Gran Torino (BD) (Steelbook)

Spoiler alert! Surprise twist. This movie was recommended to me and I like Clint Eastwood as director as much as actor so I figured why not. I bought rather than rented since the difference wasn't much and the friend urged me that I'd love it. He was so right. It was typical Clint, monosyllabic, irascible, old dude apparently hates the world but has secret wounds and deeper love or emotions than you'd ever guess, and he can't even see them. He acts like he is mean and gruffly tough, but he protects others from taking matters into their own hands and hurting themselves worse than if they'd never done anything. He appears to be going to do violence on their behalf but instead while arguing with the Priest and using Jesus' name in vain over and over; gives his life utterly to save them all. He falls back reminiscent of Charlton Heston in Omega Man; like Christ on the cross, his body lays spread out on the ground and the bad guys are all arrested and the good guys stayed good. Clint's character, like Christ, has taken on all their sins for them in that he is tainted, he has killed in defense of his country but can't be freed of it. So it is 'okay' if he dies for someone else. He will be redeemed thus, and save everyone else thus. In a sense he makes a way for the bad guys to be saved too as they can choose to use prison to change their lives (yes it is possible) or not, but at least they aren't all dead at the end. Oh what does Gran Torino have to do with it? The Clint character worked at the auto plant and built it himself and takes special care with it and the gang tried to force the neighbor kid to join the gang by stealing it. The Hmong neighbors shower Clint with presents for not having the kid arrested and the family insists that the boy work for Clint to pay for his sins. Clint tries to refuse, then tries to make the boy miserable, then finally teaches him how to work, how to learn, and how to get a job and keep it without having to go with the gangs. Again, he is a Christ character in that he lives what he teaches and he is a good teacher. Now, I realize many Christians would be offended that I say all this about a nasty tempered cussing and drinking man who mocks the Priest and God and uses Jesus' name in vain. I am bothered for instance that the character goes to confession at the end but doesn't confess that which hurts him the most. And as he gives his life, he prays Hail Mary out loud instead of Our Father. Despite some Roman Catholic's pious beliefs, Mary is NOT do-mediatrix with Jesus and has NEVER been declared to be so by any official RC authority. As a former student of a religious order within Catholicism, and a Lutheran Pastor's wife for 41 years; I can tell you that I personally find prayers to dead people offensive as scripture promises that 1. After death one time is the judgement (not after purgatory) and 2. In heaven there will be no more sorrow, sickness, or pain. Thus, no one in heaven has any idea of us on earth anymore. Many "Protestant" people talk about their loved ones in heaven watching over them but sheesh it ain't so or it would not be heaven for their loved ones. God watches over us and He is all we need. In heaven we will be so caught up in worship and praise we won't notice anything else nor care. Eternal bliss and ecstasy that has nothing to do with my filthy rags of righteous efforts. Jesus paid the whole price for me. So let Him take you directly to the throne of Grace and don't waste time and energy praying to Mary or any other dead saint or non-saint. don't cling to the idea of your loved one's watching over you. Trust in a REAL LIVE God who is always LOVING you and watching all of us all the time. He KNOWS it all and STILL loves you. You don't need to be afraid of Him finding stuff out and rejecting you. He knows already and loves you. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you more. The character in the movie does do more but it is implied that he gives up all his own efforts and just surrenders his life and that he does make whatever effort with the light he has, to get right with His Redeemer before he dies too. And there is scripture indicating that God judges according to the light we have. Now that is real mercy & loving sacrifice! The movie is an allusion and a type and shadow of that reality. I love seeing redemption themes in rough stories. I hope you will too. Even having read my review, I hope you will still watch it and see if I missed something. Thanks,

Great movie Clint Eastwood did it again

It's my understanding that Clint Eastwood intends to "hang up his spurs" as far as acting goes. Not that anyone could possibly blame him. This film the best I've seen in quite some time. Other reviewers talked about the bigotry but I see it more as diversity & cultural misunderstanding & how it can be overcome given the opportunity. It also shows that our country is changing rapidly & will probably never be the same. I learned a lot about the Hmong people that I wasn't aware of before, it even made me do a little more research about them. They are an amazing culture. I like the fact that most of the actors were native Hmong which gave the film a sense of realism, as well as the fact that it was filmed "on location" as opposed to Hollywood. All of the casting was superior. I have noticed a lot of thinly veiled references to many of Mr. Eastwood's prior films in this one which I found very amusing. I'd swear that "Daisy" is the same dog from "Outlaw Josey Wales" (gladly he didn't spit on her head - but the scene with Grandma was priceless!) The relationship with Grandma seemed familiar (even though she didn't speak English) to Granny from "Outlaw" (mutual tolerance). There was also some "tobacco-spitting" included). It seemed like some of the character from "Heartbreak Ridge" was in Walt, just maybe later in life. There might have been a small amount of "Dirty Harry" in there as well. Watch it & I think you'll see what I'm talking about. Even though there is a lot of sadness in this film, there is also an abundance of classic humor as well. The way Walt used "Toad" to pay back his "debt" was priceless ("wasp nest, now that's terrible")! The barbershop scene was also great! The scene in the basement (during the party) begs the question: What does it say about our society when an 80 year old terminally ill man has to level a dryer when there is a room full of young able bodied young men watching him do it? Where will we be when there aren't any more "Walt's" left? This film also depicts a lot of the problems that our own culture has (family interaction, etc.) It was really disgusting the way that Walt's family treated him but sadly it's too commonplace these days. Every time I watch this film it makes me sad that it will most likely be the last time we'll see Mr. Eastwood in front of the camera... Every time I watch the movie I feel that he's trying to tell us something more (about himself personally?). If you are a are a fan of Mr. Eastwood (or even if you're not) this is a "Must See" movie... I would give it more than 5 stars if I could!

Such a great movie

This will hold your attention through out. Interesting character study from nasty bigoted old man to almost a caring grandfather image. Gripping story even young teens can watch. Surprise ending

On time fantastic movie

Blu-ray case was chipped on the top left and that sucks hence 4/5. Was delayed a while in arriving too. The disc works, and the movie itself is fantastic.

THE STORY: Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), an elderly white man retired from Ford Motors and living comfortably (if cantankerously) in a quiet Detroit suburb, finds his life suddenly changed forever in ways he couldn't possibly have imagined following the passing of his wife. Alone and estranged from his self-absorbed children (and their even more obnoxious kids), in whom he finds nothing but disappointment, Walt's only source of human interaction (outside of a couple of hours from time to time spent at a neighborhood bar drinking with his fellow retirees), comes in the form of a young teenage boy who's moved into the neighborhood along with his immigrant family from Vietnam. Predictably, Walt Kowalski is anything but pleased to see his concept of the perfect world shattered by a people he does not understand and, in all honesty, simply doesn't really want to understand, for it's far easier to stay in one's shell and remain blissfully ignorant. Turns out old Walt may have as much to learn about himself as he does about his new Hmong neighbors. Bitter at the loss of his wife, estranged from his family and facing life alone now in his twilight years, the widowed Korean War vet is forced to confront his own ingrained prejudices and try to come to terms with the changing face of his neighborhood, his country and, ultimately, himself. He's about to have his eyes opened wide and discover that it's never too late to change. THOUGHTS: Some reviewers really want to hate on the racist attitude of Clint's character but I gotta to tell you, my mother's side of the family hails from the deep south and that's exactly how a lot of folks from that older WWII generation talk, like it or not. I don't think they really realize how bigoted they sound or come across; many aren't really even particularly hateful or racist, that's just the way they learned to talk growing up, and oftentimes it can be very difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. I love Eastwood's Walt character and it was a treat to see the cranky grump growing even in the twilight of his years, to become a better, more accepting person. Sadly, many won't be able to get past the crudeness of Walt Kowalski's harsh, racially-tinged blue language and his seemingly close-minded, resentful attitude, but being exposed to some of that myself, I can easily look past the gruff facade and see the good heart within. If all you can see is a bigot who uses racial slurs then you're really not seeing anything. Walt reminds me a lot of Archie Bunker. In fact I think those two would've gotten along famously if they'd been neighbors. I saw through Walt's gruff exterior and found a touching message in his story, and I have to admit I got choked up in a couple of scenes and outright bawled like a baby at the end. I honestly NEVER thought I'd ever say that about a Clint Eastwood movie! LOL. THE DVD: Everything on this widescreen DVD release looks very good, which is to be expected with a new movie. Colors, sharpness and audio mix are all strong and consistent. Not much in the way of bonus features, which is a disappointment, but it's the movie itself that makes this purchase worthwhile. Another powerful performance from a genuine screen legend. 5 STARS.

Great film. Great acting.

Ich weiß, der Film ist mittlerweile 5 Jahre alt und sicherlich bei den "Filmkennern" schon lange aus dem Fokus. Nun, ich habe ihn erst kürzlich als DVD erhalten und war "hin-und-weg" gerissen. Wenn es ginge, würde ich auch 6 Sterne für diesen Streifen vergeben. Es ist die Story, die mich emotional stark berührt hat. Da ist der gerade verwitwete Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) und Korea-Kriegsveteran, der mit seiner eigenen Familie "über Kopf steht" und für seine neue Nachbarschaft, die Hmongs, nur abfällige Bemerkungen übrig hat. Ziemlich unfreiwillig wird er dann auch noch zum Retter bzw. Beschützer der beiden nachbarlichen Hmong-Tenagers, Thao Vang Lor (Bee Vang) und Sue Lor (Ahney Her), die sich dadurch "revanchieren", indem sie systematisch seine rassistischen Vorurteile demontieren. Es ist einfach hinreißend anzusehen, wie sich zwischen Thao, dem etwas introvertierten und vaterlosen Nachbarssohn, und Kowalski eine Freundschaft entwickelt in der Kowalski wohl so eine Art großväterlich Vorbildrolle einnimmt. Dies führt dazu, dass Walt Thao, der ja am Anfang versucht hat auf Druck der Hmong-Gang Walts wertvollen Oldtimer Gran Torino zu stehlen, ihn zunächst beschäftigt und dann auch später noch einen Job besorgt. Thao indes wird immer selbstbewusster, was sehr schön in einer Szene deutlich wird, als Walt ihn um Hilfe bittet einen alten Kühlschrank aus seinem Keller nach oben zu bringen, und Thao ultimativ darauf besteht, die Sackkarre oben zu ziehen und nicht von unten zu schieben wie Walt es wollte. Witzig sind auch die Bemühungen von Walt, Thao und Youa, ein Hmong-Mädchen, zusammen zu bringen. Hierfür ist er dann sogar bereit Thao seinen Gran Torino für ein Date der beiden zu leihen. Am Ende opfert sich Kowalski, der anscheinend unter Lungenkrebs leidet, für Thao und Sue, damit diese in Ruhe vor der Hmong-Gang leben können. In seinem Testament vermacht Walt dann sein Haus der Kirche und den Grand Torino seinem Freund Thao. Der Film ist wirklich sehenswert! Wenngleich es auch Szenen gibt, wo man sich nach dem Sinn des Gesagten fragt. So lässt man Thao, der gerade lernen soll wie sich "richtige" Männer unterhalten sagen: "Mann, tut mir der Arsch weh von den ganzen Typen auf dem Bau". Der Satz ist "voll neben der Spur" und macht überhaupt keinen Sinn. Zwar kann man in einer "Conversation" zwischen Bee Vang und Louisa Schein nachlesen, dass damit wohl zum Ausdruck gebracht werden sollte, dass Thao noch nicht so recht überblickt, was er so sagt. Aber das hätte man sich wohl besser gespart! Die beiden Hauptakteure Walt Kowalski und Thao Vang Lor spielen Ihre Parts nach meinem Dafürhalten hervorragend. Nicht zu vergessen Sue Lor, die selbstbewusste Schwester von Thao. Interessant ist, dass außer Eastwood und einem Mitglied der Hmong-Gang alle anderen Darsteller erstmalig in einem professionellen Film mitgewirkt haben wobei alle Hmong-Dasteller auch "echte" Hmongs waren. Zur Synchronisation: Wer es versteht, sollte sich den Film in der englischsprachigen Originalversion ansehen und hören. Durch die Synchronisation in Deutsche geht leider doch einiges verloren. So hat beispielsweise Bee Vang eine tiefere Stimme als die deutsche Stimme von Patrick Roche und vor allen Dingen, eine deutlich größere Dynamik im Ausdruck. Auch ist die Übersetzung teilweise nicht nachvollziehbar. So heißt z.B. bei der Testamentverlesung im Original "And I'd like to leave my 1972 Gran Torino to my Friend Thao Vang Lor ...."; im Deutschen dagegen "Und ich vermache meinen 1972ger Gran Torino in Freundschaft Thao Vang Lor". Es ist schon ein Unterschied, ob man jemanden als seinen Freund bezeichnet oder jemanden in Freundschaft verbunden ist. Aber da gibt es noch mehr solche Patzer. Richtig böse ist allerdings, dass die deutschsprachigen Untertitel teilweise völlig unterschiedlich zu dem gesprochenen Text sind. Da waren wohl zwei voneinander völlig unabhängige Übersetzer am Werk. Nicht schön, wenn man beispielsweise als Hörbehinderter auf die Untertitel angewiesen ist. Der Film selbst enthält so einige (handwerkliche) Patzer (Goofs), was aber dem Film in Summe nicht schadet

good

Parfait

tout est bien