Search - Gran Torino (Full-Screen Edition) on DVD

Just when you think you know Clint Eastwood...

Todd Bartholomew | Atlanta, GA USA | 08/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I initially begged off seeing "Gran Torino" as I assumed I got the gist from preview trailers, but you know what happens when you assume, right? I was expecting the clichéd Clint Eastwood ending and after seeing "Gran Torino" was instead quite stunned and surprised, yet I shouldn't have been. If anything Eastwood has evolved far beyond the "Dirty Harry" days and if anything has become as much as an artist in front of the lens as behind it. Thinking of his more recent movies, Eastwood has transcended his earlier on-screen personas and evolved into something far deeper.

"Gran Torino" is as much character driven as plot driven and Eastwood's character Harvey Kowalski is as much the antithesis of Dirty Harry as he is the antithesis of a vigilante. A retired autoworker and Korean War Veteran, Kowalski is also a recent widower watching the transition and decline of his Detroit neighborhood where he and his late wife raised their children. When touching on his somewhat estranged children "Gran Torino" becomes a vehicle for satire, emphasizing the dislocation and detachment of modern society. Kowalski feels about as connected to his children and grandchildren as he does to the equally alien Hmong family next door. Opening with the funeral service for his late wife "Gran Torino" sets the tableau of dislocation and despair in his neighborhood. Kowalski's antagonism and dislocation with seemingly everyone is pled out with his neighbors, his children, the parish priest, and his neighborhood. The feelings of rejection and helplessness pervade the movie: children give up on parents, parents give up on children, neighbors give up on their community and the community crumbles around them. Without giving the plot away events unfold where Kowalski feels compelled to intervene on behalf of his neighbors and the community reacts in a way that catches Kowalski off-guard. Slowly Kowalski is pulled closer into the Hmong community as he grapples with his wartime demons and his distant children. The closer Kowalski gets to the Hmong the more the film builds to its stunning climax, and the climax is unlike anything you'd expect form a Clint Eastwood movie.

I don't want to spoil the ending, but much like "Million Dollar Baby" and other recent Eastwood movies your mouth will be hanging open as it is not the ending you would expect. That's because Eastwood has truly become the cinematic master, defying expectations and here offering up a sharp contrast that made me a fan of his work all over again. There wasn't as much violence as I expected, and Eastwood totally chews up the scenery with an economy of words that are truly impressive. His facial expressions communicate more than words ever could. There is some VERY politically incorrect language presented quite frankly here but it serves a purpose. I'd questioned how good "Gran Torino" could be and it is easily one of the best movies of the past year, if not one of Eastwood's best. It is a fitting coda to every Dirty Harry movie and all of his Spaghetti Westerns rolled into one. I've often thought that Eastwood approaches each film as though it might be his last and never holds anything back. If "Gran Torino" were to be his final film it would be hard to imagine going out on a better note!"

CLint Eastwood Did It Again!

Sasha | Central Valley, CA | 10/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Incredibly wonderful movie. Can't go wrong with this one! Clint Eastwood has never made a bad movie and this is one that I consider to be superb!"