Clint Eastwood may be old but he can still deliver a good movie

Rating: 7/10 (10 August 2012)

When I heard a movie was named after a call I thought, "How good can it be?" Of course I am talking about Grand Torino. Grand Torino is about an old man named Walt, Clint Eastwood, and he befriends his Asian neighbor named Thao after he tries to steal Walt's Grand Torino as an initiation to join his cousin's gang. He didn't want to steal the car but he has to work to pay off the debt and Walt teaches him how to be a man and Thao also teaches Walt how to coexist. Walt gets mixed up in gang warfare and has to make difficult decisions along the way. Clint Eastwood's racism and devotion towards his Asian neighbors makes this movie mix well. The story itself was greatly written but there were no surprises or unexpected turns. The story was very basic but it worked. If something happened terrible happened to a character, which it does, you feel sorry and mad even. People care about these characters and by the end you see how each and every single character developed and changed. Not all movies have that affect and this movie did it differently. Thao became a man, Walt learned to care and be a different man, and the priest learned life lessons.
Clint Eastwood is certainly getting old and can't do much of what he used to do in Dirty Harry or his other classics. He plays an old man who just lost his wife, he is a Korean war veteran, which he struggles with, he barely knows or gets along with his two sons and their families. The war really damaged this man. He could not get attached to his kids or relate to them. He developed a racist attitude towards every race and color. At the party that man reads into his whole life and that scene basically sums up the struggles in his life. He also confesses to the priest but it isn't as strong. The only thing he ever loved was his 1972 Grand Torino. Eastwood was a perfect pick for the part but wouldn't win any award for his acting. At his age what can you expect? He did his best and he did pretty damn good.
Stereotypes are used in everyday life but this movie crosses some lines, but necessary line crossing. This movie may be offensive but it offends everybody. Mainly Asians but it also touches on blacks, Mexicans, and even white people. Clint Eastwood makes a remark towards Asians intelligence. People who get offended towards movies and remarks made in movies are just stupid. It's a movie and that is how parts of the world really work. Sometimes in the movie, and for comic relief and there is nothing wrong with it.
Problems with the movie are that it can get boring. For a long time nothing really happens and it's more talking and character development. Character development and relationships between characters is very important but it has to be done correctly. There were also loose ends. Walt's kids weren't really important. One tries to move Walt to a retirement home and he tries to get along with him it just doesn't work. The kids could have had potential for a bigger part in the story but it failed. Walt's illness or disease was a big deal but it didn't really matter. It could have been why he made his decision in the end, or so I think. Thao likes that girl but we never see what happens. A big part of the movie was him becoming a man and his own person and a working relationship and showing the success would really express that. Maybe it would be a little cliché but it's a risk that could have been taken.
Culture, I haven't seen a movie that shows so much culture. The Hmong culture is so complex and this movie does a great job of showing it. Not touching the head, don't look in the eye, smile when yelled at, the food, the music, the rituals, all important examples that gave the movie a unique edge. It also touches on black culture and gang culture. Life in the gang is terrible but that is how it works. This movie was accurate and precise with the aspect of culture.
Overall this movie was a little boring at times but the story was still fantastic. It was very close but Gran Torino does get the WillyT seal of approval. It's a movie that should probably be seen alone but can be seen with friends and have a good time. It's a good movie, I've seen better, I've seen worse, but still a movie I can easily watch and will watch again. If you haven't seen Gran Torino it's a movie you can buy without seeing, you won't be disappointed.