walt takes a cigarette from his jacket, provoking the bandits to start shooting. He asks them for fire, and then once again puts his hand in his inner pocket with the words: "I have more than enough fire myself." The criminals, believing that he has a weapon there, shoot Walt. When his body falls to the ground, it is clear that a lighter with the emblem of the First Cavalry Division, for which he fought in Korea, remained in his hand. Witnesses of this brutal murder are all the neighbors in the district. Police in an ambush arresting gang members. Now they are not able to terrorize the Tao family, as they go to jail for a long time. Arriving at the place of Tao learns from the police that Walt was unarmed.
In the next scene of the 2008 film âGran Torino,â viewers see Waltâs funeral. Holy Father Yanovich admits that he learned a lot about his life during this short period. When familiarizing himself with the will, the protagonistâs family finds out with surprise for himself that Walt decided to leave the church and donate his favorite car to his neighbor Tao. In a will, he writes that he leaves it to his friend, but only on condition that he does not cut off the roof from her and does not draw idiotic lightning.
In the final scene, Tao rides Walt's Ford with his dog in the front seat. On the highway, he leaves towards the horizon.
Rewards & Fees
The premiere of the movie "Gran Torino" in Russia took place in December 2008. The picture received positive reviews, despite the lack of prestigious awards at major festivals.
In the USA and Western European countries, viewers in reviews of the 2008 film "Grant Torino" emphasized that the director managed to raise the topics of the criminalization of society, interracial relationships, and growing disunity between generations that are relevant and important for modern society.
Around the world, the tape managed to earn nearly $ 270 million. Additionally, it was possible to sell more than four million DVD-ROMs with copies of the picture in the amount of almost $ 60 million.
The only prestigious award in the 2008 film "Gran Torino" was the Cesar Award for Best Foreign Film. At the same time, the picture was nominated for many other prizes. In particular, on the Golden Globe for the best song. Clint Eastwood himself claimed the award of the National Council of Film Critics of the United States and the Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor. Also, the National Council of Film Critics nominated Nick Shenk for the best original screenplay. Many left good reviews of the 2008 film "Gran Torino".
The tape entered the shortlist of the David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film, received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Adventure Picture.
Impressions of critics and viewers
Reviews for the movie Gran Torino were mostly positive. American critics and observers were amazed at how convincing the 78-year-old Clint Eastwood looked in the role of the main character in the action-packed action movie. In many reviews of the movie Gran Torino, he was called the requiem for the industrial cemetery that Detroit's once-powerful industrial center has now turned into. The monumentality of the image that Eastwood created on the screen was especially noted. His face was compared to a petrified tree, finding similarities in his image with the dirty Harry, who found himself in the feral modern world.
In reviews of Gran Torino, critics often noted that the film captivates with its amazing simplicity. This bribed the audience in theaters. In their reviews of the film "Gran Torino" they emphasized that the painting was able to touch their subtle strings of soul, to recall human instincts. Many saw the main message in the importance of becoming more open, sincere, especially in relation to representatives of other nationalities. Part of the audience was interested in the experience of the old man, which Eastwood managed to convey, demonstrating unique acting and talent. His game has earned the most rave reviews. In the film "Gran Torino" in 2008, many recognized him both as a brilliant actor and as a brilliant director. It turned out that one can observe with enthusiasm things that are mundane at first glance: how a person walks, drops some words, drinks beer, communicates with people, holds tools.
Some Russian film critics in reviews of "Gran Torino" compared him with the drama by Stanislav Govorukhin, "Voroshilovsky shooter." It was noted that the hero of domestic drama, according to the director, carries out individual revenge, moreover, from a safe distance for himself and through an optical sight. The American hero of our time sacrifices himself to provide law enforcement officials with the right to rule the law.
The 2008 reviews of Gran Torino emphasized that Eastwood, as in many of his recent films, contrasts the cynical system of total collective corruption of the average American layman. Moreover, the result of this confrontation is successful, although it incurs significant personal losses, up to the loss of one's own life, as in this work.
Clint Eastwood
The director of "Gran Torino" is a cult American actor and director Clint Eastwood. He played the main role in the film. He was born in San Francisco in 1930 in a family of factory workers.
His childhood occurred during the Great Depression in the United States, so the family had to regularly move along the West Coast, as his parents were in search of work. As a result, they settled in California, where Clint graduated from high school. When he studied at a technical school in Auckland, he was first offered to try himself as an actor, but then he refused, deciding to earn a living doing more mundane things.
From Seattle University he was drafted into the army. It was in the ranks of the American armed forces that the assistant director of the adventure series Rawhide drew attention to him, offering to try himself in the image of a cowboy. Once on the set, he became highly sought after as a good hero of Westerns. He gained popularity with the collaboration with director Sergio Leone. In particular, the Western "For a Fistful of Dollars."
In the 60-80s, Eastwood became one of the most famous stars in Hollywood, thanks to his classic image of the laconic hero of Westerns and action movies. In 1968, he founded his own film studio, since then he has been trying himself as a director, having won fame in this field too.
Since 1971, Eastwood has predominantly played in films in which he himself becomes a director. Wolfgang Petersenâs crime thriller âOn the Line of Fireâ and Robert Lorenzâs âTwisted Ballâ drama are a few exceptions.
In the biography of the actor there are several truly amazing pages. For example, from 1986 to 1988, he was the mayor of a small town in California, Carmel-by-Sea, whose population does not exceed four thousand people. Eastwood is still showing his interest in politics. For example, in 2016, he became the only Hollywood star to openly support Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election.
Despite the fact that Eastwood came to the world cinema primarily as an actor, he won his main awards as a director. In 2009, he received an award from the National Council of Film Critics of the United States for best directing the sports historical drama Unconquered, based on the biography of the cult African politician Nelson Mandela and the Third Rugby World Championship, which took place in South Africa in 1995. The main roles in this tape were played by Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon.
Moreover, Eastwood has as many as four Academy Awards. In 1993, he received two statuettes for the film âUnforgivenâ at once, personally as the best director, and the picture was recognized as the winner in the nomination âBest Filmâ, ahead of Martin Brestâs drama âThe Smell of a Womanâ, Neil Jordanâs drama âCruel Playâ, legal thriller Rob Reiner, "Some Good Guys," by James Ivory's drama "Howards End."
In 2005, Clint Eastwood again received two Oscars. In the same nominations this time his sports drama "Baby in a Million" excelled. By tradition, in his film, he played the main role. Hilary Swank became her partner on the set , winning an award for Best Actress.
In Eastwoodâs tape, Swank plays 31-year-old waitress Maggie Fitzgerald, who works in the boxing section. Eastwood creates the image of promoter and coach Frankie Dunn, who owns a gym. At first, he refuses to work with Maggie because he is a woman. But the girl continues to work hard on her own, deserving the respect of many in the audience. She is drawn to the attention of the old boxer Eddie Dupree (actor - Morgan Freeman), who begins to train her little by little.
Despite his venerable age (Eastwood 88 years), he continues to work until now. In 2018, as a director and producer, he released two films at once. It was the biographical dramatic thriller Train to Paris about the August 2015 attack, based on an autobiography of Spencer Stone, Jeffrey Stern, Alex Scarlatos and Anthony Sandler. It is noteworthy that three of them play themselves in the picture.
Also came out the detective thriller "Drug Courier", in which Clint played the main role along with Taissa Farmiga and Bradley Cooper. This is a story about an elderly veteran of World War II, who is drawn into the drug business. Michael Pena, Lawrence Fishbourne, Clifton Collins Jr., Manny Montana, Noelle Guillemi, Diane Whist, Alison Eastwood also played in the tape.
Bi Wang
The selection of actors in the film "Gran Torino" frankly surprised and amazed many. Eastwood invited almost all the roles of little-known artists who had previously almost never played on the big screen and on television, were practically invisible. At the same time, reviews and critics of Grant Torino constantly noted how mature their work was.
Acting Tao Lang Lo actor Bi Wang before this simply did not appear in the movie. Until now, his work remains the only one, except for a short film based on the same film. It details how the movie was shot.
Annie hee
The role of Su Lo was performed by actress Eni Hee, who is now only 26 years old. And when "Gran Torino" was shot, there were only 16.
It is worth noting that after the success of Clint Eastwood's work, she did not become really popular, but unlike Bee Wang, she managed to play in several more high-profile films.
In 2011, she appeared in Sam Borowskiâs comedy Night Club, and in 2016 in Zach Snyderâs science-fiction adventure action movie Batman vs. Superman: At the Dawn of Justice.
Christopher Carly
On many important roles were little-known actors in the film "Gran Torino" in 2008. Christopher Carly plays the young priest, Father Yanovich, who is trying to guide the protagonist on the righteous path, and at the end gives a sermon at his funeral. Despite the fact that he already has several dozen works on his account, this role remains perhaps the most noticeable in his career.
Carly made his debut in 1997 in the comedy of Robert Bell "Colin Fitz." Then, on his account, he participated in the series "The Sopranos", "Law and Order. Special Corps", "Ed", "CSI: Crime Scene New York", "Veronica Mars", "House", "Numbers", "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "Crazy."
Among his works on the big screen, it is worth noting the roles in Zach Braff's comedy melodrama Country of Gardens, Richard Moverâs drama Main Road, Jonathan Betzlerâs drama Homecoming, and Tim Coxâs crime comedy Miss Nobody.
Eastwoodâs talent to build with the little-known actors in âGran Torinoâ an amazing drama of passions once again confirms his genius.