Gran torino is a brilliant movie from start to finish, i cant believe i waited so long to watch it, its completely different to what i expected, two thirds of the film had a very light tone at. Is bullied by the gang into trying to steal walts gran torino. He has been married to cynthia ramirez since september 2014. After years of acting in movies, eastwood became an oscarwinning director and producer.
In gran torino, clint eastwood plays a retired auto worker in michigan who could literally stand in. However, gran torino is a drama that turned out to be funny, tragic, and tender with its roller coaster of events and twist of relationships. Gran torino written by clint eastwood, jamie cullum, kyle eastwood, and michael stevens performed by jamie cullum and don runner jamie cullum appears courtesy of terrified records and universal music operations limited see more. If you have seen the movie, can you tell me what ethnicity you think the asian actors are trying to portray and what you think the ethnicity of the actors themselves are. Gran torino is racist and insensitive, says hmong writer. Actordirector clint eastwood born may 31, 1930 is best known for his portrayals of various tough characters on film, including cowboys and san fransisco police officer dirty harry callahan. Cast clint eastwood walt kowalski, director, producer bee vang thao ahney her sue christopher carley father janovich brian haley mitch kowalski. All of the hmong actors in gran torino are pure novices who have never acted before and this is readily apparent.
Gran torino actor reveals behindthescenes racism the bottom. Gran torino is a 2008 american drama film directed and produced by clint eastwood, who also starred in the film. Also read complete information on national award, filmfare awards, cine awards, iifa. The first time we see walt kowalski, clint eastwoods character in gran torino, he looks like hes about to explode literally as in spontaneously combust. Gran torino is a 2008 american drama film directed and produced by clint eastwood, who also. Dirty harry on a pension, were thinking, until we realize that only the autoworker retired. Bee vang, actor and secondyear student at brown university, and dr. Gran torino is a tale with many facets to it,such as the loss of male identity that was orginally brought about by working in skilled bluecollar employment which eastwoods character didhe was a ford auto worker in the movie and the male characteristics and bonding that this employment developed,and the repercussions regarding the decline and. The plot of clint eastwoods gran torino is a closely guarded secret. Kyle eastwood was born on may 19, 1968 in santa monica, california, usa as kyle clinton eastwood. The following is a list of significant characters who feature in the 2008 film gran torino, directed by clint eastwood.
His prize possession is a 1972 gran torino he keeps in mint condition. Tour the film locations sites and explore the places where clint eastwood and fellow actors spent their. He is an actor and writer, known for gran torino 2008, sunset on dawnkho neeg and thao does walt. See the full list of gran torino cast and crew including actors, directors, producers and more. Gran torino actor reveals behindthescenes racism the. The new clint eastwood movie, gran torino, is rife with minnesota connections. And its believed to be the first major motion picture to prominently feature hmongamericans. Gran torino 2008 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Walt accidentally fires it when slipping in his garage when he is chasing after thao. When his priest, father janovich, encourages him to go to confession, walt says, i confess i never cared for church much.
From left to right, walt kowalski clint eastwood, thao vang lor bee vang, vu lor brooke chia thao, gran chee thao, and sue lor ahney her. Disgruntled korean war veteran walt kowalski clint eastwood sets out to reform his neighbor, thao lor bee vang, a hmong teenager who tried to steal kowalskis prized possession. Clint eastwoods gran torino is about a racist old man named walt who overcomes his prejudice by helping his teenager neighbor thao. Gran torino cast and crew, gran torino hollywood movie. Clint eastwoods gran torino is hollywoods coolest car. In that sense, gran torino is, in an explicit way, a. They are both hmong, as were all the other actors playing hmong characters. I may be alone here but i thought the korean hmong actors were god awful.
T he ford gran torino earned its footnote in pop culture history when a ketchupred 75 model with a white racing stripe was featured every week in. When press got off the phone, ethan, apparently having seen a host of. Clint eastwood s gran torino is about a racist old man named walt who overcomes his prejudice by helping his teenager neighbor thao. Gran torino cast and crew check out hollywood movie gran torino cast and crew details, star cast information. Doua moua as fong spider, thaos cousin and the main antagonist. Gran torino starring clint eastwood, christopher carley in. All actors clint eastwood, christopher carley, bee vang, ahney her, brian haley, geraldine hughes.
This was eastwoods first starring role since 2004s million dollar baby. Emma brockes meets clint eastwood, one of the last american heroes, to talk about films, politics, ageing. A racist korean war veteran living in a crimeridden detroit. Fiercely protecting his home and beloved classic car, the gran torino of the title, walt kowalski eastwood gradually befriends the. But now that shooting has wrapped up, how the hmong actors fit into their roles is becoming more visible. Director clint eastwood, camera operator steve campanelli, 1st assistant camera bill coe and actor bee vang on the set of gran torino.
The film costars christopher carley, bee vang and ahney her. What did you all think of gran torino, with your first time watching it. Follow in the footsteps of the actors in this fourtime awardwinning movie. In 1972, ford doubleddown on the torino and redesigned it once again. Behind the scenes complete broll clint eastwood screenslam.
Therefore, the actors of gran torino improvised the hmong used in the film. When his neighbour, thaoa young hmong teenager under pressure from his gang member cousintries to steal his gran torino, walt sets out to reform the youth and takes steps to protect thao and his family from the gangs that infest their neighborhood. I thought the overall movie and message was great and enjoyed it, but the script seemed a little rough. Hmong get a mixed debut in new eastwood film mpr news.
Clint eastwoods character, walt, stumbles into the middle of a struggle within the hmong community. Gran torinos first scene takes place in a church, and walt is a catholic. Gran torino 2008 retired auto worker and korean war vet walt kowalski clint eastwood fills emptiness in his life with beer and home repair, despising the many asian, latino and black families. The new torino also featured a gaping maw of a grille flanked by quad headlamps, a longhood, shortboot look and coke bottle flanks. Bee vang was born on november 4, 1991 in fresno, california, usa. Gran torino choosing detroit as a backdrop for the movie gran torino was obvious. Ahney her at an event for gran torino 2008 angelina jolie at an event for gran. Quotes will be submitted for approval by the rt staff. Since appearing in gran torino in 2008, bee vang has in recent years taken to trashing the film. In gran torino, clint eastwood plays walt kowalski, a retired korean war veteran shattered by his wifes recent death. But his is a reluctant faith, if its really there at all. Bee vang, actor who played thao, trashes gran torino. Gran torino christopher carley as father janovich, clint eastwood as walt kowalski, greg trzaskoma as the bartender, tom majard as mel and davis gloff as darrell in gran torino. I thought clint did a good job, but man did a few others, the boy especially suuuuuuuck.
I hadnt been aware of this until recently, but he gave an interview in 2010 to louisa schein, a cultural consultant who worked on the film. Walt kowalski, played by eastwood, is a korean war veteran who is struggling with a changing world and dealing with psychological issues caused from his experiences during the korean war. I had the opportunity to talk to bee vang, who played the hmong male lead thao, and elvis thao, a spoken word artist who played one of the gangsters. Now available in three trim lines torino, gran torino, and gran torino sport the car was built on a new bodyonframe design. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing gran torino near you. Get gran torino movie complete list of awards won and nominations. What did you all think of gran torino, with your first. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by movie quotes. Gran torino cast and crew cast photos and info fandango. Walt is a harsh, ramrodstraight man with a quick temper and high standards whose greatest joy is an orderly home and his beloved, mintcondition gran torino. Schenk said that sometimes the lines in the movie feel out of place with the detroit setting. The bravados classic western, full movie, gregory peck, english free full western films duration.
Walt is a bit of a racist, but that comes with all the other things he is. Gran torino stars eastwood as an american icon once again this time as a cantankerous, racist, beerchugging retired detroit autoworker who keeps his shotgun ready to lock and load. Gran torino internet movie firearms database guns in. Furthermore, gran torino shows how the actions that led to the sacrifice of the main character in the movie, walt kowalski played by clint eastwood, represent the only true way to definitively break with violence. A quote can be a single line from one character or a memorable dialog between several characters. The two objects that matter most to kowalski in life are the classic gran torino that. While a weak link, the film as a whole is so satisfying it is really a moot point as it serves as no thorough determent. Get your swag on with discounted movies to stream at home, exclusive movie gear, access to advanced screenings and discounts galore. Walt kowalski clint eastwood is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Eastwood the director, eastwood the actor, eastwood the invincible, eastwood the old man. Louisa schein, hmong media expert, discussed the truth of what happened behind the scenes of the movie gran torino. Walt kowalski clint eastwood uses an m1 garand that he kept from the korean war to chase thao vang lor bee vang out of his garage and scare the hmong gangmembers off his lawn. Gran torino is maybe the best movie i have ever seen.
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