POP !

This movie is pretty interesting, mostly due to the metamorphosis that Walt goes through. At the start of the story, Walt seems like a relic from an old time – lost in the modern age and disconnected from the progression of the world. His friendship with Thao and Sue allows him to break through these old war-time prejudices and embrace new aspects he never thought were possible. His need to protect Thao and Sue serves the need to fill a gap in his life – he is the “man of the house”, the fix it dude. With his wife gone and his relationship with his sons rocky at best, his two neighbors fill the void left in his life.

I think Walt saw in Thao the relationship he desired from his sons, which is why I think he left the Gran Torino in the end. His need to sacrifice himself made for a very powerful scene, and I’m glad the story took a different turn with the whole ‘revenge’ angle. Instead, Walt solves a problem without violence, something that spoke volumes about his personal changes considering he spent much of the film pointing his guns in the faces of others. All to all, I really enjoy this movie. It was only the 2nd time I’ve seen it but I appreciate it more now that we’ve studied more of the Asian American history.