The White Messiah: A Review of the Film Gran Torino
Daniel Ruiz
English 104
31 July 2012
The White Messiah Many people assume that in order for a movie to be worth watching a movie a hero must come and save the helpless. In many cases the savior has to be white, young, handsome, likeable and masculine. Such an assumption can be dismissed in the movie Gran Torino. The movie depicts not only the very apparent differences between races, but in cultures as well. In Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski defies a person’s expectation of a white savior. He is an old man who is offensive to everyone since his wife died, especially those who are not the same race as him. Hollywood has this idea that in order for a movie to be desirable, the savior has to be a young handsome man that is likeable throughout the whole movie. Yet, in Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski and the Hmong defy the traditional definition of the white savior and manage to maintain a successful relatable character even though he is an angry, racist white grandpa.
Gran Torino (2008) is set in Detroit. The plot of Gran Torino revolves on Walt Kowalski (played by Clint Eastwood), a Korean war veteran, a retired ford autoworker, and a tremendously distrustful and intensely bigoted man. The movie starts at the death of Kowalski’s wife. His grandchildren are selfish and egoistic, and Kowalski has no interest in them. Kowalski two adult sons are not the usual representations of a savior: controlled by their money-oriented wives, ineffectual men, weak. He shows no interest in attaching with the community priest, an extra depiction of the weak white savior. Kowalski is a lone wolf and he loves it that way as he sits on the front of his house, drinking can after can of beer and growling at people. Kowalski appears that he is not able to socialize with a non-white person without the use of racial portrayals, and his racism is mostly for the laughs. One day a Hmong adolescent, Thao, tries to steal Kowalski Gran Torino and Kowalski is given the task to improve him after he
English 104
31 July 2012
The White Messiah Many people assume that in order for a movie to be worth watching a movie a hero must come and save the helpless. In many cases the savior has to be white, young, handsome, likeable and masculine. Such an assumption can be dismissed in the movie Gran Torino. The movie depicts not only the very apparent differences between races, but in cultures as well. In Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski defies a person’s expectation of a white savior. He is an old man who is offensive to everyone since his wife died, especially those who are not the same race as him. Hollywood has this idea that in order for a movie to be desirable, the savior has to be a young handsome man that is likeable throughout the whole movie. Yet, in Gran Torino, Walt Kowalski and the Hmong defy the traditional definition of the white savior and manage to maintain a successful relatable character even though he is an angry, racist white grandpa.
Gran Torino (2008) is set in Detroit. The plot of Gran Torino revolves on Walt Kowalski (played by Clint Eastwood), a Korean war veteran, a retired ford autoworker, and a tremendously distrustful and intensely bigoted man. The movie starts at the death of Kowalski’s wife. His grandchildren are selfish and egoistic, and Kowalski has no interest in them. Kowalski two adult sons are not the usual representations of a savior: controlled by their money-oriented wives, ineffectual men, weak. He shows no interest in attaching with the community priest, an extra depiction of the weak white savior. Kowalski is a lone wolf and he loves it that way as he sits on the front of his house, drinking can after can of beer and growling at people. Kowalski appears that he is not able to socialize with a non-white person without the use of racial portrayals, and his racism is mostly for the laughs. One day a Hmong adolescent, Thao, tries to steal Kowalski Gran Torino and Kowalski is given the task to improve him after he