The Original Real Man

Rating: 10/10 (16 September 2009)

The key to this movie is that only Clint Eastwood could have played the lead role. Here he is extending or annotating most of his oeuvre of characters: "Dirty Harry" most obviously, a bit of Bill Munny, but also Gunny Highway from "Heartbreak Ridge", whose voice he is both using, and modifying by adding a hint of Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong (esp. "What A Wonderful World"; note Clint's spoken word performance at the end credits). There is a brilliant set up that prepares us for "Unforgiven", but resolves instead with a twist.
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Those who don't care for the larger socio-political implications shouldn't continue reading.
What surprised me when I read through other reviews on this site, especially those from posters with a great many entries, is how quickly 'Racism' is declared. By what definition is any part of this movie or the lead character racist? Webster's points to A) belief of one race's superiority over others, or B) race prejudice or discrimination. Folks, this was all explained many decades ago (and Clint, again, is annotating here): "Oh Harry's not prejudiced. He hates everybody." Same with Walt Kowalski - he just wants everyone to leave him alone.
To declare racism at the slightest of provocations (by a work of fiction!) shows how we, as a society, are no longer capable of thinking. We have substituted instant outrage and speech codes for our ability deal with each other as adults.
Well, you know what? I detest this puritan style of eviction from our social discourse everyone whose opinions are not precisely congruent with the thinking of college-educated Americans in the late 20th/early 21st centuries. Most people are not college-educated. Most people are of the working class, and they do not think in that whipped, perfect-PC manner. The barbershop scenes are there to illustrate this point. Spend some time talking to blue-collar workers and maybe your tender sensibilities won't be so easily offended after a little Thao-style conditioning. Lord knows I've been through it: it provides perspective.
Better yet, spend some time talking to combat veterans. Especially men who were drafted for WWII (my father's father), Korea, or Vietnam (my father's brother). They've EARNED the right to say whatever they damn well please, without a lot of tut-tutting from a bunch of overeducated sissies. So please cut the remaining Walts of this country a little slack.