Scene summaries

Act 1

1. The funeral

The movie Gran Torino (2008) directed by Clint Eastwood begins at a church. Walt Kowalski, a recently widowed army veteran, greets the people who have come to his wife’s funeral. He looks displeased and frowns at his grandkids, who behave disrespectfully, and at the priest’s impersonal eulogy. Walt’s two sons comment on how Walt is always displeased by everything. It is clear Walt and his family are not close. 

2. After church

Everyone gathers at Walt’s house following the service and Walt seems uncomfortable with so many people around. In the basement, Walt’s three grandsons snoop through Walt’s belongings, looking at photos of Walt in the Korean War and his war medals. His granddaughter complains to her parents that she is bored and has no phone service, and Walt overhears. 

Walt goes outside with his dog Daisy. His neighbors are a Hmong family who seem to be having a gathering with many guests. Walt is displeased by the large number of Asian people and makes racist comments to himself. 

Walt catches his granddaughter smoking in his garage. She insensitively asks Walt what he is going to do with his vintage car, a 1972 Gran Torino in perfect condition, after he dies. 

Thao, Walt’s next-door teenage neighbor, rings Walt’s doorbell and asks if he can borrow some jumper cables, but Walt insults Thao and slams the door in his face. Father Janovich comes to tell Walt that before she died, Walt’s wife asked him to look out for Walt and get him to come to confession. Walt insults the priest and tells him he does not like going to church. 

3. Conflicts

People bringing plates of food continue to arrive at Walt’s neighbor’s house, while Walt’s guests leave. Walt uses jumper cables to start a guest’s car. He is annoyed that his son Mitch owns a Japanese car when Walt worked at an American Ford factory his entire life.

Inside Thao’s house, his grandmother Phong complains that Thao is washing dishes and doing “women’s work” instead of acting as the man of the house. Thao seems to hear them and looks annoyed, but he does not react. In the living room, a Hmong shaman performs a ceremony for a new-born child in the family. Thao quietly leaves. 

Walt sweeps his driveway and complains about the poor state of his neighbors’ house compared to his own, which is well maintained. His neighborhood, previously full of people of Polish descent like Walt, has now become a community for Hmong immigrants. Phong looks at Walt and complains that he is the last white person and refuses to leave the neighborhood. 

4. The gang

Thao is walking down the street while reading a book. A car slows down next to him and the Latino gang members in the car start harassing Thao, but he ignores them. Eventually, the rival Hmong gang sees and pulls out their guns, driving the Latino gang away from Thao. The members of the Hmong gang, including Thao’s cousin Spider, try to get Thao to join their gang. 

Later, Spider and the rest of the Hmong gang come to Thao’s house to continue trying to persuade Thao to join them. Thao’s sister Sue stands up to them, but they eventually convince Thao to join. They suggest that Thao has to steal Walt’s...