Gran Torino (SPOILERS)

[snurri]

You know how so many "Law and Order" episodes are about how young people are disrespectful and dangerous, and decent hardworking (older) people will never be safe until everyone under 25 is locked up? Gran Torino is like that, except without the cops. Yes, you get a cultural lesson about the Hmong, probably the first in a major motion picture, and that part of the film is at least interesting. But Eastwood's 70-something angry Korean War vet is predictable down to the way he bonds with his [insert unpleasant racial epithet here--the script gives you plenty to choose from] neighbors after they offer him a beer. Eastwood displays all the dimension of Dirty Harry, only crustier (sure, it's played for laughs, but he actually delivers the line "Get off of my lawn" THREE TIMES), and with the casting he's stuck with his recent folk-art ethos; while the young first-timers playing his young neighbors are charming, they fail to be intriguing. I'd give the film some points for not going with the traditional Eastwood ending, except that it's been replaced with a Christ-on-the-cross sacrifice, so in the end there's not a lot to like here.

Comments

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

Clint Eastwood is a lousy director.

There. I said it.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

I'm not willing to be quite that definitive about it, I guess; I liked Mystic River and Unforgiven is one of my favorite movies. But I suppose you could chalk that up to the law of averages. It does seem that his directing style favors talented veterans, while the unknowns he's chosen to work with lately have been steamrolled by the process. The Hmong kid who plays the second lead here said that Eastwood would often add scenes to the shooting schedule, forcing everyone to learn their lines in 10 or 15 minutes, and it shows.

[barbmg.livejournal.com]

All I have to say is: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. *shudder* It's the worst performance Kevin Spacey has ever given, and that's including the Bobby Darin biopic he was about twenty years too old for. Eastwood's daughter was just painful as the love interest.

Granted, I haven't seen much of his later stuff (I loved the Dirty Harry movies, at least back in the day). I have yet to watch Unforgiven, but I hated Mystic River Richard and I had to try very hard to keep from laughing by the end, it was just so overwrought. Granted, I'm usually not a big fan of melodrama, which seems to be his stock and trade.

[snurri.livejournal.com]

Midnight was utterly horrible, no argument here. Just appalling.

You'd hate this movie, for sure.