Release Date:
01/09/2009
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
The Skinny: A crusty, racially-insensitive Korean war vet living in a rapidly-deteriorating neighborhood finds himself becoming the block's unwitting guardian angel after pulling a gun on Asian gangbangers intent on roughing up the quiet kid next door.
The Good: Only Clint Eastwood could be this badass at an age when most people's battles are solely between themselves and their prostates (who else could make "Get off my lawn" the "Go ahead, make my day" of the retirement set?). Gran Torino unfolds slowly, but Eastwood balances sadness, humor, and applause-worthy tough guy moments without ever tipping the balance too far in any direction. And the resolution, not to spoil anything, is exactly how the story needed to end.
The Bad: Bee Vang, who plays the bullied kid next door, is, to put it simply, a bad actor. The role needs just a little more, and the kid can't deliver. His weakness is made more obvious because Ahney Her, who plays his smart-cookie sister, is really, really good. And some of the jokes about wacky Asian grandma's are a touch cornball.
Thanks, Dad: The white wannabe homie who gets humiliated by a trio of black youths and then humiliated again by Clint is none other than Eastwood's son, Scott.
Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? This is worth a trip out. It's a simple story, but well told and proof that Clint can still kick your candy ass.
The Skinny: A crusty, racially-insensitive Korean war vet living in a rapidly-deteriorating neighborhood finds himself becoming the block's unwitting guardian angel after pulling a gun on Asian gangbangers intent on roughing up the quiet kid next door.
The Good: Only Clint Eastwood could be this badass at an age when most people's battles are solely between themselves and their prostates (who else could make "Get off my lawn" the "Go ahead, make my day" of the retirement set?). Gran Torino unfolds slowly, but Eastwood balances sadness, humor, and applause-worthy tough guy moments without ever tipping the balance too far in any direction. And the resolution, not to spoil anything, is exactly how the story needed to end.
The Bad: Bee Vang, who plays the bullied kid next door, is, to put it simply, a bad actor. The role needs just a little more, and the kid can't deliver. His weakness is made more obvious because Ahney Her, who plays his smart-cookie sister, is really, really good. And some of the jokes about wacky Asian grandma's are a touch cornball.
Thanks, Dad: The white wannabe homie who gets humiliated by a trio of black youths and then humiliated again by Clint is none other than Eastwood's son, Scott.
Theater, DVD, or TNT in Five Years? This is worth a trip out. It's a simple story, but well told and proof that Clint can still kick your candy ass.