Dirty Wally

Rating: 8/10 (12 September 2009)

After his wife's death, a bitter old man wants to be left alone but is reluctantly drawn into the lives of his Hmong neighbors. Eastwood takes center stage here both in front of and behind the camera. Approaching his 80th birthday, he shows himself to be in his creative prime. It's not clear if Walt is really a bigot who undergoes a transformation or his gruff demeanor is just a shield he uses to guard his privacy. Perhaps the ambiguity is intentional. If this turns out to be Eastwood's final performance, it's quite a farewell. The scenes in the barber shop are hilarious, especially when Eastwood and Lynch teach Thao how real men talk. However, the finale is not believable.