SMT Weekly Flick by Paul Krismantis
Vintage Eastwood
Gran Torino (Rated R) 116 mins
After seeing Clint Eastwood cry in Million Dollar Baby I was pretty sure that the Apocalypse was right around the corner. If there was ever someone in film that just was not meant to cry, it was Clint, the original… something I can’t type in a family paper (think Jules’ wallet in Pulp Fiction). After years of tearing up anyone who got in his path it was scary to think that the last glimpse we would get of the beloved bad boy would be of him sobbing. Apparently, Clint couldn’t go out like that either, and so he has come back for one last beatdown in Gran Torino.
After years of taking down outlaws and serial killers, Eastwood has shaken things up by taking on an Asian gang this time around. As all too many people know, in this country there are plenty of inner-city neighborhoods still terrorized by local gangs, and it is exactly in one of these where Gran Torino takes place. Meet Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski, a bigoted, well-armed widower. Walt lives in Detroit, and has no love for anyone who resembles those he once went to war against, which is unfortunate considering it is the Asian immigrants who are crowding him out of his neighborhood. This fact grates on Walt’s nerves, and he lives his life in reclusion until one night the local gang gets closer than he cares for. “Get off my lawn,” Walt growls as he cocks his rifle. The tension is thick, and while the gang leaves we all know that war has now been declared. Sure enough, it’s not long before Walt finds himself rescuing his next-door neighbor Sue Hmong from the same creeps. Unfortunately for the gang members, they don’t know what we do, and that is to leave things alone when pertaining to this particular old man.
After years of bigotry and plenty of inner demons Walt finds his chance at redemption in his protection of the Hmong family. Whether he finds it or not is what steers the film, and is what keeps Torino from falling into being a standard action flick. Gran Torino – so named after the 1972 car in Walt’s garage, which calls back memories from the past – actually has heart.
Many have called Gran Torino Eastwood’s tribute to his career of playing tough guys, and I am inclined to agree. Kowalski is vintage Eastwood, fully equipped with the frightening squinty glare and gravelly snarl. Shades of Dirty Harry Callahan, William Munny, the Man With No Name, and numerous other Eastwood characters are all present here. Of course, that fact is also the biggest problem with Gran Torino. This jig has been danced before. At times Torino fails to separate itself from what we have seen Eastwood do before. Ultimately what saves the film is a surprise ending that gives Walt a chance to exorcise his demons in a rather unexpected way, and it proves that in all these years Eastwood has come full circle.
If this truly is the last time we are to experience Eastwood on the big screen, Gran Torino proves to be a fitting, although unspectacular, tribute to the career of a man who was as manly as they come. While it has generated early Oscar talk for Eastwood, Torino is hardly his finest hour. Of course, only Eastwood can do what he does so well, and he definitely does that well here. Old fans will be thrilled to see ol’ Clint back to form, while new fans might grow motivated to go look through the Eastwood collection. So don’t be surprised if the Academy lands him the award simply for career achievement purposes (while nominated twice before he has never won for acting). Either way, Eastwood has captivated audiences for four decades now, both as an actor and director (of which he is one of the finest in the industry), and nothing will ever take away from what he has done. Gran Torino serves as a fine reminder, but little else.
SCORE: 3/5
