Gran Torino: Review By unity768

Through the years, Clint Eastwood has become one of the finer film makers of the decade. However, ever since his Oscar winning Million Dollar Baby, Eastwood has stopped making appearances on-screen, and heavily invested himself behind the camera. This is not a bad thing, because Letters From Iwo Jima is quite possibly the best war film this decade. But despite that, moviegoers have missed vintage Eastwood. The trailers for Gran Torino seemed kind of bland, and gives bad vibes off like the film's not taking itself very seriously. I'm not quite sure what went wrong with the marketing behind Eastwood's latest, but this is mostly a serious drama/thriller that begs to question the secret demons within us all, and how racism can tackle one mans life for an eternity.

Eastwood stars as agitated Korean War vet Walt Kowalski, a man who snarls, grunts, and spits his way through life. His wife had just passed, and Walt finds himself quite lonely. Although the negative stuff like misbehaved grandchildren, and an annoying priest seem to bother the old man, the care from his sons are often tossed aside as well. When an Asian family moves next door, you can tell things between Walt and the newly crowned neighbors are going to heat up. After failing to steal the Gran Torino from Walt, Thao (Bee Vang) finds himself in a tough pickle. After weighing both options, the kid decides to work for Walt, simultaneously straying away from his cousin's dangerous gang of wanna-be thugs. The two form an unlikely bond, with Thao's sister Sue (Ahney Her) to give credit for.

Just as was the case in this years superior Changeling, Eastwood chose to use a lot of debut actors and actresses to enhance the films real and gritty atmosphere. This time though, the technique severely bogs the films quality. Specifically I'm targeting Bee Vang. The powerful scenes he shares with Eastwood seem uneven, with much of the load being carried by the sublime Eastwood. Ahney Her is a step up in quality, but again her performance is mediocre, and pales in comparison when sharing the screen with Clint. To get to the bottom line, Eastwood is just as good here as he was in Million Dollar Baby, in which saw him receive an Oscar nomination. Their a number of one liners that run throughout the film, with "Get off my lawn!" possibly sharing a top spot in this years most memorable movie quotes. Numerous scenes with Walt's barber, last years Zodiac monster John Carroll Lynch, are quite hilarious. If your deeply against racism, you should probably cover your ears because there are a number of jokes and rants geared toward Asians that are just too funny not to laugh at.

Ignoring the shaky friendship between Walt and Thao, Gran Torino is best viewed as a character study. Walt is a very amusing and interesting individual. He's already been labeled as "the old man to be" in perspective to young audiences. But although Walt is a fascinating person, one can't help but say "I've seen this before" throughout the 116 minute run time. Take for instance American History X. X is superior in almost every way to Gran Torino, only being on par in the acting department. Norton's turn is Oscar worthy and so should Eastwood's. Even a film like Remember the Titans, focusing on a mixed colored football team, has the same emotional punch that Gran Torino surely delivers. This isn't so much a bad thing, but it holds the film's quality to effective mediocrity.

Despite the criticism, Eastwood's latest is a very entertaining movie. He does a great job at pacing this project, giving each character his or her time to shine, no matter how badly performed it may be. Audiences are spoon fed some symbolism, like the significance behind the Gran Torino, or his final confession to his young priest, one of the brighter relationships in the film. Yes, it's very predictable and the path to its conclusion is familiar, but nonetheless effectively emotional. Again, this is a testament to Eastwood's directorial cannon towards Walt. He's a funny character, but ultimately dark with seemingly no heart. Just as American History X saw a character reform, Gran Torino follows suit. Again, we've seen it, but it mostly works.

After it's all said and done, Gran Torino provided a good movie experience. The supporting characters are not performed very well and the morally focused theme is supremely familiar, but it's Nick Schenk's dark comedic script and Eastwood's top caliber performance that carries this flawed film down recommendation lane. If this is the last time we see Eastwood on-screen, this is a more than satisfying way to go out.