From Victim to Vigilante: Anomie and Misanthropy in Gran Torino

Film as Text. Gran Torino (Clint Eastwood, 2008) is a study of the cinematic vigilante's psychology. It explores the point at which Walt Kowalski (played by Eastwood) shifts from legal to illegal actions within the narrative. Christopher Traficante traces Kowalski's shift from anomie to misanthropy in the film.