Gran Torino

After my viewing of Benjamin Button I've taken a lengthy sabbatical away from theater-going - six new releases in three weeks plus the accompanying food and other expenses was quite draining of finance, plus I am sort of going to school. This weekend I finally got to see Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino, the second film of the year after the solid if overlong and cliched Changeling. I had been leery of seeing this film, but the prospect of seeing Clint Eastwood, one of cinema's greatest icons (and my favorite movie stars), on the big screen for possibly the last time was too much to pass up. And I was pleasantly surprised. If this is indeed Clint's last acting job, he couldn't have picked a better vehicle to go out on (get it? Hehe).

Walter Kowalski (Eastwood) is an angry, embittered old man. He's watched his wife pass away, most of his friends move on or die, and his neighborhood overrun by minorities, particularly Hmong refugees from Indochina. Kowalski soon finds a purpose in life when he accidentally saves Hmong boy Thao (Bee Vang) from a gang of thugs - which makes Walter a hero in the community. Walter reluctantly takes Thao under his wing and quickly bonds with him, and becomes endeared of his sister Sue (Ahney Her). But after the gang launches a savage attack on Thao and Sue, Walter decides that he needs to deal with the gang to save his new friends and redeem himself.

Gran Torino is more than a simple "cranky racist guy learns the error of his ways" story. True, it's a story of redemption, but it's a lot more than that. It succeeds on a number of levels, from its dramatic plot to humor to commentary on the changing nature of American society, but primarily works because of Mr. Eastwood.

The movie is an epic tragedy centered around a remarkably comic film. The movie does a nice job of playing with the usual cliches; Walter is snarling, growling, foul-mouthed old bigot who does little more than sit around and drink beer all day. The movie has a lot of fun with its inherent plot points and cliches; the film makes use of the predictable plot and character arcs without being preachy and having a lot of fun with the conventions. The ads may not indicate as much, but this is a very funny movie, and if it weren't for the subplot with the Hmung gang-bangers, this could very easily work as a comedy, however dark.

The film is very well-directed, in the typical Eastwood fashion; minimalist, but powerful when and where necessary. The Hmong actors, particularly Ahney Her as Sue, do a fine job - not Oscar-worthy, but more than adequate and certainly better than most reviewers have given them credit for. The rest of the cast is pretty one-note but with Clint as such a strong center it's not much of a flaw.

Clint Eastwood is of course the primary reason to see this movie. He proves that he can still be a real badass and deliver a powerful performance. Clint has never showed any problems with poking fun at his age, and he does a real number on himself here. He utilizies his usual trademarks - his scowl, raspy voice, quickness with a gun and spitting - to create a picture of a tough guy who watched the world pass him by. If this is to be Clint's final bow before the camera, as he's suggested, it's an absolutely perfect one. His final confrontation with the gang is an absolutely perfect way to go - it's up there with John Wayne's final showdown in The Shootist as the greatest star exit in cinema history. And for that alone, the movie is worth watching.

In short, Gran Torino is an excellent film. It has the perfect balance of humor and elegiac sadness to make it work, and is a perfect final bow for one of cinema's greats.

Oscars are tomorrow - I'm not sure if I'm doing anything special, but I'll at least make a note of it. Go Slumdog Millionaire!

Rating: 8/10 - Highly Recommended