Gran Torino

Clint Eastwood stars in Gran Torino, as  Walt Kowalski.  Walt is a new widower who has issues with anyone who isn't like him as well as many who are like him.  His neighborhood has gone from being a middle-class, white neighborhood to one of Hmong immigrants, Latinos and African Americans (all of whom he despises) and him. He spends his days working on his home and drinking beer.  Walt has a terrible relationship with his two sons and almost no relationship with his grandchildren.
As a medal-earning Korean War veteran, he has many issues with life as he deals with all the ghosts of his past.  At his wife's request, the young priest from her parish keeps visiting him, trying to get him to go to confession but he refuses.  Then, one night, the neighbor boy is forced, by a Hmong gang, to try to steal Walt's car, a Gran Torino that Walt had helped to build.  This is the beginning of a relationship that forces him to view his neighbors as caring, kind people.  He goes through a lot of changes, all good.  The ending wasn't what I expected, but it made the movie.

Eastwood and his two main co-stars Ahney Her and Bee Vang have excellent chemistry and create a very believable story.  The language was strong for me (I don't hear much cussing) and the racial slurs were frequent and offensive as they were meant to be.  They helped establish how deeply his feelings ran and the story acually needed them to create the mood.  I have seen many Clint Eastwood movies in my life, but I think this is my favorite.  The evolution of his character was encouraging.  The tolerance of the Hmong people was also encouraging.  This is a make you cry, feel good movie in a very strange, unusual way.

I wouldn't take children to this movie, but I would encourage you to go see it.  I was surrounded by people in their late sixties and seventies when I went.  It was interesting to hear their comments throughout the movie.  As the movie ended, I heard one of the men sniffling as much as me!