Directed by:
Clint EastwoodScreenplay:
Nick SchenkCinematography:
Tom SternCast:
Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes, Dreama Walker, Brian Howe, John Carroll Lynch, William Hill (more)VOD (5)
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A disgruntled Korean War vet, Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (16)
Gran Torino is practically flawless on its own terms. Sure, it’s predictable, but that’s entirely beside the point. Any attempt at subversion would only undermine its core message. The film is like a piece of timeless wisdom we all know but often forget. What makes it powerful is its delivery — straightforward, unapologetic, and real. It feels like having a conversation with an old, wise neighbor over a few cold beers in his backyard.
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This really swept me away. The entire film flows with the same melancholic mood, regardless of whether they are exchanging bullets or sarcastic wisecracks. Gran Torino drives straight to a clear ending, but that’s one of its strengths. Really, a surprising twist wouldn’t be fitting, everything ends the way it should. And the end credits have a wonderful song with a powerful effect that multiplies the emotions of the film as a whole. For me, one of the year’s best films.
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I have a reserved attitude toward guaranteed blockbusters that the film community considers serious contenders for the best film of the year. I usually prefer films outside the mainstream and am often enthused by a true film outsider. However, in the case of Gran Torino, I have to admit that it is a very decent melodrama, where Clint Eastwood has capitalized on his extensive experience in directing and acting. It's not that the old good Clint is such a great director, but he is rather a very high-quality and reliable craftsman who knows his limits well and steers his film into waters where he feels at home. His character is actually a direct continuation of his most popular protagonists, i.e., the headhunters from old Sergio Leone westerns and, above all, the tough inspector Harry Callahan. Add 40 years to Callahan and you have the grumpy retiree and devotee of true American values, Walt Kowalski. The plot is predictable for most of the runtime and its message is clear to any slightly experienced viewer after a few minutes, but Eastwood manages to enrich his film with a series of pleasant, audience-friendly scenes, such as the initiation of an Asian teenager into the language of real men or amusing multi-ethnic clashes between the grumpy American and his Asian neighbors. Where the director maintains a tragicomic tone, his story and performance are believable and highly sympathetic. However, when elements of a fateful drama and self-sacrifice creep in, the film teeters on the edge of self-parody - for example, the moment when the nearly 80-year-old man with cancer-ridden lungs knocks down a member of a criminal gang three generations younger. Generally, Clint Eastwood's films and his characters are indeed the perfect essences of the purest American values, and his films should be obligatory screenings at Republican Party conventions. They include firearms, a tough cowboy attitude, outspoken patriotism, and social conservatism. However, if the director can lighten and complement them with, for instance, a parody of political correctness, when he and his old friend from the barbershop make subtle jokes about their nationalities, it is not only digestible but also good. Overall impression: 80%.
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“Dirty Harry" with one foot in the grave looks back on his live and ponders over questions of life and death. Clint approached this rather tired topic with great verve, and with transcends it and has a feeling of quality about it that only he has the knowhow to imprint into his movies. He follows the simple maxim “what you don’t do yourself isn’t yours". He played his best role for many years, shot his best role for many years, produced his best role for many years and partly wrote and sang his best song for many years. Shame that he didn’t shoot his best movie for many years. But still, it’s a great movie. And that’s what’s most important, isn’t it? P.S.: I couldn’t name another movie where a simple background song for the credits would make such an impact. It’s by far the best song in the whole movie. It says exactly the same, but needs just a couple of minutes to say it.
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Clint Eastwood really knows what he's doing and with this film he surpasses even his previous hits. Gran Torino immediately catches the eye with its fantastic and interesting portrayal of each character, but what’s worth watching above all is the gradual mental transformation and inner struggle of Clint himself, who was given an extremely illegible role by the script and, together with the convincing Christopher Carley, created one of the most perfect cinematic duos I've ever seen. Despite a premise that smacks of boredom, the film moves along at a high pace, is really well directed and emotional, and the incredibly human expression of friendship and belonging that slowly but surely rises to the surface won't let you skip a beat. And the ending?!... That one really got me.
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