Gran Torino

[MacGuffin]

Clint Eastwood makes novice teen actor's day

ROBBINSDALE, Minn. - After winning out over 2,000 aspiring young actors to make his movie debut opposite Clint Eastwood , Bee Vang might ask himself: Do you feel lucky, punk?

Vang, 17, grew up watching Eastwood in Westerns and as Dirty Harry . Now he's part of " Gran Torino ," which pulled in $29 million last weekend and gave Eastwood the best movie opening of his career.

"I thought this was life-changing," Vang recalls about learning he had been cast as Thao, the Hmong neighbor who leads Eastwood's crusty, bigoted, retired Ford worker, Walt Kowalski, on a journey of redemption in "Gran Torino."

Vang's parents were born in Laos, then moved to Thailand before emigrating to the U.S. about 1987. He was born in Fresno, Calif., and moved with his family (he has four brothers and a sister) to Minneapolis two or three years later. He had never acted before but says he decided "on a lark" to audition for "Gran Torino."

"It wouldn't hurt to give it a try," Vang remembers thinking. A week before shooting began in Detroit last summer, Vang learned he had won the role. He says he learned later he was chosen for his innocent looks and slight build. (The movie originally was set in St. Paul by screenwriter Nick Schenk, but was relocated to Detroit to take advantage of Michigan's higher tax incentive for movies.)

Working with the 78-year-old Eastwood, who also directed and produced "Gran Torino," was "kind of scary" at first for Vang, who was 16 at the time. But Eastwood was a patient teacher with a low-key approach to directing.

"He doesn't ever say 'action' when we start filming," Vang said.

In "Gran Torino," Vang's weak-willed character is intimidated by a Hmong gang into trying to steal Kowalski's mint-condition Ford Gran Torino . When Thao is exposed as the would-be thief, his mother sends him to work for Kowalski as restitution. Recently widowed and plagued by his memories of the Korean War , Kowalski softens in his feelings toward the family and tries to save Thao and his sister, Sue, from the gang.

Vang says Eastwood encouraged ad-libbing among the Hmong actors, who were largely inexperienced. And he says the movie is generally accurate in its portrayal of Hmong , a highlands people who fought for the U.S. during the Vietnam War and later emigrated from Southeast Asia and settled in Minnesota, Wisconsin and California.

"This film is not a documentary. We can't expect 101 percent correctness," Vang said.

John Carroll Lynch , a 20-year veteran actor who plays Kowalski's barber in "Gran Torino," says he was impressed by Vang. In one funny scene, Kowalski and his barber demonstrate to Thao how guys are supposed to talk to each other.

"Playing opposite the biggest movie star in the past 50 years — that'd be fun," Lynch said. "Talk about intimidating. That must have been crazy. And I think he (Vang) did a great job."

Vang, a high school junior, is looking at studying pre-med but his experience on "Gran Torino" has him thinking about acting and films.

[jtm]

just saw this. i enjoyed it despite all its flaws... don't believe i've ever seen poorer acting in a mainstream hollywood film. (clint excluded)

that's all i have to say about it except this:

this is the best review i've ever read about a film, since... well... maybe ever.

is this a comedy?

Yes. And a damn good one at that.

Clint plays a guy named Walt Kowlaski. A red, white and blue blooded patriotic American who fought in the Korean war and thus, is a big time racist. But underneath that tough man facade, he's got a heart of gold (obviously). It's also obvious he fought in the Korean war because anytime any of the Koreans from the neighborhood try and have any contact with him he reminds them that, "In Korea, I had your kind stacked 10 high!"

About the only time he leaves his porch is when he runs out of Pabst Blue Ribbon. One hilarious scene has him going over to his neighbors since they're having a family get together and have lots of beer. At one point he finds himself at a table surrounded by older Korean women feeding him tons of food, which elicits a response of something like (paraphrasing) "If I knew you Gooks cooked like this, I'd be alot nicer to you!"

HILARIOUS.

Some other comedic highlights for me was how the minorities around his neighborhood not only don't get offended by his racism, but they almost take it as a term of endearment.

Case in point: Walt saves his next door neighbor, some 13 or 14 year old kid from his cousins Korean street gang trying to openly recruit him (yes, in this movie, gangs openly recruit for new members) by pointing a gun at them and telling them, "GET OF MY LAWN!" of course they oblige because Korean street gangs are all talk. Anyways, he's now the hero of the neighborhood and all the Koreans bring him flowers and food to which he accepts by saying, "You damn gooks! Just leave me alone! Oh, is that apple pie? Okay, put it on the table you fucking chink."

His racist outbursts are usually met from his neighbors with a, "Oh, Walt. You're so silly! hehe."

HILARIOUS.

The gangs are probably the funniest part. They're a mix between every gang banging Asian stereotype, and the Puerto Ricans in West-Side Story. They snap, but they don't dance. Also, they carry switchblades, but they think they're black so every word out of their mouth is something they heard in a rap song. Some of them have ponytails.

Gotta hand it to the screenwriter. Some of the racial slurs he came up with are sure to enter into my everyday lexicon of verbal ammo anytime I get cut off by an Asian driver.

I watched it for about an hour and fifteen minutes before I realized it wasn't a comedy. I'm sure by the end Walt's had a change of heart and some kind of redemption. You could see it coming from a mile away.

[pete]

this movie is RIDICULOUS.  it's like karate kid where nobody knew karate.

[private witt]

Well, to be fair, 'The Karate Kid' was kind of ridiculous, especially after the Kid turned into a girl Kid.

[Stefen]

Meatheads love this movie. It's the new American History X where they get to love a movie that speaks to their own racism because it has a moral at the end.

[Gold Trumpet]

Meatheads love this movie. It's the new American History X where they get to love a movie that speaks to their own racism because it has a moral at the end.

Probably why I liked it.

[Stefen]

lol. But your head isn't full of meat. It's full of cheese.

[JG]

the people who sat next to me were just so psyched that he was chewing tobacco and drinking pbr. 'dude, that's so fucking nasty, this movie is so fucking sick.'

[private witt]

Does anyone else feel like Clint is making films to sort of atone for the themes of his previous work?

[Gold Trumpet]

lol. But your head isn't full of meat. It's full of cheese.

Amen. You can't go wrong when digging cheese. To illustrate gold and green blood, my dad was watching a sports show recently and was pissed off when he saw a rapper go on to debate a writer about sports. He just dislikes it when celebs try to talk sports. He especially dislikes it when it's trendy ones. It was funny because it really annoyed him but then he found out that the rapper in question was a huge Green Bay Packers fan so my dad immediately perked up and had a smile across his face.

[Gold Trumpet]

Does anyone else feel like Clint is making films to sort of atone for the themes of his previous work?

Of course, his films for the last 20 years have dealt with roles that were reminscient of the roles in the 60s and 70s that made him famous, but each role has been it's own comment on the racism, prejudices, insecurities and limitations of those old roles he played. He's his own John Wayne and has made a career out of playing roles that were akin to him and only him. He became so famous for them that Clint Eastwood the actor became Clint Eastwood the icon. He hasn't done a role for another director since 1994 and is very protective about his persona in movie roles.

Even when he was young and had all the chance in the world to make movies against typecast, he still predominanetly made Westerns and action films. High Plains Drifter (1973) was almost a direct continuation of his Man With No Name character, but the point is he very rarely went against his established norm. Sometimes he did, but it never became a trend.

[JG]

To illustrate gold and green blood, my dad was watching a sports show recently and was pissed off when he saw a rapper go on to debate a writer about sports. He just dislikes it when celebs try to talk sports. He especially dislikes it when it's trendy ones. It was funny because it really annoyed him but then he found out that the rapper in question was a huge Green Bay Packers fan so my dad immediately perked up and had a smile across his face.

was it lil wayne? cos i was watching first and ten when he was arguing with skip bayless.. it was too perfect. dude's got to .

[Gold Trumpet]

was it lil wayne? cos i was watching first and ten when he was arguing with skip bayless and it was too perfect. dude's got to .

Yea, it was. Good call.

[MacGuffin]

[private witt]

Clint Eastwood is....JOHN MCCAIN!