This was far better than I expected, and I am a Clint Eastwood fan. This is the first Eastwood movie in a long time, to incorporate his spaghetti-western, Sergio Leone days, but that’s not to say Gran Torino is a bloody action-packed massacre... it’s not. It’s about racism in the mid-west, gang violence, and the always profound religious beliefs on life and death. Most of his movies are incredibly slow-paced, but this stood out from the past batch (Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby) and keeps you on your toes, energized with that feeling of what will happen next. As a filmmaker, he has a unique talent for turning the bad-guy into the good-guy, or rather not distinguishing his character as being either one. But you WILL fall into the story, rooting for old Eastwood, the way he was back in the Dirty Harry days. It’s a simple script, but a remarkable achievement, especially the fact that Eastwood composed much of the soundtrack as well. This is one tough filmmaker that refuses to grow old artistically, and never ceases to surprise the audience with unexpected plot-twists, and provocative, compelling dialogue. Gran Torino and The Wrestler make my list of the best movies of the year. How Gran Torino got snubbed from the Oscar nominations is a shame. I can only guess, the Academy is sick of giving the man awards! (A)
great blog! i just disagree with this movie, not good, it was fun to see him on screen and he still has it, of course! but everything else was too plain, bad acting, the twists fit so neatly together. i hope he'll be back in front of the camera once more, maybe a bronco billy type of movie
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