On January 9, 2009, the feature film “Gran Torino,” starring Clint Eastwood and shot in Highland Park and other locales around Metro Detroit, was released in theatres across the country.
Gran Torino / Warner Bros. Pictures presents in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Double Nickel Entertainment, a Malpaso Production ; produced by Robert Lorenz, Bill Gerber ; story by David Johannson & Nick Schenk ; screenplay by Nick Schenk ; produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. Burbank, CA : Warner Home Video, [2009] 1 DVD videodisc (116 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in. Digital and Multimedia Center PN1997.2 .G73 2009 VideoDVD : Walt Kowalski is a widower who holds onto his prejudices despite the changes in his Michigan neighborhood and the world around him. Walt is a grumpy, tough-minded, unhappy old man, who can’t get along with either his kids or his neighbors. He is a Korean War veteran whose prize possession is a 1972 Gran Torino he keeps in mint condition. When his neighbor, Thao, a young Hmong teenager, becomes pressured by his gang member cousin to steal Walt’s Gran Torino, Kowalski sets out to reform the youth. Drawn against his will into the life of Thao’s family, Walt is soon taking steps to protect them from the gangs that infest their neighborhood. Cast : Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley, John Carroll Lynch ; Brian Haley, Brian Howe, William Hill. Also available via NetFlix.