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Gran Torino
Director: Clint Eastwood
Release Date: January 9, 2009
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Michael Kurowski
Language: English
Country: United States
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Gran Torino is a drama film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. Eastwood stars as a racist Korean War veteran who catches a Hmong boy trying to steal his 1972 Gran Torino. The film features a predominantly Hmong cast and will be released in 2008 in North America with a limited release scheduled for December 12. Gran Torino will have a wide release on January 9, 2009. Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), a racist Korean War veteran, becomes increasingly unhappy at the influx of Hmong people to his neighborhood. After he catches Tao (Vang), a teenage Hmong neighbor, attempting to steal his 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, the boy is forced by his tradition-oriented family to work for Kowalski in penance.
Estranged from his children and grandchildren, and having just lost his wife, Kowalski gradually becomes friendly with Tao and his family, learning about Hmong culture. He attempts to protect Tao and his sister Sue (Her) from the gang. Gran Torino was directed by Clint Eastwood, who also stars in the film, and written by Nick Schenk. It was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and Malpaso Productions for film distributor Warner Bros. Eastwood also produced, alongside Malpaso partner Robert Lorenz and Bill Gerber.
Filmmakers chose to produce Gran Torino in the state of Michigan, being one of the first films to take advantage of the state’s new law that provided lucrative incentive packages to film productions. Filming began in July 2008; locations included Warren, Royal Oak, and Grosse Pointe Park. crew, production assistants, consultants and extras were used. There has been debate over the film’s depiction of Hmong gang culture, with some criticizing its authenticity and fearing that the film will perpetuate stereotypes of Asian youths. Gran Torino is being regarded as a potential Academy Award contender. The film is scheduled for a limited release in North America on December 12, 2008.
Cast:
- Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a racist Korean War veteran. Kowalski has two objects important to him: the 1972 Gran Torino and his M-1 rifle from the Korean War. Eastwood described the character’s relationship with the objects, “He worked on the line in the Ford plant and retired and had this one car he bought himself. It’s sort of a symbol of his days with the Ford plant. The M-1 is sort of a symbol of his days in the military… He’s clinging to the memory of the war. You’ll find out when you see it, some of (the memories) are not as pleasant as others. That helps make him even tougher to get along with.” Of the character, Eastwood said, “He’s one of these guys who finds it very hard to accept change… [and that the film] just shows how his life goes and how he gets involved with the Hmong people who are living next door.” Eastwood’s starring role was his first since Million Dollar Baby in 2004.
- Bee Vang plays Tao, a studious Hmong teenager who gets caught trying to steal Kowalski’s 1972 Gran Torino. The part is Vang’s first acting role. The character is described as “the neighborhood wimp”, and the large height difference between Tao and Kowalski was a deliberate echo of the mentor relationship Kowalski has to the character. Vang said, “Tao is literally ‘looking up’ to [him]“.
- Ahney Her plays Sue, Tao’s bossy older sister. Sue serves as Kowalski’s guide into her family.
- Michael Kurowski plays Josh Kowalski, Walt’s oldest grandson.
- Gran Torino also features Brooke Chia Thao as Tao’s mother, and Chee Thao as Tao’s widowed grandmother. The five gang members are made up of Sonny Vue as the head of the gang, “Smokie”; Doua Moua as Fong (aka “Spider”), Tao and Sue’s older cousin; Jerry Lee, Elvis Thao and Lee Mong Vang. The film features a leading cast made up almost entirely of Hmong actors, unprecedented for a mainstream American film. Open casting calls for Hmong actors were held in Hmong communities in Saint Paul, Fresno and Detroit. All but one of the ten Hmong leads were acting in a film for the first time, as were many of the Hmong extras. For authenticity, Eastwood encouraged ad-libbing among the actors in the Hmong language. An authentic Hmong shaman was cast, though it was claimed his ceremonial scenes were made more exotic.
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