Gran TorinoRated R
Running time: 1 hr 56 mins
Cast:
Clint Eastwood
Christopher Carley
Bee Vang
Critical Consensus:
***1/2 out of *****
(79% Fresh Rating!)
Mikey @ The Movies Official Rating:
**** out of *****
The Premise:
Disgruntled Korean War vet Walt Kowalski sets out to reform his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager, who tried to steal Kowalski's prized possession: his 1972 Gran Torino.
MY REVIEW
I should point out to you review reading world, that I have pretty much never been a fan of Oscar nominated Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby) the actor. I think it's always been that raspy, gritty tone of voice that's always bothered me about him, and I never got how he was considered some great actor. Well I would like to insert my foot in my mouth or just admit that I may have been wrong about old Clint. He truly makes this movie! And not just because he directed it! But his performance defines why this movie is so very good.
Gran Torino is definitely not for everyone. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone I know, but would also warn them that this film is extremely harsh. It follows the life of Walt, a 70-something Korean War vet whose wife just passed and now he lives alone in a neighborhood that has become overly populated by the Korean community. Walt is not your everyday old man sitting on a porch. Walt is a very racist bigot. He hates the Koreans. He hates Hispanics. And he hates blacks. He has a racial slur for everyone of them, usually something pretty darn awful (Spooks, mooks, fish heads, the list goes on for a while). He especially hates his next door neighbors because one of the kids played by newcomer Bee Vang, tries to steal his prized Gran Torino for a gang initiation. Next day he comes across the young girl next door played by Ahney Her being attacked by a group of younger black guys. He ends up scaring them off and the story takes a twist...Walt starts to like his next door neighbors. A bond between him and the family begins.
Gran Torino could very well have been a really bad film. But thankfully the Oscar WINNING director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven) was at the helm, and he is no slouch when it comes to directing. He directs a story that is so scary in how real it is and how real and terryfing racism can be. Gangs are fighting over it, and killing over it. Children get hurt. I could go on, but I won't. But while the story also tackles racism, it also tells us a story of a man everyone considers a monster who really has a heart deep down. You have to think, this guy fought in Korea and he grew up in numerous decades where racism dominated the country. This "mean" man is all he's known how to be his whole life. But a Korean family opens up to him, and shows him people are defined by what's inside not how they look. And he drastically begins to realize this, even though he still spats off a ton of racial slurs (and the family just doesn't care after a while). By the end, it has a deeply moving message which I won't ruin.
I hate, hate, hate to describe this movie as a "comedy" because it isn't by any means. However, this movie is really funny! And I mean, legit funny not "so bad it's funny". It's not Tropic Thunder or Knocked Up because those films you are supposed to laugh at. I think you are supposed to laugh at Gran Torino but not for the same reasons you laugh at those other films. The humor in this film all derives from the Clint's character and his racist obscenenities which is not something to laugh at normally. What I believe is that we chuckle at this because it is so uncomfortable to hear. We aren't laughing at what he's saying, we laugh because he's saying it. I think the audience is just in a state of shock at the harshness of it, you have to be amused. I really don't know how else to explain it, but I know that if you see it and you aren't easily offended, this movie will entertain your chuckle box a lot!
Part of the reasoning above, as to why we laugh at it, was the performance of Clint Eastwood. Like I said, I've never been a fan until now. Because now in this film, Clint works perfectly. This movie was meant for him to act out. I'm not saying he's a racist in real life, I'm saying his persona was spot on for this role. It has to be the best Clint performance I've ever seen! I don't know if the "Clintys" would agree (Clinty's are the group of 70+'s that I created that have watched and loved the Clint since he first made movies in 1863...just kidding about that last part. There were about 25 of them last night at the theater though. They must have been in shock). But his gritty, hard ass persona was brilliant here and I honestly believe he deserves an Oscar nomination for his work here. He really was the epitimy of B.A. in this movie. He would kill anyone in a heartbeat, now that rocks!
My only downside to the movie was the performances of everyone else mainly those teenage kids. The two main kids in the film were just awful, I'm sorry. I really hate to sound mean about it, but man they were distractingly bad. I could look passed it if they weren't a prominent part of the movie...but they were. Some scenes they had moments of acting glory, but others were just hard to watch after a while. But to their credit, for both of them this is their acting debut's so I can't be to harsh. Really though that's the only bad thing I have against the film. The movie does get a little slow at times, and certain aspects of the story are not wrapped up like I was expecting them too. The end left a hole for me for some of the characters and I was a bit bothered by that.
With that said, Gran Torino is a fantastic film. Very harsh, very vulgar, but somehow manages to tell a really solid and moving story. Good job Clinty!
Gran Torino is definitely not for everyone. I would absolutely recommend it to everyone I know, but would also warn them that this film is extremely harsh. It follows the life of Walt, a 70-something Korean War vet whose wife just passed and now he lives alone in a neighborhood that has become overly populated by the Korean community. Walt is not your everyday old man sitting on a porch. Walt is a very racist bigot. He hates the Koreans. He hates Hispanics. And he hates blacks. He has a racial slur for everyone of them, usually something pretty darn awful (Spooks, mooks, fish heads, the list goes on for a while). He especially hates his next door neighbors because one of the kids played by newcomer Bee Vang, tries to steal his prized Gran Torino for a gang initiation. Next day he comes across the young girl next door played by Ahney Her being attacked by a group of younger black guys. He ends up scaring them off and the story takes a twist...Walt starts to like his next door neighbors. A bond between him and the family begins.
Gran Torino could very well have been a really bad film. But thankfully the Oscar WINNING director Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven) was at the helm, and he is no slouch when it comes to directing. He directs a story that is so scary in how real it is and how real and terryfing racism can be. Gangs are fighting over it, and killing over it. Children get hurt. I could go on, but I won't. But while the story also tackles racism, it also tells us a story of a man everyone considers a monster who really has a heart deep down. You have to think, this guy fought in Korea and he grew up in numerous decades where racism dominated the country. This "mean" man is all he's known how to be his whole life. But a Korean family opens up to him, and shows him people are defined by what's inside not how they look. And he drastically begins to realize this, even though he still spats off a ton of racial slurs (and the family just doesn't care after a while). By the end, it has a deeply moving message which I won't ruin.
I hate, hate, hate to describe this movie as a "comedy" because it isn't by any means. However, this movie is really funny! And I mean, legit funny not "so bad it's funny". It's not Tropic Thunder or Knocked Up because those films you are supposed to laugh at. I think you are supposed to laugh at Gran Torino but not for the same reasons you laugh at those other films. The humor in this film all derives from the Clint's character and his racist obscenenities which is not something to laugh at normally. What I believe is that we chuckle at this because it is so uncomfortable to hear. We aren't laughing at what he's saying, we laugh because he's saying it. I think the audience is just in a state of shock at the harshness of it, you have to be amused. I really don't know how else to explain it, but I know that if you see it and you aren't easily offended, this movie will entertain your chuckle box a lot!
Part of the reasoning above, as to why we laugh at it, was the performance of Clint Eastwood. Like I said, I've never been a fan until now. Because now in this film, Clint works perfectly. This movie was meant for him to act out. I'm not saying he's a racist in real life, I'm saying his persona was spot on for this role. It has to be the best Clint performance I've ever seen! I don't know if the "Clintys" would agree (Clinty's are the group of 70+'s that I created that have watched and loved the Clint since he first made movies in 1863...just kidding about that last part. There were about 25 of them last night at the theater though. They must have been in shock). But his gritty, hard ass persona was brilliant here and I honestly believe he deserves an Oscar nomination for his work here. He really was the epitimy of B.A. in this movie. He would kill anyone in a heartbeat, now that rocks!
My only downside to the movie was the performances of everyone else mainly those teenage kids. The two main kids in the film were just awful, I'm sorry. I really hate to sound mean about it, but man they were distractingly bad. I could look passed it if they weren't a prominent part of the movie...but they were. Some scenes they had moments of acting glory, but others were just hard to watch after a while. But to their credit, for both of them this is their acting debut's so I can't be to harsh. Really though that's the only bad thing I have against the film. The movie does get a little slow at times, and certain aspects of the story are not wrapped up like I was expecting them too. The end left a hole for me for some of the characters and I was a bit bothered by that.
With that said, Gran Torino is a fantastic film. Very harsh, very vulgar, but somehow manages to tell a really solid and moving story. Good job Clinty!
To view this film's theatrical trailer, click this link: Gran Torino
*This is the 162nd new film I've seen and reviewed this year.
It was easily good movie of the year..fantastic movie with brilliant acting..I fully enjoyed it. I would love to watch it again :)
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