More than anyone else in movies today, Clint Eastwood’s name attaches a certain stigma to any film.
“Gran Torino” is no different.
The Warner Brothers logo pops up in black and white, the first scene is dimly lit with faded colors, setting the tone of the film strictly between epic and melodramatic. Love him or hate him, you can’t deny that Eastwood has style.
GRAN TORINO
WHAT: | An urban drama about a war veteran whose immigrant neighbors make him confront his own demons |
STARRING: | Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang and Abney Her |
WHERE: | Regal Valley River Center Stadium 15, Cinemark 17 |
FOR MORE INFORMATION | Go to thegrantorino.com |
While his signature style remains intact, the part of the film that deviates from the Eastwood mold is what makes all the difference.
Renouncing retirement to play the role, Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, a bitter old Korean War Veteran who mourns the recent death of his wife by scowling and growling at everyone who passes. The times seem to have passed him by, with youngsters wearing football jerseys and bellybutton piercings to church, and immigrants taking over his neighborhood. To say that Kowalski is not politically correct would be an understatement; he has a new racial slur for each person that walks down the street.
Tensions rise between the various races and on one occasion Kowalski kicks some Hmong gangsters off of his lawn, unwittingly becoming the hero of the neighborhood. Though he initially rejects this new distinction, Kowalski eventually becomes fond of his Hmong next-door neighbors, especially teens Thao (Bee Vang) and Sue (Ahney Her). The gang violence continues, escalating each time, but now Kowalski has a stake in the fighting.
There were better performances in 2008, maybe several, but no other film’s success depends as heavily on its lead performance as “Gran Torino.” What might otherwise come off as manipulative and cheesy becomes great fun with Eastwood in front of the camera. His character is tough as nails and cold as ice, perfectly walking the line between homage and send-up to the only character that he’s ever really played: Clint Eastwood.
The movie’s other players, unfortunately, simply can’t keep up. Save Eastwood and a decent performance by Christopher Carley as Father Janovich, the film is plagued with bad acting and none worse than that of its young actors. Also lacking is the script by Nick Schenk, which has its good aspects, but it is impossible to not feel that the majority of what Kowalshi says only comes off as well as it does is because Eastwood is saying it. Every scene without Eastwood drags along at the speed of molasses.
What cannot be understated about “Gran Torino,” however, is its sense of humor. It is a truly funny movie; many of Eastwood’s lines and expressions draw loud laughs from the audience. While it’s not exactly what you would plan on seeing for a light evening at the movies, Kowalski’s profane manor is likely to provide more knee-slappers than the comedy that is playing a few screens over. The same cannot be said of the film’s more dramatic elements, which are never jarringly bad, but never anywhere near heart-wrenching. All in all, it’s not the classic that people have come to expect with the Eastwood brand name, but watch it if for nothing more than to listen to Eastwood sing the soundtrack’s titular song during the credits.
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