Clint Eastwood plays a racist old man living in a neighborhood full of Asians. He yells at his neighbors, spits at the black and Asian gangs, and generally acts as a cantankerous badass. But Gran Torino becomes a lot more than just Eastwood enacting revenge on the Asian gang that assaults his new friends next door - it's an exploration of racial conflicts, the failures of violence as an end-all-be-all, and the violent society that we are forced to live with and around on a daily basis.
Emotions run rampant, and though Eastwood's actions and reactions are funny, they are also equally saddening as his character finds that the family that he has appreciates him less than his neighbors do. The acting is phenomenal, the script penned with both heavy and light hands, and the direction spot on. There are no lulls, just a consistency of pairing the more tense parts with lighter fare until the intelligent and fulfilling conclusion. This is not a film one can explain through words alone; it must be experienced for the thrill.
Gran Torino on Rotten Tomatoes
3 COMMENTS:
Gran Torino was a film that I wasn't really excited about seeing because I was afraid the hype was goign to let me down. Boy was I wrong! This film had me glued to the screen and Eastwood was simply incredible in his role!
I caught this a few months ago. I liked it, but some of the supporting cast were insufferable. Especially the guy who played the priest--I wanted to hunt him down and beat him with a frozen ham.
I'm a avid Clint fan, so there was no way I'd miss Gran Torino. It's such a great movie. All the acting isn't up to snuff, but it's still a movie no one should miss.
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