The first indication that this was going to be a great movie was it being titled after a kick ass Ford muscle car. Clint Eastwood delivers a spectacular performance in this self directed film. I forgot how old Eastwood is getting prior to watching this movie. Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski a retired autoworker who served three years in the Korean War. Walt is old, grumpy, racist, and extremely judgmental of everyone, especially his own family. The movie starts at the funeral of Walt's wife and continues from there. Considering Walt's kids are so different from him, we are left to assume that his wife was drastically different from Walt.
Without his wife to balance Walt, he becomes more focused on his Hmong neighbors. Walt is one of the last white families in a neighborhood whose demographics have shifted to primarily Hmong and black residents. As you can imagine this is a sore point for the unashamedly and openly and extremely prejudiced (if not racist) Walt. Walt is at least an equal opportunity hater. He seems to dislike everyone, even calling his white friends derogatory ethnic slurs for their ancestry.
After stopping several Hmong gangsters from kidnapping the shy neighbor Walt becomes an unlikely hero amongst the Hmong community in his neighborhood. This is reinforced when he rescues another neighbor (the sister of the boy he saved earlier) from three black thugs who seemed poised to rape her. Walt begrudgingly agrees to spend some time with her family and has a paradigm shift when he realizes he has more in common with his Hmong neighbors than his own family. While he continues to spout racial slurs, Walt's actions no longer match his words. The film builds steadily toward a climactic ending. In the end we see the core of Walt. The Walt beneath all the anger and gruffness. You see the good man, the soldier who earned the silver star in the battlefields of Korea.
The character development in the movie is excellent. The main characters are fleshed out and have depth. You get the good with the bad, just as in real life. The acting is well done by the majority of the cast. The cinematography is good considering the setting. It's set in a run down neighborhood in Detroit, so don't expect sweeping views etc.
In all I greatly enjoyed the movie. I would highly encourage you to rent or buy this film. I give it 8 /10.
Without his wife to balance Walt, he becomes more focused on his Hmong neighbors. Walt is one of the last white families in a neighborhood whose demographics have shifted to primarily Hmong and black residents. As you can imagine this is a sore point for the unashamedly and openly and extremely prejudiced (if not racist) Walt. Walt is at least an equal opportunity hater. He seems to dislike everyone, even calling his white friends derogatory ethnic slurs for their ancestry.
After stopping several Hmong gangsters from kidnapping the shy neighbor Walt becomes an unlikely hero amongst the Hmong community in his neighborhood. This is reinforced when he rescues another neighbor (the sister of the boy he saved earlier) from three black thugs who seemed poised to rape her. Walt begrudgingly agrees to spend some time with her family and has a paradigm shift when he realizes he has more in common with his Hmong neighbors than his own family. While he continues to spout racial slurs, Walt's actions no longer match his words. The film builds steadily toward a climactic ending. In the end we see the core of Walt. The Walt beneath all the anger and gruffness. You see the good man, the soldier who earned the silver star in the battlefields of Korea.
The character development in the movie is excellent. The main characters are fleshed out and have depth. You get the good with the bad, just as in real life. The acting is well done by the majority of the cast. The cinematography is good considering the setting. It's set in a run down neighborhood in Detroit, so don't expect sweeping views etc.
In all I greatly enjoyed the movie. I would highly encourage you to rent or buy this film. I give it 8 /10.
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