Synopsis:
Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets
out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong
teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized
possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.
The Freak's
Rating: B : Clint Eastwood will always
remind me of my father. Perhaps it is the
fact that I grew up watching his movies
alongside my old man. It might be that I
remember my Dad as the original white T shirt
wearing, cigarette smoking tough guy that Clint
so often portrayed. I grew up watching
Clyde the monkey sit alongside Clint as Every
Which Way But Loose played as a cinematic
serenade. As little as those movies
contributed to the prosperity of cinema as far
as the Smithsonian is concerned, they meant a
lot to me. Something about watching
Eastwood having a cigarette while drinking a
Pabst Blue Ribbon beer on the porch makes me
think I'm seeing my father on screen.
Clint will always be that tough guy to me so any
role that pulls that act out of him immediately
has me interested.
Clint
is wonderful here as Walt Kowalski, a retired
foul-mouthed vet reminiscent of Jack Nicholson's
portrayal of a similar character in As Good As It Gets.
Solid performances are also driven in by the
remainder of the cast, with emphasis on the raw
cultural differences between Walt's Polish grump
and the Lor family next door. Eastwood's
delivery is wonderful and he'll likely be
recognized by the Academy for his delivery in a
performance that has the feel of a final role by
the actor, though he hasn't mentioned it
publicly.
Writing is the biggest lack in Gran Turino,
taking what is a surefire A of an idea and
producing a B of a movie. The concept of
Eastwood as a racist grump who must adjust to
ethnicity at his front door is fantastic.
Foul-mouthed moments are overdone in a few
moments, causing the ingenuity of the character
to slowly deteriorate. It is odd that
Eastwood would miss this as the director and
continue to push, but it is there none the less.
That said, writing is still solid enough to
produce an interesting story and have some
twists and turns that maintain interest.
Direction is tight as always with Eastwood with
angles engrossing throughout.
Eastwood's ties to my own father will always
keep me watching him in film. At one point
in the film Eastwood says his largest regrets
are emotional ties to his children, "something I
just didn't know how to do". Ties between
father and son(s) were difficult to my father
and I found myself a little emotional listening
to this angle of it. Gran Turino doesn't
have to remind you of your father to be
entertaining. Though leaving little doubt
(at least in my mind) that this is Eastwood's
last role, Gran Turino is solid filmmaking and
keeps your attention throughout.
Sebastian's
Rating: A : A 'B?'. Are you kidding me?
First off I would like to say, this is a
terrific film. For the past few weeks I've been
wondering if I should see it, or not bother. I
thought this movie wouldn't be as good as I
thought it would be, but boy was I wrong.
Simple, entertaining and absolutely hilarious! I
had no idea it would be so funny! At the age of
79, Eastwood's performance and directing are
simply effortless. Bee Vang's performance isn't
great to be fair but that's about the only other
flaw. This is a touching story about an old
man's redemption. The humour flies in the face
of political correctness but it works well in
the context of the movie. The character Eastwood
creates speaks to anyone who has known a grumpy
old man, stuck in his ways but is essentially
good at heart. Good twist at the end.
One of the best movies of the year, but no doubt
one of Clint Eastwood's best performances.
Daniel's
Rating: A-
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