Excerpts from The Critical Analysis

Excerpts from the full paper (for people with cramped schedules) :)


1. “To begin we must open our minds to the difference in which this film points out and not let it hinder our judgment, but to help us give meaning to the film.”

2. "Gran Torino is about mortality, prejudice, and redemption; about life and death.”

3. “It can be said that Walt represents a particular age group of Caucasian men who have a “hidden set of rules and conventions through which meanings” such as discrimination come naturally when, in fact, “are made to seem universal” even though they are overruled by contemporary societal norms (Sturken, Cartwright, p19).”

4. “When watching Gran Torino it is important “to understand difference in terms that do not replicate concepts of dominance and superiority” or one may miss the meaning of the film (Sturken, Cartwright, p104)."

5. “it is clear that Walt has a cultural imperialist attitude against any foreign products, specifically foreign vehicles”

6. “semiotic meaning of Walt’s smoking as it signifies life and death”

7. “Walt struggles with issues of life/death, Christianity, and change”

8. “Walt shows acceptance of the ethnic change in his community as he accepts his neighbor’s food offerings. This simple act of acceptance is one of Walt’s steps toward peace. Another is offering his Gran Torino to Thao so he can take a girl on a date.”

9. “Walt’s mumbling at the Lors table is a psychological turn point for Walt as he discovers his emotional feelings for the friends he has made.”

10. “The post structural theorist would call him an anti-hero; someone with a weakness that also serves as a savior”

11. “Walt’s flaw is that he adheres to dominant social values from another time and the killing he did in the Korean War.”

12. “The psychoanalytic theorist, Jacques Lacan believed that a person completes their ideal self through their gaze. Through Walt’s gaze we are able to understand Walt’s identity and how he views his surroundings.”

13. “After he tricks the gang into shooting him dead, Walt lays in a symbolic pose, the cross. The cross can be interpreted as a symbol of redemption for his sins.”

14. “In this film the Hmong people are represented as passive, weak, generous, and strong. This is a good display of how each culture is filled with different traits and differences; not only one can define a race.”

15. “Thao, very similar to Walt, shows signs of repression and weakness. He is passive at the beginning of the film and at the end, after having a male role model, seems confident and free as he drives his newly inherited Gran Torino.”

16. “the meaning of this film is about dealing with change, friendship, triumph, and redemption. It is about freedom; from people, weaknesses, and regrets.”

17. “recognizing the traits of “the other” is important to the analysis and interpretation of this film.”

18. “Understanding traditions, individual backgrounds, and age are all essential to each character and the relationships among them.”

19. “this film sends a message of overcoming prejudices and the acceptance of change.”

20. “America is a multicultural nation and it is important that people, like Walt, can open their minds to all differences of culture.”