Gran Torino
After the abysmal overrated failures that were Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River, Clint Eastwood returned to form in 2008 with this piercing urban comedy drama that marks his last (or so he says) on-screen appearance and can certainly be chalked up as the best film heâs done in years. Playing Walt Kowalski, a retired auto worker in Detroit and Korean War vet, Eastwood is lovably grouchy and irascible, right from the opening scene at his wifeâs funeral as he scowls at his granddaughter coming into church with piercings and her midriff exposed and his equally spoiled grandson giving a smartass âtesticles spectaclesâ prayer as he arrives. The main issue is that Kowalski is an old-school, union, shop guy racist, who dislikes and distrusts anyone not coming from his working-class Polish background, as epitomized by the constant racial slurs he hurls at minorities and those with different ethnic backgrounds, so much so that the script gets a little carried away at times with it, particularly in showing him dealing with his Italian barber and an Irish constriction site boss, that the film veers off from reality and into some kind of sea of mass ignorance and intolerance. The story is driven by the arrival of an Asian Hmong family next door, which he grumbles about until the teenage son is nearly kidnapped and dragged off the property by his gang leader cousin and his cronies, leading Eastwood to get involved when the scuffle spills over into his yard, unwittingly making him a hero to his neighbors who lavish him with gifts and soon invite him for family gatherings (where he develops a hankering for the food). The mostly unknown supporting cast works well with Clint here, not seeming intimidated sharing the screen with a legend and giving good natural performances, including Bee Vang as the teenage boy whom Kowalski befriends and becomes like a father figure / mentor to; Ahney Her as his strong-willed sister who sees through Kowalskiâs hardened racist routine and encourages him to become a friend of the family, especially after he rescues her from some black thugs with rape on their minds (probably the movieâs best scene); and Christopher Carley as the pale young priest who made a vow to his late wife to watch over him and soon learns more about life from him than he ever learned from the seminary. Eastwoodâs ability to play such a nasty bastard yet still allowing the audience to marvel at the way his character grows to learn about acceptance was definitely awards-worthy work here, which is a surprise since the only thing he won for the performance was Best Actor from the National Board Of Review, whereas the Oscars stayed far away from this. As the gang becomes more threatening, Kowalski realizes that itâs time to make a stand, and while the final confrontation is both surprising yet predictable, it doesnât quite evoke the emotional response on a visceral level that Eastwood was going for, outside from the obvious symbolic overtones. Still, itâs interesting, at times upbeat, and fascinating to watch this character (whoâs still scarred from his wartime activities in Korea) come to realize that this humble, traditional Asian family next door has more in common with him than his own disrespectful, nonchalant offspring, whose idea of celebrating his birthday is to come visit him (sans grandchildren) and try to pressure him into going to live in an old age community. In other words, thereâs a lot of things here for different viewers to relate to on so many levels, and thatâs part of the unsung beauty of the film when it comes down to it, a grand way for Clint to go out pretty much on topâŚ
8/10