Clint Eastwood Idles With Caricature Over Character in ‘Gran Torino’

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CHICAGO – With his second film in just a few months, Clint Eastwood makes one of his biggest missteps of his illustrious career as one of the more esteemed American directors in the history of the medium. Eastwood has made some undeniable masterpieces - “Mystic River”, “Million Dollar Baby”, “Unforgiven” - but he has been far from perfect, misfiring wildly with films like “Space Cowboys”, “The Rookie”, and “Pink Cadillac”. “Gran Torino” falls much closer to the latter category on Clint’s spectrum than the former.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.0/5.0
Rating: 2.0/5.0

Eastwood stars in “Gran Torino” as Walt Kowalski, a bitter, cranky, snarling old man, who is mean to his priest, vicious to his family, and racist to everyone in his increasingly ethnic neighborhood. Walt could be Clint’s iconic ‘Dirty Harry’ character a few years down the road from when we last saw him and a bit more racist. (In fact, there were rumors at one point that “Gran Torino” would be “Dirty Harry 6”. If only.)

StarRead Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Gran Torino” in our reviews section.

Walt is a Korean War vet who seems to have entered a contest for the most ignorant, racist comments in the span of the running time of a movie. Can the Hmong family next door melt the ice around this grumpy old man’s heart? Can the vet with backbone to spare give some to the weak kid who lives next door? Why should we care again?

In the opening scenes, Walt’s wife has passed away and he’s growing increasingly distant from the rest of his family. The predictable and skin-deep plot doesn’t really get underway until the kindly Hmong teenager next door named Thao (Bee Vang) tries and fails to steal the only thing he loves - his 1972 Gran Torino. Walt just wants to be left alone by a world he hates more every day, but he’s sucked into a horrible written gang war when he saves Thao from an altercation on his neighbor’s front lawn because the poor kid couldn’t steal the car he was ordered to snag. Let’s hope “Get off my lawn” doesn’t take off like “Make my day.”

‘Gran Torino’ stars Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Geraldine Hughes, Brian Haley, and John Carroll Lynch. ‘Gran Torino,’ which was written by Nick Schenk and directed by Clint Eastwood, opened in Chicago on December 19, 2008.

StarContinuing reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Gran Torino” review.

Gran Torino opens from Warner Brothers on December 19, 2008.

Jimmy's picture

This has to be one of the

This has to be one of the most terrible reviews I’ve ever read. I sincerely pity the author and obvious lack of cinematic appreciation. I don’t know how you got your job but your wishing for Gran Torino to be Dirty Harry 6 speaks volumes of your mental state.
Gran Torino is quite possibly the best film of 2008, there are a couple of points where there’s sloppy acting but overall it is excellent and a truly beautiful piece of cinema.

James Stuart's picture

Gran Torin = The Best

I agree with you completely, the reviewer is an ignorant slob who only saw the superficial aspects. I don’t know what film he was seeing, maybe he got taken with a Bernie Madoff investment,and he is mad at Clint for his troubles. It was a brilliant film, everyone act with tremendous heart, the story was not the iconic and one-dimensional Dirty Harry, but more like The Unforgiven, with subtle shadings and a anti heroe who feels. Does the reviewer really think that Clint’s character was racist, Geez, he worked in Detroit surrounder by Blacks in the factory and in the community. His comments were more of the “politically incorrect” kind than any form of deep rooted racism. He insults everybody and those who know him know that it was a defensive, armor and give it right back at him. If he had lived next door to a white family, he would have insulted them too, (as he had with his own sons and the priest). Once again, Clint Eastwood has proven to be on of America’s MVP’s. His craftmanship, his directorial skills, his casting, his sense of humor, scene and sensitivty has taken him way beyond most other directors and way beyond his Diry Harry days. The ignorant reviewer has no more taste, knowledge or insight than a person who thinks a Picasso is the same as child’s sidewalk chalk drawing. Gran Torino was a pure entertainment joy, you just want to savor every second and take in the whole view at the same time.

Anonymous's picture

Typical critic who

Typical critic who completely misses the point of the entire story. But then again, most sheltered people won’t get the subtle story about how life in the inner city is almost hopeless.

Quite honestly, this was one of the best movies I have seen in a very long time.

Circle 8's picture

Gran Torino

Most of these critics want to see the wild azz special effects, monsters, anti-Bush crap that Hollyweird usually puts out. This is a film that shows the effects of some of the immigration problems we are experiencing. Whether they are gang bangers from Asian countries, south of the border or our natural born bums. The Walt Kowalski character is out there and they don’t like what they see happening to the USA. As far as the racist name calling what race does not refer to other races by these types of names. Go walk around some of the areas depicted in the movie or anywhere in America and listen to what insults are thrown around. Of course that would mean the critics would have to leave their gay lovers and latte stands. Grow up you critics from the land of fruits and nuts. I am a minority and have given and received such insults. No big deal because they are not intended as a challenge. They are just words like Kowalski and the barber said.

Anonymous's picture

Yup… this review pretty

Yup… this review pretty much sucked. Walt Kowalsky resembles one guy who lives near me. the diference? Walt lives in USA and has a rifle.
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