Clint shoots 'n' squints his way a little further into the elite

Rating: 7/10 (27 February 2009)

Would you cross Clint Eastwood when he's on a mission? Thought Not. The acclaimed screen vet' may've given up his guns for a different kind of shooter in recent years, but don't go thinking a fistful of treasured turns as a director has rendered the man soft. I still wouldn't mess with him. Would you? Thought not. But it's still fun watching a gang of punks doing just that in 'Gran Torino': Eastwood's first crack at leading the pack from both behind and in front of the lens since 'Million Dollar Baby'.
For me, Eastwood's reputation as a director rests not on his Westerns, not on his genre burying classic 'Unforgiven' or his thrillers but on his recent crop of human dramas: 'Mystic River', 'Million Dollar Baby', 'Flags of our Fathers', 'Letters From Iwo Jima', 'Changeling'- Not a bad string of films, I suppose, but what about 'Gran Torino'? Well, Eastwood plays rigid Korean War vet' Walt Kowalski- a grouchy, ominous old git who sets out to reform his gang hounded, east-Asian neighbour, Thao, after the teen's attempt to steal his trophy car (a vintage 1972 Gran Torino) runs afoul.
Drawn against his own will to get with the times and accept the company and race of those around him, Clint's Kowalski soon finds himself pulling back the hammer on his M1 rifle in the way only Clint can to protect his fellow neighbours from the hoods that plague their turf. "Ever noticed how you come across somebody once in a while," he growls, "somebody who you know shouldn't have messed withthat's me!" Lucid shades of dirty Harry Callahan, cut man Frank and a wasted William Munny help paint Clint's obstinate yet august Kowalski, then. That unnerving, doll-like look in his eye still holds up. As does the by-gone icon's forbidding, set-to-be last on-screen turn as the hostile yet righteous martyr. Say what you want about Eastwood's age and overall range as an actor, he 'can' still carry a film.
There'll be no Oscar nods for acting, directing or producing this time around, though. Eastwood's 'Gran Torino' borders grand but it's not that kind of film; it's not 'that' good a film nor does it reach the heights of his previous five. Eastwood doesn't tell us anything we don't already know: the elderly are, by and large, blinkered; they hate kids and immigrants and retirement homes and often cling to their prejudices but, it's never too late to change. Whether you're good, bad or ugly, morality can upend bigotry. Age gaps can be bridged. One man can make a difference. We know all this. We've seen it all before. Yet 'Gran Torino' still makes for a pretty decent film, and watch for that matter.
Final Verdict: An engaging yet flaw flecked fusion of Clint Eastwood's love for the one-man-army action play and the human drama. Not his best, but still more inclined to the good than the bad, or the ugly.