The Pitches of Eastwood are still striking magic!

Rating: 10/10 (21 January 2009)

It is deluxe, it is old, it is powerful, it swaggers, it still runs well, it can direct you smoothly, it is priceless, and it is infamous. I could be easily referring to the classic Gran Torino automobile; however, I am primarily talking about the monumental Hollywood God: Clint Eastwood. He continues to flabbergast all of us movie buffs by still maintaining his film-making supremacy even at the twilight of his illustrious career. I do not know what drives Clint; but I do know that he has driven his latest film "Gran Torino" to a superb flick destination. Eastwood directed "Gran Torino" and stars as Walt Kowalski, a retired Detroit autoworker who grimaces and prejudices his way through life. He is a recent widow who has two estranged sons; and he is not shy to share racist comments with others about the Hmongs whom he feels have wrongfully inhabited the neighborhood he has resided in for decades. Walt has trouble getting along with others including his two sons and his grandkids. Let's just say that Walt Kowalski is at the opposite end of the spectrum of Walt Disney. Walt's precious possession is a 1972 Gran Torino that he keeps stored in his garage in mint condition. When Walt's young Hmong neighbor Thao is forced to steal the Gran Torino by a group of hoodlums is when "Gran Torino" stars gearing up its thought-provoking plot. Thao's family is almost attacked by the same hoodlums but Walt comes to the rescue and to quote Dirty Harry himself "makes their day". Walt all of a sudden becomes "the good, the not-so-bad, and the pretty" geriatric boy of the neighborhood and is suddenly worshiped as a hero in the Hmong neighborhood. The Hmongs bring Walt gifts in appreciation, but Walt wants to be left alone in his "grumpy old man" life. However, some type of "changeling" gradually embodies Walt and he stars befriending his Hmong neighbors; most notably the witty female teenager Sue and her younger brother no other than Thao himself. Thao is forced to work for Walt by his family in order to repay his debt to "Walt Society" for trying to steal le Torino. Walt and Thao's elevator relationship is the heartstring and spark plug of "Gran Torino" and provides the sincere life lessons of the film; but not in an afterschool special kind of way. Writer Nick Schenk's touching screenplay is one of the best of the year; you have to "schenk" it out. I am glad than Schenk took a "grassroots" approach to writing by including the film's catchphrase "Get of my lawn". Let's head back east now! Because "Gran Torino" is Eastwood's showcase! He has never acted better in his classic career! He was mesmerizing as Walt and his "Gran Torino" thespian performance is headed for a red carpet light at The Oscars. Within Clint's direction of the film, he properly drives "Gran Torino" into reverberating societal & humanistic issues as: racism, mortality, religion, kinship, culture, friendship, and even more. In other words, his "Gran Torino" is fully loaded! Therefore, test drive the "Gran Torino" today! It will be worth your cinematic ride! ***** Excellent