Gran Torino

This article is about the film. For the car, see Ford Torino. For the Italian football team, see Grande Torino.

Gran Torino
An elderly man holds a shotgun as he stands in front of a Ford Torino.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byClint Eastwood
Screenplay byNick Schenk
Story by
  • Dave Johannson
  • Nick Schenk
Produced by
StarringClint Eastwood
CinematographyTom Stern
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • December 12, 2008 (2008-12-12)
Running time
116 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$25–33 million[3][1]
Box office$270 million[1]

Gran Torino is a 2008 American drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, who also starred in the film. The film features a large Hmong American cast (the first time for an American mainstream film),[4] as well as one of Eastwood's younger sons, Scott. Eastwood's oldest son of record, Kyle, composed the film's score with Michael Stevens, while Jamie Cullum and Clint Eastwood (in-character as Walt Kowalski) provide the theme song.

Set in Highland Park, Michigan, the story follows Kowalski, a recently widowed Korean War veteran alienated from his family and angry at the world, whose young neighbor, Thao Vang Lor, is pressured by his cousin into stealing Walt's prized Ford Torino for his initiation into a gang. Walt thwarts the theft and subsequently develops a relationship with the boy and his family.

Gran Torino opened with a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 12, 2008, before expanding wide on January 9, 2009.[5] It grossed $270 million worldwide, making it Eastwood's second highest-grossing film to date.[6] The film received generally positive reviews from critics for Eastwood's direction and performance; within the Hmong community in the United States, the film was generally praised but also received criticism for its cultural inaccuracies.

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cite error: The named reference numbers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "GRAN TORINO (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 17, 2008. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference foxnews1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Yuen, Laura. "Hmong get a mixed debut in new Eastwood film Archived November 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine." Minnesota Public Radio. December 18, 2008. Retrieved on March 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference variety1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference BoxMojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).