Ever
wondered what a Batman movie would be like if we followed the caped
crusader at the age of 83, almost four decades after he hung up the
Batsuit and moved to a ghetto town?
Yeah, me too - and what are the chances - it's actually here!
Well... it's not technically "Batman"... but it's close.
Gran Torino
offers up a bad-assed, grumpy, old version of Clint Eastwood doing the
most accurate feature length impression of Christian Bale's gruff
Bat-Voice you have ever seen.
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. 4 out
of 5
Gran Torino Australian release: 29th January,
2009 Official
Site:Gran Torino Cast: Clint Eastwood, Brian Haley Director: Clint Eastwood
