Over-hyped, but very enjoyable

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2011)

Definitely not a masterpiece, Gran Torino is in fact one of Eastwood's weaker directorial works, and I can't quite figure out the hype that surrounded it (for a little while, at least). The plot and the message are painfully predictable and hackneyed, and Eastwood's performance, though powerful at times, brings overacting to a whole new level at others.
It's not a bad movie, though, first and foremost because it's very self aware, which makes it a pleasant experience for long-time Eastwood fans. If it's indeed - as he himself stated - his last starring role, then it's a fitting one; Eastwood's character in Gran Torino is a sarcastic, melancholy parody of every character he ever played, and for him it's a regretful look back at a long career of simulated violence.
So while it's hardly a great movie, it's a nice conclusion to a long and impressive career; it could have been better, but as it is it has an important place in the Eastwood filmography. The fact that, despite all its flaws, it's as ably made as you'd only expect from an Eastwood film, makes it watchable and even quite enjoyable.