Shamelessly Ridiculous and Entertaining

Rating: 8/10 (20 December 2008)

A shameless Clint Eastwood takes the reigns in 'Gran Torino', an absolutely ridiculous but undeniable crowd pleaser. It is the unlikeliest of films, both humorous and thrilling. What begins as a picture that's very difficult to take seriously transforms into something much more respectable. One of the weirdest films you'll see this year, or any year, but 'Gran Torino' will win you over.
After the death of his wife, grumpy Eastwood's Walt Kowalski does what any widower in mourning would do. Terrorize his Asian neighbors and threaten local gangs. Here is a man so bitter, so unhappy with the changing world around him. A veteran of the Korean War, Walt holds onto as many racial prejudices as one could imagine. It is an absurd tongue-in-cheek character for Eastwood, a combination of every Dirty Harry-esquire role he's played that gives him an excuse to grunt and grimace every chance he gets. If I wasn't supposed to laugh, something is very wrong with this film.
Thankfully, I think the comedy is every bit intentional in 'Gran Torino'. Though Eastwood shows no signs of slowing down at 78, this is a sort of swan song for Hollywood's perennial heavy lifter. But if his latest film is about anything, it's not Eastwood's prized 1972 Gran Torino. After taking Thao, the neighborhood boy targeted by his cousin's gang, under his wing, 'Gran Torino' takes on a more poignant message of redemption. He instills quirky but sincere morals and values in the young lad, and through the process has his own eyes opened to a culture he never cared or tried to understand.
Through all his racial slurs, Walt becomes one of the most strangely likable characters of the year. And though the spotlight is certainly on Eastwood, the film is buoyed by shining performances from the young Bee Vang and Ahney Her. Once Eastwood becomes satisfied with his self-referential humor, 'Gran Torino' moves out from underneath its own awkwardness and into something more serious and reflective. Once the film hits its stride, it doesn't take a genius to know where 'Gran Torino' is taking us. It is a hugely entertaining ordeal, and as effective as a film like this permits. It's an odd movie, 'Gran Torino'. But one you'll find yourself enjoying more and more as time goes on. A hard-edged and rugged salute to a career that has finally come full circle.
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