Gran Torino

[sahyder1]

This thread is part of the "EWB goes to the Movies" project. Please create future movie threads once the movie is out using the same poll that is attached to this thread. Thank You. Obviously it would help a lot if people posted reviews rather then just voting in the attached poll.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama and Thriller

Running Time: 1 hr. 56 min.

Release Date: December 12th, 2008 (limited), January 16th, 2009 (wide)

MPAA Rating: R for language throughout and some violence.

[Blue Rosler]

It's an okay movie. It's a great plot; but Clint Eastwood is fucking annoying. Not even real racists say the things he did, and it just came across as him trying to be edgy, and it didn't work.

[MyKILLv2.0]

I typically find Eastwood annoying so that wasn't anything new to me.

However I agree with you. While I found myself enjoying for the most part the bantering between Eastwood's racist commentary, and the younger/ quick witted Asian girl... I often thought that they went over board in selling his racist thought. I also thought Eastwood's character just evolved too quickly and without any cause for change actually. He basically went from this racist character to this tolerant person in one scene.

[Bigal]

The impression I got was that he wasn't so much overtly racist as ignorant. His only dealings with Asians have been in Korea, which probably left a sour taste in his mouth. Then when he gets invited to the barbecue he realises that maybe they aren't as different as he thought they were.

[Thatz]

I liked the movie a lot. I'd rated it as an 8, but it's really more of an 8.5 or so. The story was solid and Eastwood was perfect for his role, and I think that he should be pleased if that's the last time that he acts in a film. However, I felt that his performance was just on an entirely different level than all of the other actors in the film, who were just average at best. They kept the film from being truly elite.

Oh, and part of his quick transformation was that he probably knew that his life was nearing its end (his wife died) and since he had already alienated himself from his own family, he was eager to connect with someone once he found out that his neighbors weren't so bad.

Edited March 6, 2009 by Thatz