Good story, bad execution.

Rating: 4/10 (23 December 2008)

This had the makings of a great film - the storyline was solid. You have a old, racist, Korean War veteran struggling to adjust to a neighborhood that has, over time, come to be filled with foreigners. And its not just any old man, either... Its Clint Eastwood.
You know what your getting with Eastwood as an actor at this stage of his career - a tired old man with a grizzly voice to match those gritted teeth. The 4 time Oscar winner fit the role perfectly - despite this fact however, the question is "why did he even take on this project?" The cringingly bad script should have been enough for Eastwood to pass this one up.
First of all, this was Nick Schneck's first attempt at anything big. I love to see a young writer emerge on the scene with a genius screenplay, but this guy just plain failed. I'm not sure if he was trying to be "real", but the result was a movie full of sloppy, heavy-handed lines. Add a weak supporting cast to the mix, and you've got a complete dud that revolves around the big-named Eastwood.
Regardless of any storyline or actors involved in a film, you generally expect Eastwood to put together, at the very least, a good, solid movie. This is not the case with Gran Torino. While Eastwood did turn in a solid performance, his direction of this movie, plague from the start with bad lines, was uncharacteristically shoddy. Watching the movie, I had a hard time believing this is the same director that gave us Mystic River, and Unforgiven. I guess even the best directors make a clunker every now and then. Having watched movies such as this one, Changeling, and Flags of Our Fathers, I have also come to realize that Mr. Eastwood just can't resist a good cliché now and then. Watching Changeling, I just put my hand over my face when Angelina Jolie says "hope" at the ending. If you saw Changeling you know what I mean.
I was disappointed with Gran Torino. I have been relatively let-down by both of his efforts this years. That being said, I'll be happy to hear about, and eventually see, his next movie.