Eastwoods Gran Torino

[JohannGE]

Mainstream I know but I found it's unusual handling of racial predjudice brave, interesting and thought provoking.

Very refreshing for a Hollywood film. A sign of things to come perhaps?

[brigadista]

Mainstream I know but I found it's unusual handling of racial predjudice brave, interesting and thought provoking.

Very refreshing for a Hollywood film. A sign of things to come perhaps?


sorry but i hated it.. all characters secondary to CE and a very patronising portrayal of asian americans fulfilling all the stereotypes- especially the need for them to have a big american ex soldier stand up for them, - no different to rambo..

[rocker935]

I thought it was pretty good, except for the religious reference at the end.

[JohannGE]

sorry but i hated it.. all characters secondary to CE and a very patronising portrayal of asian americans fulfilling all the stereotypes- especially the need for them to have a big american ex soldier stand up for them, - no different to rambo..

No need to apologise.

All you say is indeed true although I wouldn't agree with the Rambo bit. Inevitable considering it's origin and obviously CE would never allow himself to be upstaged. The one thing that was not stereotypical, and the thing that interested me was the portrayal of the racism. Multi dimensional and complex and not something I have ever seen before in a mainstream film such as this. It showed that racism is not neccisary black and white (excuse that) and that will hopefully promote more thought among it's intended audience than the more usual racism is wrong message which would just allianate those who most need to hear it.

I may be too optimistic.

[brigadista]

No need to apologise.

All you say is indeed true although I wouldn't agree with the Rambo bit. Inevitable considering it's origin and obviously CE would never allow himself to be upstaged. The one thing that was not stereotypical, and the thing that interested me was the portrayal of the racism. Multi dimensional and complex and not something I have ever seen before in a mainstream film such as this. It showed that racism is not neccisary black and white (excuse that) and that will hopefully promote more thought among it's intended audience than the more usual racism is wrong message which would just allianate those who most need to hear it.

I may be too optimistic.

you are right racism is indeed a complex issue but this film does not examine the complexities- CE was dealing with issues he is not familiar with in this film and it shows..imho his best work is the unforgiven... he should stick to issues he knows about rather than try to tackle issues he clearly knows nothing about - isnt he a republican?

[JohannGE]

you are right racism is indeed a complex issue but this film does not examine the complexities- CE was dealing with issues he is not familiar with in this film and it shows..imho his best work is the unforgiven... he should stick to issues he knows about rather than try to tackle issues he clearly knows nothing about - isnt he a republican?

I don't know much about the man apart from the fact that he has made dozens of extremely popular films about gratuitous killing that have not interested me in the least. Oh and a silly one about an ape I remember. I haven't watched any since The Magnificent Seven. I was tempted to watch this one due to the title. A dream car of my youth. In that area I was most definatly dissapointed.

Nowhere at all of my list of great films, however I thought that the handling of the issues may be challenging and complex to his usual mass audience. Which may be a good thing. To see an out and out racist have his attitude slowly broken down by contact with the victims of his racism being unusual and subtle for such a high profile film.

[brigadista]

watch the unforgiven - its a great film .

imo gran torino is about the main character's individual redemption not about breaking down his racist ideas.

[JohannGE]

watch the unforgiven - its a great film .

imo gran torino is about the main character's individual redemption not about breaking down his racist ideas.

Downloading now.

You don't think the main characters racist ideas were broken down in this one then? Although he tried, he failed to maintain the barrier he had built up through his lifetime when confronted with close personal contact with people he would previously have despised. As I said, not great by a long way but unusual for Hollywood. Other films may have done it better but I suspect few will reach such a wide audience.

[brigadista]

have you seen/ do the right thing? that is a good film about racism...as is jungle fever///

[JohannGE]

have you seen/ do the right thing? that is a good film about racism...as is jungle fever///

Will look them up...aren't torrents great? ;)

[x359594]

imo gran torino is about the main character's individual redemption not about breaking down his racist ideas.

I'm in fundamental agreement, but I would add that Eastwood criticizes and mocks his popular screen persona from the Dirty Harry period onward (right wing racist vigilante) and that the character's redemption is predicated on breaking down his racist ideas.

[brigadista]

I'm in fundamental agreement, but I would add that Eastwood criticizes and mocks his popular screen persona from the Dirty Harry period onward (right wing racist vigilante) and that the character's redemption is predicated on breaking down his racist ideas.

agreed but the characterisaation of the asian american chaf=rachters is really bad - they seem to be ciphers purely for his redemption and are really one dimensional and quite offensive - case in point the gang members and the pissed off grandmother

[pastradamus]

I thought it was an enjoyable film. What struck me mostly about it was that whilst laughing my ass off at CE's racist remarks I questioned what and why I laughed at it afterwards. That is to say "why did I find that funny?" So the original post is good I though as it was extremely brave in handling racism. Though in the end the message is that when it comes to an individual like CE its only when he understands the culture and the people himself does he feel comfortable with them. BTW the unforgiven is a great movie brigadista.

[Os Cangaceiros]

What struck me mostly about it was that whilst laughing my ass off at CE's racist remarks I questioned what and why I laughed at it afterwards. That is to say "why did I find that funny?"

I laughed as well, but I know why I laughed: Eastwood used a ton of racist remarks, most of which were calling the Vietnamese names like "zipperhead". I didn't even knew such names existed.

[pastradamus]

I laughed as well, but I know why I laughed: Eastwood used a ton of racist remarks, most of which were calling the Vietnamese names like "zipperhead". I didn't even knew such names existed.

That word comes from the Korean war- not the vietnamese war but its a term I had to research so the existance if it is a good point!

[Bilan]

I really enjoyed it. It was well done.
As for the White guy saving Asian people, I don't know about that, I think that's reading a bit far into it. More than anything, I think it was more the fact that Clint Eastwood was the feckin writer and main actor in the film, and also, the change represented a change in his understanding of life.
Great film.

[which doctor]

I really enjoyed Gran Torino in the sense that I laughed whenever Clint Eastwood opened his mouth. But, apparently, it's not supposed to be a comedy. Personally, I found the movies take on race relations to be stale and outdated.

[x359594]

...apparently, it's not supposed to be a comedy...

It was a parody of Eastwood's former right wing macho persona, so it was a comedy up to a point and fits in the genre of tragicomedy.

After the old white man's change of heart, the movie becomes redemptive tragedy; the white man dies and the Hmong man lives, now in possession of the Gran Torino. But when the white man indulges his over the top rascism the movie is a comedy, and the viewer is distanced from him as he becomes a figure of parody.

[pastradamus]

The Best bit by far and without a shadow of a doubt were the closing credits when Clint was singing. Hilarious!:laugh: