Notes: Bloody heck. How long has it been since I posted a review now? Two months? Three? Oh well, my new computer is almost working so game reviews should come soon now that I have some more free money. Big thanks to Archiael for getting me off my arse to do this. Comments and criticisms appreciated, as always.
Clint Eastwood is an actor who is probably best known in the film world for his work during the later half of last century, playing archetypal tough guy roles to perfection in titles like Dirty Harry and the Dollars trilogy, amongst others. He returned again in 2008, pulsating with the same brilliant belligerence that made him famous, in Gran Torino. In the film he plays Walt Kowalski, an aging veteran of the Korean War and former car plant worker whose interests include grumbling in disgust, spitting in disgust, smoking, racial slurs and taking care of his 1972 Ford Torino. He feels angry at the changing world, polarised from his self-centred family after the death of his wife and is the only patriotic American living on a block populated largely by Vietnamese.
When his teenage neighbour Thao tries to steal his car late one night he pulls out his old service rifle and chases him out of the garage. A few days after a fight breaks out between Thao, his sister Sue and the gang that put Thao up to the task, which devolves into a full on brawl broken up by Walt, pointing a gun in one gang member's face and telling him to "get off my lawn."
Seriously, get the eff off Clint's lawn.
His heroism wins the (unwanted) adoration of the neighbourhood and lands himself in a situation where he has gifts showered upon him and Thao in his service as way of apologising. At first Walt is reluctant, but then takes him under his wing to "man him up a little" after seeing a few of his more admirable qualities, and quickly begins to realise how much he has in common with his Asian neighbours.
The first thing that really struck me about the film is that Walt lives in a neighbourhood that's about as dodgy as you can get while still maintaining some suspension of disbelief. Some early scenes suggest that the place is crawling with gangs that like to drive slowly with their stereos turned up and windows wound down, wave guns in each other's face and all that other rubbish. At first I found most of it to be a little over the top, but Eastwood's rock-solid performance always managed to bring it all back to earth.
There's an amazing scene about half an hour in, in which Walt finds Sue and her date being harassed by a group of black teens, drives his truck up, gets out and reaches into his jacket, pulling out his fingers in a pistol shape and tells Sue to get in the truck. When the group just laughs and holds her back he reaches back into his jacket and pulls out a real Colt 1911 and points it in their faces.
It's electrifying moments like these that really make Gran Torino great, partly because they aren't thrown into the viewer's face repetitively, and partly because they're just so convincing. The other side to film is the story of Walt's "adoption" of Thao as the son he'd always wanted. After his family forces him to work to repay his debt, Walt takes him under his wing, teaching him to fix things in and around the house, helping him get a job on a construction site, get a girlfriend and generally be a man. Through it arise some particularly charming and even funny scenes and develop the pair's characters beautifully.
Eastwood is the film's real energy and his performance is stellar throughout (barring one slightly overdone scene where he goes Hulk in his kitchen from a fit of rage) as is that of the supporting cast. I found I could readily empathise with Walt, struggling to cope with the changing world and insulted by all those that try to help him, as well as Thao and Sue's family, drowning in a sea of violence. The antagonists are constructed well enough and you'll grow to genuinely hate them as the film goes though it's course.
"Hey kid, you know you suck at everything, right? Well you do. Idiot."
The soundtrack is treated with the dignity it deserves. The score, composed by Eastwood's son Kyle, fits well, being slow and solemn, though there was a nice kick of military-style drumming before one action scene, which I thought was a nice touch. One theme that plays a few times during the film is Gran Torino, a song that Clint Eastwood and jazz-pianist Jamie Cullum wrote together. Quite a nice song in itself and somewhat inspiring, though you can really hear how grizzled Eastwood's voice has become when he sings over the credits. In case you hadn't noticed during the film.
The story and the solid performance of the cast make Gran Torino an instant classic. There are some absolutely riviting scenes, especially leading up to and at the film's climax, that balances out perfectly with the dignified coming-of-age story, all laced with a quiet humour. A powerful film enjoyable by all, Watch It.
Clint Eastwood is an actor who is probably best known in the film world for his work during the later half of last century, playing archetypal tough guy roles to perfection in titles like Dirty Harry and the Dollars trilogy, amongst others. He returned again in 2008, pulsating with the same brilliant belligerence that made him famous, in Gran Torino. In the film he plays Walt Kowalski, an aging veteran of the Korean War and former car plant worker whose interests include grumbling in disgust, spitting in disgust, smoking, racial slurs and taking care of his 1972 Ford Torino. He feels angry at the changing world, polarised from his self-centred family after the death of his wife and is the only patriotic American living on a block populated largely by Vietnamese.
When his teenage neighbour Thao tries to steal his car late one night he pulls out his old service rifle and chases him out of the garage. A few days after a fight breaks out between Thao, his sister Sue and the gang that put Thao up to the task, which devolves into a full on brawl broken up by Walt, pointing a gun in one gang member's face and telling him to "get off my lawn."
Seriously, get the eff off Clint's lawn.
His heroism wins the (unwanted) adoration of the neighbourhood and lands himself in a situation where he has gifts showered upon him and Thao in his service as way of apologising. At first Walt is reluctant, but then takes him under his wing to "man him up a little" after seeing a few of his more admirable qualities, and quickly begins to realise how much he has in common with his Asian neighbours.
The first thing that really struck me about the film is that Walt lives in a neighbourhood that's about as dodgy as you can get while still maintaining some suspension of disbelief. Some early scenes suggest that the place is crawling with gangs that like to drive slowly with their stereos turned up and windows wound down, wave guns in each other's face and all that other rubbish. At first I found most of it to be a little over the top, but Eastwood's rock-solid performance always managed to bring it all back to earth.
There's an amazing scene about half an hour in, in which Walt finds Sue and her date being harassed by a group of black teens, drives his truck up, gets out and reaches into his jacket, pulling out his fingers in a pistol shape and tells Sue to get in the truck. When the group just laughs and holds her back he reaches back into his jacket and pulls out a real Colt 1911 and points it in their faces.
It's electrifying moments like these that really make Gran Torino great, partly because they aren't thrown into the viewer's face repetitively, and partly because they're just so convincing. The other side to film is the story of Walt's "adoption" of Thao as the son he'd always wanted. After his family forces him to work to repay his debt, Walt takes him under his wing, teaching him to fix things in and around the house, helping him get a job on a construction site, get a girlfriend and generally be a man. Through it arise some particularly charming and even funny scenes and develop the pair's characters beautifully.
Eastwood is the film's real energy and his performance is stellar throughout (barring one slightly overdone scene where he goes Hulk in his kitchen from a fit of rage) as is that of the supporting cast. I found I could readily empathise with Walt, struggling to cope with the changing world and insulted by all those that try to help him, as well as Thao and Sue's family, drowning in a sea of violence. The antagonists are constructed well enough and you'll grow to genuinely hate them as the film goes though it's course.
"Hey kid, you know you suck at everything, right? Well you do. Idiot."
The soundtrack is treated with the dignity it deserves. The score, composed by Eastwood's son Kyle, fits well, being slow and solemn, though there was a nice kick of military-style drumming before one action scene, which I thought was a nice touch. One theme that plays a few times during the film is Gran Torino, a song that Clint Eastwood and jazz-pianist Jamie Cullum wrote together. Quite a nice song in itself and somewhat inspiring, though you can really hear how grizzled Eastwood's voice has become when he sings over the credits. In case you hadn't noticed during the film.
The story and the solid performance of the cast make Gran Torino an instant classic. There are some absolutely riviting scenes, especially leading up to and at the film's climax, that balances out perfectly with the dignified coming-of-age story, all laced with a quiet humour. A powerful film enjoyable by all, Watch It.
