The movie Gran Torino, released in 2008, follows the life of Korean War veteran and retired auto worker Walt Kowalski (played by Clint Eastwood). The movie takes place in Highland Park, a declining Detroit suburb, where the openly racist Walt lives, next door to a Hmong family. The movie is largely about Walt’s relationship with his Hmong neighbors, which goes from openly hostile to a more understanding position. There are several issues touched on in the movie that draw attention to race, such as the racial slurs used by Walt, the location of the movie, and the way that interaction among different racial groups can promote understanding and compassion. One of the most noticeable aspects of Gran Torino is how often Walt uses racial slurs and stereotypes of Asians when talking to or about his Hmong neighbors. Gloria Yamato has broken racism down into four different forms. Walt’s constant use of racial slurs to describe his neighbors’ appearance, actions, and culture is an example of “aware/blatant” racism (Yamato 66). For example, when talking to Sue, the Hmong teen girl who lives next door, Walt says, “I thought you Asian girls were supposed to be smart.” This comment reinforces the stereotype that all Asians and Asian Americans are smart, usually accompanied with the expectation of being good at math and science. Another example of a racial slur from the movie is Walt’s question “How many swamp rats can you get in one room?” Perhaps Walt’s experience in the Korean War influenced his outlook causing him to use this slur, with the implication that Asians are dirty, sneaky, and animalistic. However, his experience in war does not excuse his language.
Additionally, the movie is located in Highland Park, a declining suburb of Detroit. Once surrounded by white neighbors, as Walt points out, now the neighborhood is mostly composed of low-income Asian American families. At first, there is a tension between Walt and the neighboring Lor family. Walt expresses that he wished his white neighbors had not moved away, and the elderly grandma of the Lor family tells Walt, in Hmong, that he is he last white person in the neighborhood and that he should move away. These tensions also demonstrate the larger phenomenon of segregated neighborhoods and urban decline and white flight. At the end of the movie, Walt has built better relations with his Hmong neighbors and his feelings of distrust are reversed, demonstrated by the fact that he leaves his yellow lab Daisy at their house.
The relations between Walt and the Lor family become more harmonious as the movie progresses. In the beginning, Walt is openly racist, and refuses to even let his neighbors onto his lawn. He often catches glimpses of his neighbors’ cultural practices, and scowls. However, he becomes more involved with the Lor family, as he saves Sue from gang violence, and then Thao, the son of the Lor family, tries to steal his Gran Torino. As part of Hmong tradition, the family asks Walt to allow Thao to repent for his misdeed by working for him for two weeks. During this time, Thao and Walt build a relationship, which is still not perfect but is emblematic of a further understanding. At the end of the movie, Walt ultimately gives his life to ensure that Thao and Sue are able to live a life surrounded by less violence (from the Hmong gang in the neighborhood).
In the end, some aspects of the movie are still problematic (such as the usage of racial slurs as comic). But ultimately, Gran Torino is commendable in bringing attention to Hmong Americans, who are one of the least known and misunderstood minority populations in the U.S., as well as segregated living, and interactions across racial lines.
Works Cited
1. Eastwood, Clint, Dir. Gran Torino. 2008, Film.
2. Yamato, Gloria. “Something About the Subject Makes it Hard to Name.” Race, Class, and Gender: An Anthology. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth Publishing Company. Print: 66.
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