In the opening scene of Gran Torino, Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) stands beside his late wife's coffin at her funeral. As various members of his family file into the church to pay their respects, he snarls at their indifference, irreverence, and/or lack of respect. Taking the pulpit, the priest, Father Janovich (Christopher Carley), proclaims, "Death is often a bittersweet occasion." Again, Walt snarls. And when the service ends and Father Janovich tells Walt that his wife's dying wish was for him to go to confession, let's just say that since it's not actually his dead body in the front of the church, that will not be happening.

A man who calls it like he sees it, literally guards his isolation with a loaded gun, and spews more racial slurs than anyone I have ever met, Walt is a person who lives according to what he knows to be true and sees no room for anything else. As he sees it, what's done is done, people are who they are, and all we can really do is live with the past and stay out of each other's way. That is until his own defensive actions collide with his young Hmong neighbors Thao (Bee Vang) and Sue (Ahney Her).

After Walt stops Thao from stealing his prized 1972 Gran Torino as part of a gang initiation, Thao's mother and sister insist Thao pay off his debt by working for Walt. After Walt defends the neighborhood when the gang members return, even his most anti-social behavior can't keep him from being pulled into the lives of those around him. And before he knows it, Walt has gone from the neighborhood's token hermit to its to its most dedicated—if still flawed—father-figure, protector, and friend.

As much as Walt is a man very much stuck in both his ways of living and thinking, what is interesting about Walt is that he is also a fixer. In his garage, his Grand Torino testifies to the many years he spent working on Ford's assembly lines making sure every car that came his way was put together as it should be. On shelves, in cabinets, and on hooks along his walls, his collection of tools stands by ready to make sure every object around him continues to work as it was designed. The problem for Walt is that fixing human trouble is just not something he comprehends. That is until he unexpectedly finds himself doing just that.

At the beginning of the film, all Walt seems to be able to see in others are their flaws. His children are spoiled, his neighbors are lazy, Father Janovich is naïve, and pretty much any man other than himself is not up to snuff. But as Walt gets to know Thao, Sue, and their family, it is as if he begins to see those around him in the same way he does his Gran Torino—as people of value with the potential to shine just as brightly as his prized automobile. After spending the first half of the movie complaining about his neighborhood, Walt employs Thao's help to clean it up. When he observes Thao miserably failing to interact with a girl who obviously likes him, instead of just insulting him, Walt gives him advice. He teaches Thao how to be a "man" and helps him to a get a job. And when Walt comes to the conclusion that none of Thao's family will find peace as long as Thao's tormentors remain, he takes it upon himself to ensure their freedom. However, more than just a realization about those who surround him, Walt's recognition that people are fixable is also one that reaches into himself. With Father Janovich appearing throughout the film, the concept of the human need for freedom through confession and repentance is introduced and explored several times. But even though Walt finally does go to confession, the story that unfolds points to the idea that freedom from guilt, sin, and whatever pulls us away from perfection and destroys our peace is more complex than just reciting a few words.

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