One of Clint Eastwood's best movies as an actor and as a director.

Rating: 9/10 (29 February 2016)

I've always liked Clint Eastwood as an actor and as a director and Gran Torino is no exception. You can see that Clint Eastwood's spirit from his old movies still lives on here and there are moments that I could not help but laugh when he would quip his one liners through his grizzled demeanour. Gran Torino is definitely one of Clint Eastwood's best movies as an actor and a director and shows that he is certainly not one to be on his laurels or just go through the motions for an easy paycheck.
Gran Torino focuses on Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood), a recently widowed Korean War Veteran and retired Ford auto worker. He is not close to his two sons Mitch (Brian Haley) and Steve (Brian Howe) and his grandchildren are disrespectful towards Walt. In fact most of his family and neighbours treat Walt as a cantankerous and prejudiced old man who hates the world around him. Walt has very few friends and the only company he enjoys is he dog Daisy and his prized 1972 Gran Torino that he keeps in the garage at the back of his house. When a Hmong family moves in next door, Walt treats then with total disdain and rubbishes their customs and way of life. Walt is also dismayed that his neighbourhood in suburban Detroit has been taken over by Asian families and street gangs. The local priest Father Janovich (Christopher Carley) frequently finds himself on the receiving end of Walt's temper as Walt dismisses him as a 27 year old virgin with little to no life experience holding the hands of superstitious old ladies. When Thao (Bee Vang) is caught trying to steal Walt's prized Gran Torino he is made by his family to do odd jobs for Walt as part of penance. Walt later gains the respect from the Hmong community when Walt stands up to a group of Asian gangbangers led by Spider (Doua Moua) who find themselves on the wrong end of Walt's M1 Garand rifle as Walt growls "Get off my lawn". As Walt takes Thao under his wing, they form a grudging mutual respect for each other. At the same time, Walt also befriends Thao's sister Sue (Ahney Her) who also helps him understand the Hmong customs. To Walt's surprise, he finds that he has more in common with the neighbours next door than his own family. As Walt's ice cold personality slowly melts away, he must also face his prejudices and problems head on that have been plaguing him for the majority of his life.
Without a doubt Clint Eastwood owns this movie. Gran Torino is a perfect example that as an actor and a director, age has not slowed down Clint Eastwood. Walt Kowalski is one of Clint's best characters that he has played throughout his stellar career, and as a director this is one of his finest movies. Bee Vang as Thao and Ahney Her as Sue are a shining light amongst a supporting cast of mostly unknowns who hold up the movie very well.
Though this can be seen as a bleak drama, there are plenty of intriguing moments which can raise a laugh here and there as well as an occasional smile. It was a total shame that Gran Torino was not recognised for any major awards as this was one of the most memorable movies of 2008. Clint Eastwood is still a legend and for someone in the latter stages of his career, Gran Torino deserves a special mention as one of his finest movies in his brilliant career.
9/10.