GRAN TORINO | First Time Watching | Movie Reaction 

Most young people miss the point of Walt's character - he isn't racist, he is a misanthrope. And he is a misanthrope not out of ignorance or hatred, but because he has given up on everyone - including himself.

I don't see Walt as racist, even though he says racist things. He doesn't treat anyone differently. He speaks the same way to his family and friends and the priest. He protects the innocent, and he doesn't pull any punches. Sue is as much a hero as Walt, for overlooking the language and giving him a chance. He develops a true bond with her immediately because she doesn't judge him harshly. She is as tough as he is, and he respects her and cares for her. I love all these characters, except the gang members, of course, for being real people who make real mistakes, but still find ways to get along. People of different cultures, who are tough enough to get past the unimportant stuff, the harsh words the stereotypes can be forgotten, among friends. I can't stand today's snowflakes who will cry and cancel you rather than try to understand. I guess I'm quite a bit like Walt, but I like Walt.

I love watching GenZers deal with casual racism lmao

I don’t understand how people don’t find Walt’s insults hilarious.

For this film, one must look beyond the bigoted and racist slurs and see the real Walt. He's angry and bitter, full of guilt and remorse, and he pretty much hates everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like - even his own family. He uses the slurs against everyone, but his vocabulary doesn't show the real Walt. The real Walt respects and cares for those who are good to him. Once he sees that you're a good person, that you can be trusted, he will support you and treat you as family. He will even give his life for you, as he did for Thao and his family.

You’re missing out on quality people if you write others off because they speak a way you find offensive

That scene with the three black guys the white guy is Clint Eastwood‘s son in real life

Walt liquidated young North Korean, and presumably, their young Chinese allies, in the Korean War. He's been carrying around a lot of guilt for, as he says, "things you weren't ordered to do". As a returning combat vet, he settles into a decent working class life, he has a good woman for a wife, but things are eating at him. This shows in his failures as a dad, and his personal withdrawal from a lot of life. He bottles things up, and keeps his feelings from being discovered by people. The Gran Torino is a symbol of his broken heart. He protects both the car and his heart and keeps them hidden and unused. Then, he meets the Hmong family and realizes all the things he's missed, love and loyalty of family, most of all. He works to redeem himself, from the horrors of killing young soldiers, not from his vocabulary, by sacrificing himself for his new family. He's able to live again through total sacrifice. The ethnic name calling is the least important aspect of the film and Walt's character.

People who call Walt a racist are wrong. Walt is not a racist at all. One of the most misunderstood characters ever

To say Walt is racist is missing who Walt really is. He doesn't hate [insert], he hates injustice and himself as a younger man.

This movie will destroy you. Get out the box of tissues. Walt sacrificed everything to make sure that Thau and his family would have a normal life, as well as helping Thau grow up in a world that doesn't know the difference between right and wrong anymore.

The point of Walts racist remarks isnt that he means them, but he uses them as a defense mechanism. Most people will ignore him while only a few are willing to take the inital abuse to understand the person behind it. Thats why I like Sue, she actually understands Walt and will actually dish out as much as she takes.

Being Hmong and watching this movie when it first came out was funny AF! Just the Hmong scenes because we don’t normally do those things. Idk about how the Midwest is with that but here in Cali we don’t do that . The fact that you have a whole bunch of Asian rolling in a civic like that is accurate haha But it’s such a classic now and Walt’s insults are hilarious!

I will never not laugh at peoples reactions to the asian slurs in gran torino 😂

These older veterans came back from a different kind of war and said the things they said and did the things they did. You can't really hold it against them. Just like I as a post 9/11 combat veteran feel the same way around others as well. We all have that sort of view once you go through stuff. It is what it is.

The fear of and emotional reactions to slurs and epithets have become quite rampant in this country. This is most troublesome. It's become a secular superstition, as just hearing the word or reading the word evokes irrational fear and anxiety in thin-skinned, insecure people. Words are harmless. They cause no physical damage, they don't turn people to the Dark Side, and they don't bring down fire and brimstone from above. When we let words have power over us, other people can and will use those words to gain power over us. True racists will use those words to hurt others, to gain attention to themselves, to create a false sense of superiority. Words are hurtful only if you allow them to be. Once you show others that words can't hurt you, they know that they cannot control you.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Walt wasn’t racist. He treated everyone the same. With hate lol

Walt doesn't change and he was never racist. He's just as crusty with everyone and has no interest in ingratiating himself with anyone. But he clearly appreciates substantive character and is supportive of the few people he gets to know, whether he wants to or not, who have it. Naturally in the end he is willing to give his life to protect those few he views as worthy of support while brilliantly terminating a pack of self serving predators.

Possibly the most unperceptive reaction to a movie I've ever seen.

Most critics of this movie 100% missed the point and misunderstood Walt. He wasnt racist. He wasnt evil. While he didnt like anyone in particular, the only person he hated was himself.

One thing that nobody mentions but caught my attention was when he confronted the three guys who stopped Sue and her date. What grabbed me was he shut off his truck. He shut off his truck! He was saying, "This is no bluff, we settle this now."

People may not like the way Walt talks but he is the kind of person you can totally count on in your time of need. You will never hear flourished words of friendship from him because he feels it does not need to "show", sadly people like that are a dying breed in more ways than one.

Cant believe you don't know how Clint Eastwood talks. You have a huge library of movies to go through.

People have no idea what the word racist is now a days. It really needs to be taught in schools but I don't believe they would teach it correct. Gran Torino is a great movie from a great director/actor!

Its funny to see people get so upset over some of waltz comments. Typically the younger generation "What the hell you spooks up to" always cracks me up. Also watched this movie at a buddys house, hes black and noone got offended..

I swear, I just LOVE watching young people watch this movie. I grew up with people slinging insults like those all the time. There usually wasn't any outright hatred behind them, which is what removed the "sting". Are they bigoted, yes. Racist? No, not really. Racism really requires intent to injure.

Walt is NOT a racist. You need to understand that for his entire tour of duty in Korea (around 2 years), for every second of every day of every year people that physically looked just like his neighbors were trying to kill him. His friends were killed by people who looked just like his neighbors. It’s VERY hard to just suddenly turn off all that fear and hatred when you rotate back to the real world. To understand Walt you have to walk in his shoes for a while.

The scene where Sue comes in all beaten just breaks your heart. And Walt sacrificing himself (I know he probably had a death sentence with his medical issues, but he did cut his life short) to protect/get justice for Sue and her family was so honorable. Talk about powerful. The kids and Walt were just good for each other.

It worked perfectly, at the beginning you couldn't wait for him to die, by the end you cried when he did!

He wasn’t bullying him. He was trying to man him up!

What this world needs is a population filled with Walter's, not the sensitive small minds we're filled with today.

THE WORDS THAT COME OUT YOUR MOUTH DO NOT MAKE YOU A BAD PERSON SOMETHING THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE TODAY SHOULD UNDERSTAND

Walt was "equal opportunity" with his slander. He wasn't racist - just bitter. He respected people like Sue who could laugh off his words, stand their ground, and dish it right back while keeping the conversation light. When Thao stood his ground to be the one to pull the freezer up the stairs, Walt grimaced - but inside he respected Thao for it.

If words from a stranger hurt you, you are the problem, not them.

Everyone needs a Walt in their life

Oh! That's little Marie from Balboa. That was driving me nuts.

Did she just ask if "that old man" really talks like that? Yes. Clint Eastwood really talks like that.

Gook didnt start out as derogatory. In Hangul (Korean) G's and K's are the same. Gook or Kook means person or people. Ever heard of Hankook Tires? Han is what Koreans call their country, so Hankook means people from Korea or Korean. So Hankook Tires means Korean Tires. Koreans call America Mi (pronounced 'me'). So I am a Mi Gook or an American.

I've seen this movie about 15 times and I just now realized that it was his real son that he talked shit to when he saved the girl from the three thugs

You didn't say the blacks were racist

this movies story is a lesson about ambivalence of people. It is hard to swalöow in our black and white painting times.. But a person who is a terrible driver who likes to speed might be a true superb dad. Someone who uses racist slurs all the time might be working as a social street worker, someone who sprays leftist radikal slurs at walls is maybe the guy who later gives a kidney to someone in need for a new one. We should learn again that, not that one single aspect of a person that we do not like, defines them. But rather try to see the whole person.

he is helpin the kid to be involved in the neighborhood building community helping the people in the community ... he's also learning handyman traits to be able to fix his own house one day or make money fixing others

Persistence in the Padre's case was downright disrespectful to Walt with whom he has NO relationship. Regardless of the promise he made to Walt's wife. I chalk his behavior up to inexperience.. but that's no excuse. People have a right to being left alone!

Walt's not a racist. He's a product of his environment. He has moral standards and respects those who also display them. He just exists in an environment of shitty ass people. His neighborhood is plagued with that 'unemployed behavior' and his family is complete garbage. I'm a cynical bastard, but damn man, your grandmother just passed and you're acting like that. That dad should have beat the ever-living crap out of them. I despise the whole idea of people thinking they have a right to their parents/relatives property when they die. But when Walt meets people who earn his respect, he treats them fairly. Yeah, he says some wild ass shit, but there's no real venom behind it. He's also the guy you know will never stab you in the back or only be polite to your face because he calls it straight. World needs more of that and less of this 'say the right thing but then do the exact opposite' bullshit. My wife of 12 years is also Hmong. This is a good snapshot of their struggles before and after their arrival to the US. Interesting people to say the least. My wife and I still have the occasional culture clash over household chores and how it's disrespecting her if I attempt to do them. Don't totally understand it but at least she lets me cook the most these days (started cooking when I was in the service because I found it relaxing). Which is why Thao gets zero respect from the family. I can't do anything related to house chores past yard work when her family comes to visit because it causes drama between the females. It's this weird idea that I'm undermining her or displaying that she's a crappy spouse because she can't properly provide a home. Odd to me, but marriage is a compromise, so we do what we have to.

'racism' was not the biggest issue for the Hmung family, not even close- thats the truth across America with people of color.... its sad what theyve done to our youth in creating things that are not there, to ignore the real things that are-

9:56 “old guy” lol. That’s one of the greatest actors/directors of the last 50+ years.

He’s a >80 year old Korean War vet in a movie and this girl reacting nearly has a heart attack every time he says a racial slur. Grow up.

I love when people gets so offended, anxious or annoyed by just watching a movie 😂

If you're old, you've lived through things that actually matter. Saving our country and what not. So, with what you fought for just being forgotten, I, myself, agree with his character. Today? This world has gone to shit. Do the best you can to find a your own happy place. Struggle is friggin real.

pfff... the worst reaction I've seen about this movie. Little "crystal" gen.

When Walt locked Thao up, the steel screen on the door was reminiscent of the church confessional. Walt gave Father Janovich his confession about relatively minor things, but confessed to Thao about his real regrets in life.

Walt isn't racist. He says things that people today may deem racist or ignorant, but he doesn't discriminate.

It's pretty insane (or should I say I-slur) how some people are conditioned to have anxiety because of words. Actually mindblowing and very likely designed that way. There's something wrong with the world.

Young people don't understand that old people know a different world, which was worse in some ways but better in many. Racism is not always something serious. You have to prove yourself, no matter what race or gender you are.

I don't think anyone can watch this movie without crying 😢

That’s how you do a movie. Clint is world class.

I grew up with a lot of OG guys like Walt. They would talk like sailors, have strong opinions on everything and had a "racist joke" for every occasion... They were awesome. Because no matter what they had your back, despite their bigoted views they were always the first one to help anyone in need and if you could look past their salty language you realize they were actually very loving and thoughtful. I miss those old guys, they always made things interesting.

Clint Eastwood is a master of getting a hold of your heart strings and just playing them for all their worth. This movie will still get me to tear up and I'm a 52 year old! If you love Gran Torino, you really need to watch another Eastwood masterpiece named Unforgiven. It starts off slow, but give it time, and you will love it as much or more than Gran Torino!

He's only racist in your (younger generation) view. That's how people that age are. Plus, he fought in Korea so how would your view of east Asians be? Ever have a chat with your grandparents and they suddenly say something that makes you go "woah there"? It's generational and you can't blame them for that.

As Iron sharpens Iron, so to does one man sharpen another. The dialogue between Walt and Tao may seem harsh or foreign. But it is true, that is the way many men talk to eachother, it seems cruel but in a weird way we build eachother up. We make fun in person but behind their backs or if someone asks me about one of my friends, I tell them about how much a of a great dude they are, that I'd die for them.

I liked your reaction, this movie is perfect but I want to say something, God, what did modernity did to us? Ppl now a days spend most part of them lifes closed in a bubble in a internet inside their house without notion of whats happens in the real world, words are just words and everyone have rights to say everything they want to, they are not allowed to commit crimes against other ppl just bcs they think or say something, so in real life, ppl have prejudice against others and that is normal and biologically logic bcs you as a animal have to judice something before to keep your life, so ppl have right to say anything they want and ppl have prejudice and may have hate against a “race” but staying on internet saying that “he is racist!” And shits like that won’t help ending the racism, what is end the racism is meet ppl who have this thinking and showing that is not like that just like happened to Walt in the movie, so modernity will ruin our countries, I am Brazilian, I live in Brazil but it’s happening the same thing here, what is happening wont end racism and hate, is only leading us to Ruin

That’s why this younger generation are garbage. I had a grandfather/father and step father that were all military men and gave me and my sister this same type of tough love. Not enough of guys like Walt around to teach kids how not to be pussies and I’m thankful for their guidance

You just kind of have to love Sue 😜 I tear up every time I see her walk in to the house busted up 😢

One of the better transitions of a person in a movie ever, he goes from a grumpy sandpaper personality to you crying for him at the end.

You've lived a really privileged life if you can't understand the reality of the situations that are going on in that poor neighborhood and are so cringe doubt by the language of The Old Man and the other guys that you can understand that lots of times that's just reality. There's more on the line and more important things to worry about than his language

Great Reaction. Other tear jerkers: Forrest Gump Million Dollar Baby Cast Away Steel Magnolias Green Mile Men of Honor The Notebook

1. Sue and Yum Yum are a couple of little cuties.😍😍 2. With a family like that it's no wonder Walt befriends the Hmong family. 3. The guy Trey with Sue is played by Scott Eastwood. Clint's son. 4. Many Asian cultures prohibit touching someone on the head. Another "Don't Do" in Thailand is point your toes at someone. 5. My surrogate father had that collection of tools. 😎 He didn't have all the tools in the world. Just the ones he needed. 6. Guys don't normally talk to each other like that unless they're very close (or drunk)🙄 7. Walt does have a death wish. He's sick and going to die anyway. He's a hero again🦾 He got rid of the thugs and donated the house to the church😇😇

13:55 Horoscopes are bs. Embarrassing that people take them seriously.

This is a powerful movie

I met Clint, while he was filming Mystic River. On the outside, he's not acting in this movie. That is just how he is when he's not laughing. He's actually a really nice guy.

Haha best lines stop being sensetive. You should hear what we call each other

hey where is the WIND RIVER 2017 ??? (Arianas reaction).

Not sure why every slur or "curse" was bleeped except "paddy" (slur for Irish) at 12:16...

i just randomly walked in on my mom rewatching this i kept watching with her out of curiosity but... that ending had me in tears against my will!.. the worst deaths a movie can offer is a dog dying or the latter, idk how to express tears in a sentence but while wrighting this my eyes are leaking..

Fun fact, the kid who couldn't defend the girl at about 12 minutes in there is Clint's blood son.

He's not racist he's just sick of trashy people

If you do not like this movie you are the racist.

I enjoy this movie but that scene with the freezer always bugged me, all the weight is at the bottom, whoever wrote that scene has not done manual labor

I’ve always loved this movie and have seen just about every reaction to it that’s on RU-vid to date, just because I enjoy seeing something I like through fresh eyes. I’ve got to say I personally found Maple as irritating as Walt’s granddaughter for the first 1/3 of the video, and that’s rare for me. She seemed so shocked and offended all the time that she was missing some of the best character development arcs in a movie in years. I normally really enjoy her reactions and probably will in the future. But that kind of over sensitivity to somebody else’s words just seems puzzling to most guys my age.

He's not very racist, just a bit at most. And he's not weird. The only flaw with this movie really is that Tao isn't a good actor.

walt wasnt racist he used insults as a defense mechanism because of the trauma he went through during the war.

Insults used to be terms of endearment. And vice versa. It's weird.

The "overcoming racism and working together" theme is something that always works, hell its the entire story of Lord of The Rings.

I don't think Walt's racist. He's funny

1. "Powder!" It's kinda like The Green Mile. 2. R.I.P. Treat Williams. Thanks for "Deep Rising."

My grandfather, in full totality, was just like Walt for so long. But then I joined the Marine Corps. When I began to understand him, spend time with him, and more importantly, relate to him, I perceived him as a different man. The beautiful thing about people like my grandfather and Walt is that they are so full of life, wisdom, humor, and profound character. The thing is, you have to go through ALOT to see it. The sad part is, at least in the modern day, going through those experiences are NOT the norm. People like my Pops and Walt come from a time where hopping on a ship to distant lands to fight a terrible war, while engaging in equally wild side quests, with your very life, identity, and soul being the bargaining chips, were the things to aspire to do as a seventeen year old boy. I thought my Pops was a racist, impatient, and ornery old man. But no... He just hates how certain things have become normal. How, "Un-Indiana Jones" dreams have become. He still has a porta-shitter for a mouth sometimes though. But after having gone through a fraction of what he's gone through, I totally get it. And I'm only 28. I can't imagine what I'd be like at their age.

He gave his life for his friends. That is what war is. Never forget that!

If you can't cry for Walt, you are not human.

Now you gotta watch ‘Million Dollar Baby’ by Eastwood ❤

Not a fan of Diegesis calling Walt a "racist" while not attempting any sort of analysis that is more than surface level. Even within the first 10 minutes of the film one can get an idea for the conflict, guilt, coping mechanisms, and anger that Walt has. Some of these stemming from his first-hand experiences with the horrors of war (not to mention that he probably saw many of his close brothers-in-arms die by the hands of the commie Chinese and Koreans that could resemble Walt's neighbors), this leading to his not being able to form a close bond with his children whom he cannot relate to as they "couldn't possibly understand what it was like" in the war and good times have made them weak, seeing his wife of decades die leaving him alone, and seeing his neighborhood that he's lived in for years and years change into something unrecognizable (both physically and culturally) from what it was. Nope, let's just boil it down to "he's racist." Movie over, move on.

If you like Clint Eastwood, I highly recommend a not-as-well known gem - Heartbreak Ridge (1986)

Heh...walt stops someone from stealing his car, fighting on HIS property, a case of sexual abuse... RU-vidr: Maybe he'll see the light someday 😅😅😅

A lot of military people sleep on top of the covers. You’re required to keep the bed bed made a specific way with certain angles. To avoid failing inspections, they’d get it perfect then sleep on top. The really goid ones could actually sleep in the same position all night. Idea is the morning routine goes faster and you only have to tighten up the bed instead of fully making it. I always sleep cold so I kept and extra blanket in my locker. That way I didn’t have to unfold my perfectly folded blanket. Each morning, put the perfect one the bed and the one to cover with in the locker. For some, habits are hard to break. If you’re interested, Eastwood has a film, Heartbreak Ridge, where he plays a gunnery sergeant that’s essentially the young version of Walt. It’s a really great movie, I highly recommend it. Only the last 30 minutes or so show them in any kind of combat so it’s not really a war movie.

"Gentle encouraging" isn't going to do jack shxt for a lot of people. As we can see in the younger generations that I'm a part of. Some need stern hard treatment. The world is unkind and tough. "Gentle encouraging" isn't going to condition you for that.

Young people now seem to be taught that actions don't matter as long as you say the right things and don't 'insult' anyone. In the past, people would tend to speak much harsher and be brutally honest, but would take a bullet for you if it came to it. True respect would have to be earned through actions not just by speaking nicely. Someone that spoke too nicely would seem suspicious as they were probably hiding something. Tau and Su earned Walt's respect (unlike his family) and Walt took a bullet (many) for them.

Dont know if you caught it, but the scene where Walt speaks to Tao through the screen door is Walt giving his true confession. It mirrors the superficial one he gave to the priest.

Not sure if you noticed, He used offensive language ... but he was not racist... he hated everyone equally and the language he used was just words to him either to insult or just be aggressive.

Watching you react to this movie just made my night girl. This movie is just out of this world I love Walt so misunderstood

Generation X offended by everything.