You Don't Wanna Know

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2008)

Greetings again from the darkness. I was caught off guard by the political incorrectness and comedy and depth of Clint's latest. Say what you will, but this man has turned into one of the finest and most dependable filmmakers working. He is an expert director with a real feel for guiding the viewer.
Now the hard part. What to say about his character, Walt Kowalski. Equal parts Archie Bunker, Dirty Harry and Buford Pusser. Walt spews racial epithets like a sports announcer spews superlatives. It will be very uncomfortable at first until you can adjust to his nasty temperament. But guess what? There is a heart of gold beneath the rugged body armour. Sure it stretches the boundary of believability at times and certainly his pet project, "Toad", could have used a stronger actor or better character development. Still, there is quite a dose of social commentary on the developments occurring in neighborhoods across the country ... both racially and politically.
Walt's prized 1972 Gran Torina bears a resemblance to its owner. A relic of the past that still has a bit to offer. A couple of my favorite scenes involve Clint and John Carroll Lynch (Fargo) in the barber shop. These guys go at each other hard and with no holds barred. It is laugh out loud guilty pleasure. Also, don't miss Clint's real life son (and the film's music director), Scott Eastwood, as Trey ... the anglo-tough-guy-wanna-be who gets humiliated by both a group of blacks and Walt.
So while the viewer is expected to make a few leaps in understanding, and this is not perfection, it is in fact, still very good film making and worth watching. Supposedly this is Clint's final acting gig and I hope that's not true. Sure, the patented grunts and moans are a bit over the top, but the man can still carry a scene and a film. Either way, let's be thankful for his amazing ability to produce quality films.