To Sleep (and live) With Anger

Rating: 10/10 (22 March 2009)

Despite the fact that Clint Eastwood announced some time back that he is considering retiring after filming his latest opus (Gran Torino), he is,in fact working on his next project. Until then,we can sit back and enjoy 'Gran Torino'. Eastwood pulls no punches in his portrayal of Walk Kowalski,a decorated war veteran (Korea,in this case),who is in his later years,and longs for the way things were,back in the day. Walt is a walking case of anger,bitterness & repressed remorse for what he did fifty plus years ago in Korea. Things aren't any better, when his beloved wife has passed away, and his two sons want to put him in a retirement home. All Walt wants to do is sit on his porch with his dog,drink beer & smoke. Things only get complicated with the fact that he's the last white person on his block (which is boasting of a growing South East Asian community). The icing on the cake for Walt is the growing number of street gangs causing trouble for his Hmong neighbors (whom he already has major issues with). When he defends his neighbors from the street gang, a troubled sort of relationship starts to form between the two. Clint Eastwood directs himself (from a crisply written screenplay by Nick Schenk & Dave Johansson) as well as a top notch cast in a film that incorporates drams,pathos,humour & action. Eastwood himself deserves major kudos as a embittered war vet who's glory days are far behind him (and has no problem with expressing it). Rated 'R' by the MPAA, this film contains vulgar language (including some unpleasant racial slurs),as well as some violence (including the upsetting after effects of a rape & beating). Not a good choice for the kiddies.