Character Development - Walt Kowalski - 'Gran Torino' (dir. Clint Eastwood)

The following item gives an account of the development of the character of Walt Kowalski in 'Gran Torino'. Reading it may be useful in understanding the sorts of things you could explain in a critical essay.
Also, the development of the character of Walt is important in the film, because it goes hand in hand with the development of his relationship with Thao and the development of the theme of respect.
Clearly, since this is taken from the internet, it cannot be copied. This would be plagiarism..

A film in which there is a character who becomes a hero is ‘Gran Torino’, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. The story is set in modern day Detroit, where the central character, Walt Kowalski, a retired car plant worker and Korean War veteran, struggles to come to terms with the changes in his community. In particular, the plot revolves around his unlikely friendship with Thao, a teenage boy from a Hmong immigrant family.

The first time we see Walt is a close up of his angry face at this wife’s funeral. This gives the impression right from the start that he is a grumpy old man with not much time for people. In the next sequence of the film, we also find out that Walt has an unjustified dislike for Thao. We see this when Walt uses racist language and slams the door in his face at their first encounter. The relationship between Walt and Thao looks to be beyond repair when Thao attempts to steal the Gran Torino. Thao is caught and a shot/reverse shot is used to show the tension, anger and fear between the two characters. Soon after, because Thao’s family want him to make amends, Walt is forced to take Thao on as a worker. Thao begins to earn Walt’s respect through his hard work and determination. We see the first spark of a relationship between Thao and Walt.

We realise that the relationship between Walt and Thao has changed when Walt goes to Thao’s door asking for his help. This is a mirror image from earlier in the movie when Thao went to Walt’s door asking for help and Walt shuts the door in Thao’s face. This shows that Walt no longer sees him as the foreign boy next door who tried to steal his car, but as a friend and acquaintance, and he does not mind asking for his help when moving the freezer.

As the plot progresses, Walt realises that Thao’s chances of success are being held back because he is under pressure to join a troublesome gang of Hmong youths. Walt had realised who his true friends were after the gang attacked and raped Sue, Thao’s sister. After this, he wanted to help his Hmong neighbours, because he cared for them. After seeing Sue in that state, he lost his temper and smashed the glass cabinets and cupboards.

The climax of the movie is a scene which shows Walt’s turning point from a racist to a true friend and hero of the Hmong people. In this scene Walt makes the most extreme sacrifice – his life. The audience sees Walt pretending to pull a gun and he is violently shot down by the Hmong gang. This leads to them being taken to prison, which, in turn, means that Thao and Sue can have a peaceful future. Eastwood has chosen this scene, because it shows the change in Walt’s racist beliefs. He ends the film a true hero.

In this film, Clint Eastwood explored the idea of racism in USA and decided to send a powerful message to viewers that better understanding and friendship could overcome problems of difference. He used a wide range of film techniques to make a very interesting and engaging film, where the central character saw the error of his ways and became a true hero.