Literal, simplistic, predictable, manipulative - typical Eastwood

Rating: 1/10 (14 January 2009)

To avoid over-analyzing this film, a job that was quite adequately done by many one-star raters, I simply would like to make several, hopefully original, comments and also to lower rating a bit - to me this film is obscenely overrated.
Perhaps seventy eight years old Eastwood started seriously contemplating mortality and what would be a good way to go with a bang, one can entertain such thoughts, even when not in a hurry to die. Self-sacrifice always sells - how anyone can object? And how such a gun-man as Eastwood can go, other than by a gun? You just can't teach old dog new tricks. I think it is too late for him to start making new kind of film, he already have said all he could say and now just cuts and pastes from his earlier work. Yes, he was great in his genre, (spaghetti) westerns. He was the best in Sergio Leone films and very good as Dirty Harry. But how good is he now?
With almost limitless film media released every year and systemic lack of time to view it, when planing to invest some of this precious time to see a film, of a good quality, I dare to say something new, it should be a lesson to all of us not to expect anything new from a person with fifty-year career behind him, who amply demonstrated what he's capable of, and not to waste our precious time in vain hope to find something new in his work. That is if you, as I, wish to see something new - is it not one of the top requirements for a work of art? However, should you just wish again hear: "Go ahead, make my day ...", then by all means, help yourself.