Good, but not Academy good

Rating: 7/10 (24 June 2009)

If you break down Gran Torino into its constituent parts, it doesn't look like much. Movies where a racist white guy learns to respect others are a dime a dozen (though most were written at least ten years ago). There's just something about the way it's done, however, that feels genuine instead of sanctimonious. Maybe it's the "offensive" banter or the attention to the details of Walt Kowalski's life and the lives of his Hmong neighbors. I found the ending to be a real surprise, too.
It has two main problems, in my eyes. The first is acting; I'm sure you've read it before. Okay, maybe Eastwood had trouble finding professional Hmong actors, so he needed amateurs there, but the priest was just horrible, and there's no short of young Irish men in Hollywood. Second is the Hmong culture card - more than once, the plot progresses because Walt, despite his best efforts, ends up as the benefactor of some serious Hmong gratitude. Maybe everything they did was totally realistic, but just from what I know about human nature, I feel like observations of ritual probably take a back seat even among the Hmong when it comes to a guy who gives you constant abuse like Walt.