Grand Torino

Have you seen this movie yet? My husband rented it last night for us to watch. I wasn't sure I even wanted to see it given the racist content I was sure it contained.

But I was surprised that it actually was a pretty good movie. I thought it would be a typical Clint Eastwood shoot-'em-up kill-'em-all plot, which it isn't. Although it was predictable I thought it was well done. For anyone who hasn't seen it yet, Clint plays an aging Korean war veteran whose wife has recently died, and who sees his own children and grandchildren as "spoiled brats". His neighborhood is being taken over by Asians, his wife's very young priest is dogging him to attend confession, and his only friend is his dog. He regularly trades racist insults with whoever will listen and has no tolerance for anyone who is different. I won't spoil the movie for you and it is worth seeing without your children.

I also thought they did a good job portraying the conflicts within the families that immigrate to the US and the huge pull of recruiting family members for Asian gangs. The movie does strive to show that stereotyping is not accurate, and if an aging war vetran can overcome some of his racist attitudes then perhaps others can too.

I always have a hard time watching movies with this type of theme or plot. I have no illusions that we in Canada live without racism. My children have to deal with it directly, and I have the luxury of my white priviledge to protect me. I know it is there, that it is insidious, and that it isn't going away any time soon. The thing I have the most difficulty with, is how anyone can hate another person without knowing them, based on skin colour. From a practical viewpoint that just doesn't make sense. But from a human viewpoint it, unfortunately, makes sense.

Perhaps that was the point of this movie. That although Clint Eastwood's character is stereotypical, he represents what so many of us think, feel and sometimes express in a variety of ways. His character just has no qualms about voicing it.

What do you think?