A grand farewell

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2009)

I thought the most crucial line in this film comes when the young Asian girl states 'because you're an American' to Walt. Walt, a little confused, asks 'Whats that supposed to mean?' Clint Eastwood is the American tough guy embodiment - in some ways, his big characters represent America, or a certain view of the ultimate American hero. Gran Torino celebrates, then kills this myth, something Eastwood seems to have been working towards for some time now. Gran Torino recasts a wizened version of the ultimate tough guy, brash, unyielding and racist, but places him in the world of today, which is the future of America. We still marvel at how damn cool Eastwood is when he brings the justice, but in this film, it is a joy to watch how he takes his own mythical qualities, built by Dirty Harry and the Man with No Name, and rewrites them. The film is complete with violent climax, which some have said was over the top, but which I believe is absolutely vital if the above reading of the film is taken, because of the way it flips the typical Eastwood bloodbath on its head, and symbolically, farewells this wiser version of the American Hero without compromising its air of greatness one bit.