You could probably be forgiven for being upset when the grunting Eastwood (and there is a lot of grunting) doesn't utter the now infamous Dark Knight phrase "I don't wear hockey pants".
The
flick follows disgruntled Korean
War vet Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) who sets out to reform his neighbour,
a
young and timid Hmong teenager, who tries to steal Kowalski's prized
possession (his 1972 mint condition Gran Torino) after being threatened
by a local gang.
What
follows is an excellently crafted character piece, which chronicles the
ups and downs of a man torn between long time grievances and opening
himself up to a new world.
The ultimate message : we are never to old or young to start learning new things.
For those who haven't had their Clint Eastwood-directed fill, Grand Torino serves as a sweet and enjoyable desert to the somewhat bland main course that was Changeling.
While
it certainly isn't perfect (any performance besides Eastwood's is
amateur at best, and the simple story veers into "After School Special"
territory) Eastwood brings such charisma and humour to the role of Walt
that Gran Torino thrives.
If
this is the last film Clint Eastwood ever releases, it would be nothing
short of a fitting end to a stellar career as cinema's coolest tough
guy.
And, if nothing else, Gran Torino offers up the finest assembly of racial slurs ever committed to the silver screen. DVD EXTRAS
Not to much on offer here. The film was made with a super small
budget - and most doubted that the film would go onto become as big as
it was (taking $148M in the US and in excess of $260M worldwide) - so
you kind of have to expect that DVD extras wern't on Eastwood's mind at
the time of filming.
Included are a few so-so featurrettes
including "Manning the Wheel: As Reflected in American Car Culture" and
"Gran Torino: More Than a Car" which will warrant viewing once... if at
all.
Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 65%
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