Good, but not Great

Rating: 7/10 (31 January 2011)

Clint Eastwood delivers a masterful performance as Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski. Subtle and thought-provoking, Eastwood deserves critical raves for yet another demonstration of his creative prowess.
Other than that, the performances of the other actors, especially those playing Sue, Thao, and just about every gang member in the film, are absolutely horrendous. Sometimes actors fall into the trap of "just reading lines" - the result is a stilted, wooden delivery that makes it sound like they are reading from a page in the script instead of internalizing and then emoting.
Gran Torino is a good film, but it is uneven and doesn't pack the same wallop as it should. It is not a Top 100 caliber film by any stretch, and I would venture to say that time will not be kind to it in terms of distinguishing it from the pack.