In the movie, Eastwood portrays Walt Kowalski, a Korean War veteran who has recently lost his wife.  As you might have predicted, the title of the movie is in reference to the car of the same name – Kowalski’s Gran Torino that is almost stolen by his neighbor, Thao. 

While Kowalski tries his best to put Thao on the right path, he discovers that the young man is being attacked by a Hmong gang after they learn of his failure.  For the rest of the movie, Kowalski (a racist who happens to be the last white resident on his street) attempts to clean up his neighborhood. 

I think that this plot, combined with the fact that Eastwood’s character is a former auto worker from Detroit, probably strikes a chord with many people today and could account for the film’s success.  I haven’t seen this movie but I definitely plan to this week. 

image: Amazon

Post from: EveryJoe