Clint Eastwood singing like a badass.

Rating: 8/10 (19 December 2008)

I will try to be as unbiased as I possibly can because Clint Eastwood is one of my personal heroes and quite frankly, it is impossible for me to hate any of his films, acting, singing, anything really. I haven't seen Changeling yet, but I have seen Gran Torino and let me tell you, it packs quite the punch. What Unforgiven was his to his career in Westerns, Gran Torino is his swan song to the Dirty Harry persona and perhaps his Acting career overall.
The National Board of Review saw it fit to award Clint in the Best Actor category a while back. While I'm not complaining, let me just say straight off the bat that Million Dollar Baby was his best performance. Gran Torino comes second. OK then.
As most of you know, Gran Torino presents a 'what-if' scenario- What if Dirty Harry was old and lived in a neighborhood crawling with dumbass gang members? But it isn't just that, because Clint manages to do a coming of age story as well. After his wife dies, an Asian family moves next door. It doesn't help with the fact that Clint is a racist living in a town filled with different nationalities (aside from the Asians). So in short, he hates everyone. When Clint mistakenly (or knowingly) saves the next door troubled teenager from being taken by Gang members, everything changes.
The film isn't just Clint kicking ass, its about Clint helping and teaching a fatherless, insecure, and lonely kid everything he knows on what it takes to be a 'real man'. You know those movies where the old, disgruntled man has a change of heart and decides to start helping those in need? Same thing here. Now before you kiddies start pressing the 'No' button, feel free to learn that the film uses the clichés to its advantage. We've seen it all before, but rarely with this amount of heart, which is of course provided by the amazing performance of Clint and his amazing grasp at directing.
Now here's the kicker- you won't see the end coming. As cliché as this film is, the ending will leave you dazed and confused, until you start putting everything in perspective. Its quite powerful the image that Clint creates and it won't leave your mind any time soon.
Clint basically carries the film on his shoulders (it is his vehicle after all). I mean what else could I say about his performance that hasn't already been said? It's funny, it's tragic, its menacing and it is funny. Did I mention it was funny? I can't say the same thing for the supporting cast however. Clint pulled a Bresson and decided to hire actors that aren't really actors. Its a shame that the most important role in the film, the role of Thao, was unintentionally funny. He composes himself in some scenes, but the rest just fall apart. Thankfully we have veteran actors like John Lynch pulling everything back together again.
Morally, this is as good as it gets. The tale is full of heart and you'll leave the theater happy if you aren't one of those boring, elitist types. And while Gran Torino is a great film, things like bad acting hurt it greatly (even more so than the script). Overall, even with all those mishaps, this is an instant must-see.
And please, don't expect the film to be an Unforgiven or a Million Dollar Baby, because it ain't.
8.3/10