Pros
Entertaining.
Suspense.
Story.
Unexpected ending.
Eastwood's charisma.
Cons
Occasionally slow tempo.
Full Review
Gran Torino is the newest film by the legendary actor and director Clint Eastwood. I must admit that I am a great fun of Clint Eastwood ever since he played in the famous Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ". This was long time ago, but since that time, Clint Eastwood has never stopped to surprise me, among the other things, by becoming more than a successful film director. The Grand Torino blockbuster movie is his latest surprise.
I went to see the Grand Torino film without much expectations, but I knew Clint Eastwood was also going to act in this movie (by the way, he is also a director and producer), the same as in his previous masterpiece,
Million Dollar Baby (2004). It turned out this film was a good deal more effective in keeping me glued to my chair for much longer than 2 hours, which is the duration of the movie.
Gran Torino is a mix between action, drama and thriller. The plot is centered around a Korean War veteran, Walt Kowalski, played by Eastwood himself, who is quite disquieted with his new Asian neighbors. He is an old man, full of resentment and disappointed in life, with no friends nor, despite his two sons, close family relationships. A sequence of events will bring him together with Tao, a neighbor teenage boy, who is being harassed by his gang member cousin. Gradually, the old man is going to become a close friend with the boy and his family, and despite his initial contempt he will start learning about the Hmong culture and people. At the end of the movie he will do his best to protect the boy from the attacks of the gang members.
Although this plot seems quite simplified and plain, the way Eastwood develops the tempo of the movie as well as the main characters is phenomenal. It captures your attention and you find yourself emotionally involved in anticipation of the next move. In my opinion, Gran Torino can provide much more than instant entertainment. It is a movie about friendship, commitment and sacrifice that makes you think for many hours afterwards. It is a movie with one basic message that everybody can change for the better, and find within their inner being real human values in spite of the negative first impressions. I will not reveal the ending of
the Gran Torino movie, as this would spoil the pleasure of watching the ending scene of the film, which is as unforeseen as it is monumental.
If you have missed this movie, the
Gran Torino (Widescreen Edition)
DVD is an excellent choice for your home cinema system. The commercial success of the movie is probably beyond the bravest expectations judging from the box office results exclusively, with over $270 million all over the world. This film will certainly not fade in your memories for a long period of time.
In Closing
Some people might not be entirely pleased with the movie, but the bulk
of reviews I have seen are equally strongly in favor of the movie. Sadly, Gran Torino was
not appointed for a single Academy Award. How is this possible remains
a real mystery to me. I believed this film was a true swan song of
Clint Eastwood as far as his acting was concerned, and deserved at the
very least a nomination, if not an Oscar for his excellent performance.
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