Gran Torino is the story a man named Walt, an elderly man who hates his family and lives alone in a house surrounded by Hmong people who have moved into the neighborhood and they don’t like him and he doesn’t like them. He doesn’t like all Asian looking people because he fought in the Vietnam War and refers to all of them as gooks. When are young is pressured into feeling Walt’s Gran Torino as part of the gang initiation Walt is faced with the challenge of defending his car and defending the young man from the gangs, as well as the family next door.
Over time, he bonds with Tao, the young man who tried to steal his car. He teaches him how to become a man. After the gangs beat up his sister and shoot up his house, Walt decides to take matters into his own hands. To get rid of the gang problem in his neighborhood he shows up in the bad part of town, gets everybody’s attention, and causes himself to get shot to death by the gang and because everyone saw that they were able to testify and get the game problem eliminated in the area.

Instead of leaving the Gran Torino to his spoiled family in his will, he gives it to Tao.
Aspects of the Hmong culture include rigid gender roles and spiritual beliefs. They also are very community based very good social connection among each other. Some of the problems facing their culture poverty and gang violence. I was unfamiliar with Hmong culture, and viewed their beliefs in shamans and magic to be backwards. It’s not so strange when you put it into perspective; after all not all of them believe in that stuff. I liked the different representations of people in the movie, the racist old man, the old and young Hmong characters and their lives. It was educational and heartfelt.