Gran Torino - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Gran Torino or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Gran Torino

[christina]

Ford Gran Torinos were built in Lorain, Ohio, one hundred forty-five miles from Detroit, Michigan. Walt's truck could have been built in Wayne, Michigan, twenty miles from Highland Park.

[norma]

Walt's death scene near the end of this movie was supposed to signify the acting retirement of Clint Eastwood, since this is the only movie in which his character dies on-screen. This held true for only four years, when the filmmakers of Trouble with the Curve (2012) convinced him to come out of retirement and star in the movie.

[russell]

Walt's dog, Daisy, is Clint Eastwood's beloved family retriever in real-life.

[chris]

This was one of the first movies to take advantage of a new Michigan law providing tax incentives to movie productions.

[steve]

Walt Kowalski's gun collection seems to consist of weapons he used in the military. His rifle is an American M1 Garand, a nine and a half pound .30-06 gas-operated rifle. It was first issued during World War II, then re-issued in Korea before being phased out by the M14 selective fire .308 rifle. His pistol is an M1911A1, a .45 ACP semi-automatic handgun also issued during the Korean war.

[sophie]

In this movie, Walt only drives his old F100, not his Gran Torino. The only person in the movie who drives the Gran Torino is Thao.

[russell]

The "cool medal" the kids find in Walt's basement is the Silver Star, the U.S. Military's third-highest award for valor in combat. Despite its predominately gold color, it gets its name from the smaller silver star (based on the small silver World War I Citation Star) set inside the large gold star.

[tom]

Walt says a total of fifty-three insults.

[christina]

This movie was scheduled for a thirty-five day shoot, but it was shot in thirty-three.

[claude]

In the original screenplay, this movie was set over winter and spring. When Walt notices the Hmong cutting the chicken's head off, he spits in the snow. Thao is also pushed off a bike into the snow by the Latinos. It cuts forward three months to spring after this.

[morris]

The movie opens with Walt's wife, Dorothy's, funeral, and ends with Walt's.

[stephanie]

A possible nod to The Big Lebowski (1998): a Polish veteran brandishes his 1911 and relates everything to the war.

[victoria]

On Walt's birthday, before his family arrives, he reads his horoscope to his dog, Daisy. "Your birthday today...this year, you have to make a choice between two life paths. Second chances come your way. Extraordinary events culminate in what might seem to be an anti-climax." This could sum up the events of this movie: Walt chooses between doing nothing or helping Thao when he is being harassed by his cousin's gang, the "second chances" could refer to leaving behind his racist attitudes (to some degree, at least) and spending time with Thao, Sue, and their family and friends? and, of course, the ending, where Thao and perhaps the audience may expect Walt to go out in a blaze of glory, instead of his self-sacrifice to have the gang members jailed for his murder.

[melinda]

Thao and Sue wear traditional Hmong funeral attire to honor Walt at his funeral.

[stephanie]

The jersey Walt's grandson wears at the funeral is that of former Detroit Lions wide receiver Roy Williams.

[jesse]

In terms of box-office, this movie is the most successful Clint Eastwood movie ever, both in the U.S. and the U.K, but not with inflation. Taking inflation into account, his most successful movies are Every Which Way but Loose (1978) and Any Which Way You Can (1980).

[camila]

This is the only movie where Clint Eastwood loses a gun fight. He did not technically lose, however, as it was deliberate.

[kenzi]

Open casting calls for Hmong actors were held in Hmong communities in Detroit, Michigan, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and in Fresno, California.

[mathew]

Walt fires a weapon only once in this movie, accidentally.