Review of Gran Torino (2008) by Grant C — 26 Aug 2012

Vintage Eastwood brought into the modern day. Simple but effective character piece that brings up ideas of racism, tolerance, and understanding in an irreverent but earnest way (seriously, Eastwood makes for one of the funniest racists you'll ever see on screen) that's complimented by a hilarious script with a good chunk of racial slurs you may or may not have heard before.

Fair warning though, despite being well-written and well-intentioned, pretty much every actor (save for Eastwood, who plays the grizzled war veteran with ease and gusto) is TERRIBLE, with wooden and stilted delivery in practically every one of their lines.

Still, at the same time, one must realize these aren't professional actors, but rather people Eastwood picked because of their heritage and cultural insight. If anything, the material makes it feel somewhat meta in its teachings.

But I digress, if you can get past the acting, this is a funny movie that features an uncompromising Eastwood that's equal parts bad-ass and somewhat touching at times.