Expertly crafted drama/comedy from Eastwood

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2016)

While Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino is a fantastic movie in it's own right, it also serves as yet another reminder that Eastwood is a master behind and in front of the camera.
The follow up to his Best Picture Winning film, Million Dollar Baby, Clint Eastwood brings us another directing and acting performance, this time playing a grizzled, grumpy and "old fashioned" Korean war veteran. If you are a fan of Eastwood's classic portrayals of a cowboy gunslinger or a city cop, then you should love him in Gran Torino, as he is essentially just an older Dirty Harry.
Yes, Clint Eastwood is truly a badass in this movie and it is great to see him back in this kind of role, even if it is sad to see him so aged. He gives an honest and unfiltered performance as a disgruntled old man living in a Detroit ghetto. While the film makes his character out to be a rude grump in the beginning, I deeply cared for his character and wanted to hug him by the end. He gives a great performance and manages to cover many ranges while keeping his concerned and on-edge personality up front for us to see. We do not get the full details of all the horrific acts he committed in Korea, but his demeanor and actions show us that we really don't want to know. This is the sign of a masterfully crafted character that fully completes his arch by the film's end. The rest of the cast however, needs some work. These characters were certainly important to the story, but the acting was consistently awful by these actors and sadly pulled me out of the immersive story. It really surprised me that this quality of acting would pass in a carefully crafted film such as this one.
The story is simple and undoubtedly entertaining. I was never bored watching Gran Torino, especially during the awkward and jaded interactions between Walt and his uncaring family. These scenes of character-based tension feel like verbal shoot-outs with hilarious insults flying back and forth that I will probably remember for a long time after hearing. But when the dry comedic script isn't in hand, the gripping dramatic aspect takes over and it feels just as good. There are tons of memorable scenes to reminisce over by the films end.
Now there is one minor flaw with the film and it's simply that Gran Torino thinks that it's more important than it really is. The social commentary within the movie is important to the story, but it certainly doesn't feel realistic or relatable to the audience. This leads to some moments that ultimately feel cheesy and sometimes forced. This doesn't really make the movie any less entertaining, but the social commentary sometimes feel unnecessary.
In the end, Eastwood has crafted another cinematic gem that solidifies him as a master modern director as well as a classic actor spanning many decades. Gran Torino is very entertaining, touching and just impossible to look away from.