Exceptional

Rating: 8/10 (27 January 2009)

I'll keep this short, Gran Torino was an amazing film. I walked in knowing little about the plot but hearing it was a great film. My expectations were low so it probably increased my overall reaction.
You can find a better plot description elsewhere so I won't waste your (and my) time. Clint Eastwood was absolutely fantastic and I was shocked to see a best actor nomination wasn't given to one of the best performances I have ever seen in a film. The Asian gang harassing the neighborhood were menacing and genuinely scary. I felt uneasy every time they showed up and was glad they weren't reduced to the clichés they so easily could have become.
But what made the movie for me was that Gran Torino felt real. It didn't feel like a green screen studio with paid actors and trailers off screen. There weren't any references to Eastwood's older films, no shameless product placement and nothing that could show you're watching a movie rather than looking out your window.
See this film.