A diamond on the rough

Rating: 10/10 (3 January 2009)

In today's world of cheesy action movies (Transporter ??) and pathetic attempts at bathroom humor (Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie) i find it very hard to find a movie that i am willing to go pay 12 dollars at the theater to go watch.
Gran Torino is one of those rare gems that both lures me to theater and has me leaving satisfied. Clint Eastwood delivers another brilliant performance as grizzled Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski. A true fish out of water, and anti-hero of sorts. A man obsessed with the notions of honor and respect thrust into a neighborhood that seems to know very little of those two concepts. And Eastwood portrays this character so well he could easily be anyone's old school war veteran relative.
On that note, i found the acting to be perfect for the movie. Everyone who says the Hmong family was horribly acted has surely been spoiled by too many glitzy Hollywood blockbuster that will cast Brad Pitt for a one line role. The Hmong family were just that, a family of people, and that is how they behaved. The actors cast did their job and portrayed what they supposed to - a decent family in an indecent neighborhood. I found it MUCH easier to relate to a bunch of unknowns who exhibited real human emotion than a cast of over pampered celebrities who i figure have little or no attachment to the role they are playing. BOTTOM LINE: you care about the characters, you smile when they succeed, and you cry when they do.
The story itself was a true roller coaster ride in every sense of the term. The scenes switched from comedic to tragic at a drop of a hat and it worked so well. The theater seemed to move in the direction the film did and several times during the film there was barely a dry eye in the theater.
This film DEFINITELY deserves an Oscar look. And in a year where The Dark Knight has received so much award hype Gran Torino may certainly prove to be a dark horse and steal a few awards. 10/10