Gran Torino Review

Get Clint Eastwood mad at a group of people, give him a gun, set him loose, and you have a wonderful movie.

Actor/director Clint Eastwood’s low growl of a voice reaches deep into your mind and pulls out pure intimidation in his latest epic, Gran Torino. Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Dirty Harry) stars as Walt Kowalski, an unabashedly racist Korean War veteran, living in a less-than-ideal Detroit neighborhood.

In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood doesn’t just play Walt Kowalski. He embodies him. Even though he plays such a different character from such a different era, someone of any age can sympathize with him.

Recently widowed, Walt spends most of his time on his front porch, throwing back can after can of beer and petting his yellow lab, Daisy, all the while shooting his trademarked scowl at passersby. His most prized possession, a 1972, mint-condition Gran Torino, after which the movie is named, plays a large role in his character’s personality. The car, being so rare, is targeted by an Asian gang, who tries to steal it as an “initiation.”

While Walt is incredibly prejudiced, he has an intense hatred of Asians, using some unprintably vulgar slurs for them. Most of the movie consists of Walt dealing with the Hmong family that moves in next door to him, whether it be through the use of fear or humor.

Gran Torino is a rather dark movie through and through. The first three minutes of the movie set the dark, depressing tone with the funeral of Walt’s wife. At several points in the movie, various bits of humor are used to lighten the mood, particularly Walt’s “real man talk” with his barber.

Torino is a fantastic movie in almost every aspect. While the beginning was a bit slow, it is made enjoyable by the witty banter between Walt and his family. The movie quickly picks up upon Walt meeting the Asian family next door, thus intriguing the audience.

The movie was received extremely well with critics, with Manohla Dargis of the New York Times saying “Clint Eastwood has slipped another movie into theaters and shown everyone how it’s done.”

Rotten Tomatoes.com gave it a 76% out of 100%, or “fresh.” The movie even made IMDb.com’s “Top 250 Greatest Movies Ever Made” list, placing 82.

Despite being a rather dark movie, Gran Torino is an excellent portrayal of an older generation. Clint Eastwood brings his already sterling acting career to a close with an excellent performance, even earning him the award of Best Actor of 2008 by the National Board of Reviews.