Get off My Lawn! (Gran Torino (DVD))

Member Name: sewbizzie

Product:	Gran Torino (DVD)
Date:	31/10/09 (52 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: excellent story and acting, moving and powerful

Disadvantages: the bloody car!

After seeing the trailers for this film then I knew it was on both me and hubby would want to get but being a bit of a tight wad I would not pay full price for it and so waited for the price to drop considerably!

The film is centred around the original grumpy old man, Walt Kowalski who is a retired autoworker and also served his country in Vietnam. He is not happy with how his neighbourhood has changed and becomes even more grumpy and neighbour hating after the death of his wife.

Walt does not get on with his neighbours who are Hmong and this hatred is only made worse when the boy of the house is told to steel Walt's car, a Gran Torino which is his pride and joy, as an initiation into his cousins gang. Fortunately for Walt he manages to stop Thao from taking the car and ultimately getting into the gang. Walt is also able to help young Theo when the gang return but Walt only steps in as he wants them all to get off his front lawn! As a result of his help the Hmong people shower him with gifts and soon Walt is having to change his opinion of them especially when Sue will not leave him alone.

Another problem Walt has is the appearance of father Janovich who promised Walt's wife that he would look out for him once she had dies and get him to confession but Walt is having none of it!

Just how much will Walt change with his opinion of his neighbours and the neighbourhood he lives in and will father Janovich ever get him to confession?

Now I know the plot for this film may seem very basic but there is so much more to the story with the addition of extra characters but I really don't want to spoil it for anyone who has yet to see it.

I was expecting good things from this film as the last one I saw Clint Eastwood star in and take the role of Director was Million Dollar Baby which both me and Hubby thoroughly enjoyed and I can honestly say this film really did live up to both out expectations. We found the storyline to be excellent and I loved the way the racism and national pride from Walt was handled in the film. I thought that there were times this could have been taken in the wrong context but as the character of Walt is so different from the usually racist ones we see then he manages to get away with it.

I thought that Eastwood did a fantastic job in the role of Walt and I loved how he grew and changed his views through the story and I liked watching him slightly mellow in his attitude. He was the original grumpy old man at the start of the film and me and hubby both had a good laugh at some of the things he said an did especially when he went to the barbers. He managed to show so many sides to his character and I think this is why I felt so many different emotions for him. I thought he had a great on screen chemistry with the character of Thao, played by Bee Vang.

Bee Vang did a wonderful job playing the confused boy who could not decide what to do with his life and having the choice of joining a gang to make himself a hard man but I found I loved it when he was alone or with Walt and loved watching the pair act together. I found they seemed very much like Father and Son and there was a lot of funny banter between the pair. Also the role of Sue made for some good viewing as she got so many racist comments from Walt but she took them on the chin and persisted with him and at times gave back better comments than what she got.

The film was set in the present day in America so not much thought or effort was needed with the costumes or sets and I thought that what we did see was all very good and suited the storyline. For me I was driven made ever time was got to the bloomin Gran Torino car and I think hubby was on the verge of wetting himself. I confess that I am not a car lover but apparently it was an amazing car and was so sought after so maybe this was aimed more for the men viewers then the women.

The music throughout the film did help with the scenes and emotional settings for the storyline and I found it was all very good but none of it really stood out for me or was very memorable. Thinking back now to watching this film last night and I cannot think of even one track which I heard which is not necessary a bad thing but I think I would have perhaps liked it to have made more impact on me.

The ending of the film was a little predictable in a sense of I knew what Walt was planning but I did not expect the outcome of it to be as it was. Maybe this was naive of me as hubby said he knew the ending but I was a little shocked by it.

The DVD which we have does have some bonus features which include:-

Manning the Wheel: The Meaning of Manhood as Reflected in American Car Culture

Gran Torino: More than a car: Visit Detriot and the Wonderward Dream Cruise, an annual Vintage Car event where buffs describe the bond between men and vehicles

As I am not a fan of bonus features I have not watched these and put my foot down with hubby over watching the car feature as this would have bored the crap out of me so I am not able to make comment on these features.

The running time of this film is 112 minutes and I found this to be a good length and though the story moved at a good pace from start to finish. The certificate is a 15 and I do agree with this as there is a lot of strong language and violence.

I managed to get this DVD for just £7 which I felt was an excellent price considering this was over £14 a few weeks ago. I am definitely going to recommend this film as it stars great actors has a powerful and moving storyline and made me feel so many different emotions from start to finish.

Summary: Walt has to overcome his prejudice to help his neighbours