Review of Gran Torino (2008) by Joe C — 15 Jul 2015

Clint Eastwood's later work might have tailed off somewhat (see Hereafter - or, if you prefer, don't), but his stern tale of a disgruntled war vet who takes his introverted neighbor under his wing remains his most authentic.

The main character, Walt Kowalski, doesn't get into anything particularly untoward in Gran Torino, and he is also every racist, grumpy old man we've ever met. Setting him as the lead was a dicey choice, but with Eastwood anchoring the role and the character-driven script, viewer empathizes with his narrow-mindedness and eagerly to accepts his slow redemption.

This could be a whacky edgy comedy starring Johnny Knoxville, but Eastwood takes it in another direction, never adding easy-to-grasp motivations for behavior and never shying from the uncomfortable ideas thrown up by the premise.

See it as a critique of racism or bigotry, but either way a film that can go from heart to humor to tragedy this seamlessly deserves respect.