Eastwood finally tackles a non-Eastwood character

When watching a Clint Eastwood movie, it’s hard not to notice how the character being portrayed… When watching a Clint Eastwood movie, it’s hard not to notice how the character being portrayed by Eastwood isn’t the character anymore, but just Clint Eastwood’s film persona. ‘ ‘ ‘ In most of his films, Eastwood is a tough, fearless, ‘don’t mess with me or I’ll blow your head off’ kind of guy. So if you ask someone, ‘What was the trainer’s name in ‘Million Dollar Baby’?’ The answer is Clint Eastwood. The old cowboy in ‘Unforgiven’? Clint Eastwood. Even when watching his earlier films, you don’t remember the names. ‘Clint Eastwood, the Bad and the Ugly’? ‘ ‘ ‘ In ‘Gran Torino,’ after seeing a young girl’s beaten, bruised and bloodied face, Clint Eastwood’s character goes to his home and sheds a tear. While many would think, ‘Oh jeez, give me a break, Clint Eastwood’s sentimental side?’ the opposite is quite true. Walt is a believable character, a true character. It is hard for Clint Eastwood to become characters because they are all so Clint Eastwood-y similar, but in ‘Gran Torino,’ especially its ending, Eastwood distances himself from some of his other characters, and becomes a different face of Clint Eastwood. ‘ ‘ ‘ He is Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran living in a rapidly changing Detroit. The beginning of the film shows just what kind of man Walt is ‘mdash; a grumpy, racist, lonely grandpa. Walt’s Hmong neighbors are constantly harassed by their cousin, nicknamed Spider (Doua Moua), and his gang. Spider constantly tries to recruit his teenage cousin, Thao (Bee Vang), for his gang. ‘ ‘ ‘ After Walt scares off the gang during a terrifying confrontation where Thao is dragged to Spider’s car, the Hmong neighbors, even against Walt’s wishes, become more of a family than Walt ever had. ‘ ‘ ‘ Walt’s real family comes together for the only kind of reunion they have ‘mdash; a funeral. They arrive to pay respects for Walt’s wife, Mrs. Kowalksi, even if it’s in hooded snowboarding sweatshirts, belly-button rings and Lions jerseys, as in the case of his spoiled grandchildren. ‘ ‘ ‘ Walt hates what the world is turning into. He thinks it’s a garbage heap filled with disrespectful brats, low-life gangs and dumb foreigners. He spends most of his days just sitting on his porch with his dog, washing down six or seven beers. Surely, he loses count. ‘ ‘ ‘ There’s no hiding around the corner or trying to ignore it. This film is full of racists. Eastwood constantly spurts out racial insults. He goes around calling his neighbors, ‘gooks,’ ‘chinks’ and ‘spooks.’ When a girl introduces herself as Yoo, he calls her ‘ ‘ ‘ Yum-Yum for the rest of the film. ‘ ‘ ‘ Some might be familiar with this ‘mdash; the racist grandfather who lets Hispanic slander or the ‘n-word’ slip from his tongue. Of course, the family usually just gasps and then goes on with dinner, trying to ignore him. ‘ ‘ ‘ If you are offended easily by racism or if political incorrectness throws you into a tantrum, stay far away from ‘Gran Torino.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ But ‘Gran Torino’ isn’t and shouldn’t be about the racist grandfathers of today but rather the fears of what we might become ‘mdash; a lonely, spiteful grandpa edging closer to death every day. ‘ ‘ ‘ While it’s obvious that most of the supporting Hmong characters are not professional actors, Thao and Sue (Ahney Her), the teenagers living next door to Walt, end up being annoyingly stereotypical in their performances. Even the gang members’ acting gets a little tedious. It is understood that they’re from the ghetto and are trying to be tough, so there’s no reason to overemphasize the cliches. ‘ ‘ ‘ Walt Kowalski is constantly submerged with thoughts of life and death, according to a priest at his wife’s church. Upon reaching Walt’s age, though, is it hard to blame him? When you aren’t thinking about the day you’re going to die, you’re thinking about how meaningful your life was. When people aren’t content with the way their lives went, they usually don’t put the effort forth to change it. It’s just too late. If one situation comes by that could change your entire life, though, would you be too old and tired to take it? ‘ ‘ ‘ I don’t think Walt would.