Nick Schager (17 May 2013)

Its preoccupation with the burden and self-destructive ramifications of violence is given acute resonance by Eastwood's presence.

izotoper (17 May 2013)

end is too easy to predict

really catching movie and it would be great movie if it catch you tillthe end, but.. I've realized how it will end that exact moment whenWalt started to think about revenge.. they should involve his cancerthing somewhere else in the story just to cover the trace, because itwas too important to be left out of the picture, and in the end it wasthe most predictable way of using it.. Also, except Clint and thepriest, all the other main actors could make much better job. but onthe other hand, I liked that barber shop keeper. anyway, it's reallynice movie. after Clint left all these westerns behind, most of hislater movies is a peace of art.

(16 May 2013)

A 5-way car wreck of a movie

This is a deranged hybrid of five characters/movies: Bloodsport (the flashback sequences), The Karate Kid, Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, and Jack Nicholson's character in As Good As It Gets. Eastwood's character is a retired Ford employee in a Michigan suburb that has undergone "white flight." He's the lone Caucasian surrounded by Hmong immigrants, has just lost his wife, and the kids he can't stand can't wait to get him out of his house. A neighbor kid tries to steal his prized Gran Torino as a gang initiation. The kid is a loser and unworthy of being a prospect, but logic has no place in this movie.Eastwood catches him and shortly ends up saving him from the gang, in front of the kid's family. The family wants the kid to work for him to erase the shame of his crime. Eastwood loans him out to the neighborhood, teaches him skills (including how to swap ethnic slurs with a barber), and outfits him with tools.When the gang beats up the kid and takes his tools, Eastwood knows he has to confront them. He does so in a manner befitting a war veteran who knows what it means to kill and doesn't want to again. Since Unforgiven was also highly overrated in my opinion, this introspective nonsense plays just as well in this film.

(15 May 2013)

Gran Torino

This review is from: Gran Torino (Full-Screen Edition) (DVD) This was an amazing movie, it made me appreciate different cultures and I found the Clint Eastwood is getting better and better

ary_block (07 May 2013)

terrific film .... no doubt

The best film I have ever seen in my life Clint Eastwood 's one of thebest actors in all the Hollywood history This film's terrific ... WhenI finish to watch this film I just thought ... o my god ! it's amazing.. I started to cry .... 10 POINT'S ( no doubt ) this film deserve tobe nominated to the Oscar .. and i hope that Clint keeps making filmslike this .. I've seen mystic river .... Million dollar baby .. He's awonderful director ... I'm very proud of him... I'm not quite sure butI compare this performance of Clint with the leading role of Al pacino( Frank Slade ) on Scent of a woman , I think they're fairly alike inyours personalities... see ya !

rstone-27 (06 May 2013)

A Movie Worth The Money - Finally!

Clint Eastwood is a legend in his own time. From Rowdy Yates in Rawhide, to the spaghetti westerns of Italy to the major motion picturesof Hollywood and now he is responsible for producing and directing andstarring in movies such as "Million Dollar Baby", and "Gran Tarino".With supporting actors like Bee Vang (Thao Vang Lor) and Ahney Her (SueLor) who's acting was superb, together with a touching, yet strongconviction, and emotional story line -- he can't go wrong.Granted, this movie is not for someone wanting to see a gang movie withsolid action and shoot-outs. This is basically a scenario that (Could)happen in real life, a drama with impact.If you do not watch this film, you will be depriving yourself of one ofthis years most touching and inspirational movies to come out ofHollywood. Finally, a movie worth the money.I would give this one a 10 for 10 but I don't give a 1 or a 10 so thisrates 9 out of 10.

magellan333 (30 April 2013)

Great concept with average results

Perhaps I expected too much of this film since it stars Clint Eastwood.Gran Torino had the potential to be a great dramatic film, but it waspoorly executed. Does the audience need to hear Walt growl at hisdisapproval of his granddaughter's belly button ring and at othermodern day things he disagrees with? Clint Eastwood is a fine enoughactor that a simple furrowing of the brow could have pulled this off.His grandson's rummaging through his old foot locker clearlyestablishes he was a Korean War veteran, but again this seems overdone.It was all ready been established his grandkids were disrespectfulbrats by the attire they wore to their grandmother's funeral. Why not amore subtle clue that he is a veteran? There could have been a MarineCorps insignia hanging in the home or even the trip to the VFW wouldhave sufficed. As the film progresses, we see Walt cough up bloodseveral times. It seems one or two references would have done well tolet the audience know that Walt is not well.As the film progresses, Walt's love and adoration of the Hmong childrennext door seems to come a little too quickly. Sure, we want him tobefriend them and like them, but it doesn't take long before he isdrinking beer with them and giving love advice to the kid next door.However, the film is not without its strong points. Having Thao workoff his debt by fixing up the neighborhood was a masterful move in thefilm. Walt is able to teach the boy something and see his oldneighborhood improved. The scene where Walt rescue Sue from the threemen on the corner was also very well done. It was a wonderful exampleof the clash between races and generations that existed in the decayingneighborhood. It was also fun to see Clint Eastwood in a "kick-ass"moment again. It brought back memories of the tunnel scene from DirtyHarry.The film concludes with what is to be expected. Everything has beenoverly crafted throughout the film that the ending should come as nosurprise.

(30 April 2013)

Excellent movie

This review is from: Gran Torino (+ BD-Live) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) I enjoyed this movie very much. I only have a couple of negatives. I feel that the actor who portrayed Thao wasn't that great. There were a couple of scenes where he didn't look that convincing. Another complaint is that I wish there were more extras on the blu-ray. A big positive was Clint Eastwood's performance. He was perfect in this role. The actor who portrayed Thao's sister was also excellent. If you're a fan of Eastwood, you'll enjoy this movie.

nikki-brinkmann (28 April 2013)

The Irony of Being Judgmental

Clint Eastwood's 2008 film "Gran Torino" is a movie that shows thetransition of old tradition into modern society and its problems. WaltKowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a retired Korean War vet who is bitter,even to his own family. Day after day Walt sits on his porch, yellingracial slurs at his Asian neighbors. Walt develops an accidentalfriendship with one of the neighbors. He was the young teenage Hmongboy who tried to steal his car. Thao (Bee Vang) was sent by his cousinto steal Walt's car, so that Thao would be accepted by them.Thao repays Walt back for his mistakes by doing chores. During thistime, they slowly develop a friendship and Walt becomes more open withthe young boy. Meantime, Walt is having problems with a severe coughthat usually results in a handkerchief of blood which he tries toconceal.One day Sue, Thao's sister, was attacked by their cousin. She wasbrutally beat and this sets Walt over the edge. During the time thatThao was doing chores, they developed a friendship for one another.Walt set out that night, after locking Thao in his basement, lookingfor the Asian Gangbangers. He finds them at their house and he yells atthem from the outside. The Hmong gangsters open their windows with gunspointed. Walt reaches into his pocket and the gangsters shoot him. Waltfalls to the ground with a lighter in hand; ready to spark up anothercigarette. Thao now became the owner of Walt's Gran Torino.What I found ironic was that in the beginning of the movie Walt wasalways cursing at them to get off his lawn and yelling racial slurs,and in the end Walt gave his life to send the shooters, the Hmonggangsters, to prison for a long time. This movie showed that strangersmay be closer than actual family in the end.

(28 April 2013)

Direction and acting trump the aboveboard story

There comes a point in "Gran Torino" when enervated Korean War veteranWalt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) suddenly swaps angry speech and actionfor something anomalous. The change of pace is brisk and perplexing.For the longest time Walt's behaviour attests to an embittered human,content to snarl at what he views as profoundly obnoxious with themodern world, yet with no hope of being able to change a single thing.He can attempt to maintain his way of life - and does, such as when hehears noises from the garage holding his most coveted possession, orwhen he forces a youth-led melee off his property - but the years havenot been kind in his attempts to encourage others to accept his way oflife. The moment I was intimating towards occurs in a bad side of town,which Walt just so happens to be unofficially patrolling. Instead ofanother selfish and impetuous strike, the loner shows himself capableof empathy.Read the full review: http://www.sightforallseasons.co.nr/

thien314 (26 April 2013)

horrible acting and awful screenplay makes worst Eastwood movie ever...

with all the positive reviews and massive gross income this moviereceived at the box office, i thought this movie was going to begood... i would have settled for decent. but this movie is straight-outbad. fans who responded well to this film must be major Eastwood fansbecause i seriously cannot believe anyone would rate this movie sohigh.let me just say that this movie didn't get nominated for any academyawards for a reason. looking at its award accomplishments, this filmdid not garner much attention, only being nominated for smallcategories. the only one notable was the national board of review, andto think it honored Clint Eastwood as best actor and Nick Schenk forbest screenplay is beyond my comprehension.what truly ruined this movie was the horrible acting! i truly cannotbelieve that Clint as a director could allow such amateurs to star inhis movie that had so much potential. i'm pretty sure if you readothers' comments, you would get a feel of how bad i'm talking about.but for an Eastwood movie? WHY CLINT, WHY? i mean even Clint himselfwas forced and stiff, trying way too hard to be a tough and machoracist that it didn't work at times. THE worst actors to me are the twomain Hmong characters, Thao and his sister. oh my goodness. whathappened to them? as an Asian-American watching this movie, i was trulyshocked at their utterly poor acting skills, as if Clint picked them atrandom off the street or as if they were part of his family orsomething. i know for a fact that i would have done a better jobplaying these characters, and i'm not joking either. in a nutshell, theacting was so unbelievable.... the way they delivered their lines andtheir lack of facial expression.another horrible factor to this film is the awful screen writing. NickSchenk tries way too hard to make this movie bad-ass that every singleline from a character contains some derogatory name-calling. honestly,people don't call each other names as often as this. and to haveEastwood's character sacrifice his life at the end all because theHmong family didn't want to tell the police that Thao's sister gotraped is just plain dumb. what made it worse was that supposedly, Hmongkeep things very private but yet witnesses who saw the murder blabbedto the police faster than the speed of light. and you would think thosegangsters who shot him would run away or try to hide his body butinstead they stay there at the scene of the crime, pretty much waitingto be arrested by the police. let's get real here people.all in all, lack of character development from 99% of the charactersand crappy screen writing made this film clearly Eastwood's worst andmost forgettable movie, period.

Matthew Razak (25 April 2013)

Gran Torino is Clint Eastwood doing what Clint Eastwood does best.

ive (23 April 2013)

Great! Just great!!!

Clint is like a wine...older and better, richer in taste and potable todrink. Gran Torino is Grand Tornado of a movie, starting as a puff andfinishing with tempest bolt. Film goes through fine line between comedyand drama, you laugh, smile, then you are afraid for main characters,you are laughing again and then you are struck with profoundShakespearian end. As real sculptor Clint models story into movie frameby frame, scene by scene, all down to last minute finale. You just feeljoy by watching it. And it doesn't leave you after film is over. Itjust makes your day right. Hope to see more of this in future from Mr.Eastwood. And good luck in Oscars!

Bryant Frazer (23 April 2013)

The genius of Clint Eastwood is evident in the fact that nobody else could get away with this.

ruralmn (20 April 2013)

Wow

Clint Eastwood has continually topped himself with every film he'sdone. This is an amazing piece of work, with characters that you findyourself relating to, even if you haven't been exposed to their kindsof persona's or cultures before.After all of these years I can honestly say that every time I see a newmovie with Mr. Eastwood in it, I am pleasantly surprised by how greatthe work really is. I've come to expect greatness from Clint's movies,but he always manages to far surpass my expectations.People make a big deal about his age. I think his age is his biggestasset. He is just now hitting the prime of his career in my opinion. Ihope God allows him to stay with us for many more years so that Mr.Eastwood might share some more of his incredible talents with us.Thanks Clint. You never stop amazing me.

davidjanuzbrown (19 April 2013)

A Film Classic

What makes a film (Or any piece of fiction) a classic (Or not), is thedegree in which you care about the characters. Was Walt Kowalski (ClintEastwood) racist? Yes he was. But so was Archie Bunker and SheriffGillespie (Rod Steiger) in "In The Heat Of The Night". But deep downthey are decent people who will do the right thing in spite ofthemselves. Perhaps the most revealing thing was when Walt realizedthat the Hmong People that he looked down upon, were actually far moredecent and had more honor then his own family. His family were nothingbut vultures who cared nothing for him, and were waiting until he died,so they can sell everything that he had (In particular, his prized 1972Gran Torino), and essentially his life would become meaningless.Spoilers ahead: When he was willing to sacrifice himself (Thus makingsure the gang what raped Sue, and terrorized the Community, would nolonger be able to do it again), and even more importantly by donatinghis house to the Church (Which is what his wife wanted), he couldreceive salvation, and help others in need. Perhaps most important, bygiving his Grano Torino (And although not stated, but heavily implied)his mint condition tool set, and thus a job to Thao (Bee Vang). WhenWalt is able to get Thao hired, one of the first questions asked isdoes he have his own tools? When you see the final scene with Thao andhis girl friend in the car, you can see how much he appreciates thegifts Walt gave him (Based on the condition of the car and his improvedattitude). In effect, Walt will not be forgotten about, and although hefailed with his own family, he succeeded in accomplishing somethinggood with Thao and his family, and through him, he will not beforgotten about. 10/10 Stars.

(15 April 2013)

Made My Day

This is an outstanding film, brought to us by a legend of the industry. This movie has it all: solid acting, great characters, cinematography, pace, and plot. This film will make you think, and this film will make you feel.Eastwood is simply great in the tailor-made role of Walt Kowalski. Like any great actor, he shows you all the dimensions of his character. At first, you think he's just a cranky old man. Then, his bigotry is front and center. Little by little, you begin to understand him and why he is the way he is. Before you know it, you are identifying with, and sympathizing with, a guy who needs love more than contempt. Of course, he does find his redemption, through the most unilkely of people.That Clint Eastwood is great in this film should come as no surprise. The real surprise comes via two completely inexperienced actors, Ahney Her as Sue, and Bee Vang as Thao. These two most unwelcome next door neighbors help Walt find his redemption, and give him the love and respect he gets from no one else. Sharing the screen with Eastwood is no small task for any actor, no matter how experienced they might be. These two rose to the occasion.The details is this film are just perfect. The casting is excellent, from top to bottom. Eastwood's son, daughter-in-law, and grandaughter are played to perfection by Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes, and Dreama Walker. They are self-absorbed and clueless as to the needs of Walt. Walker is the teenager you love to hate, especially when she is lusting after Walt's prize Gran Torino in anticipation of his ultimate death. Haley and Hughes' good scene was when they showed up to Walt's house with what they thought were perfect birthday gifts. The gifts of a "grabber" and a phone with huge numbers to this man who was still so vital was tasteless. The scene played out perfectly.The extras and smaller parts were fantastic as well. I especially enjoyed watching the thugs and gangbangers. They looked great and were very believable. The locations in gritty Detroit were just right. Whatever time Eastwood and Team spent scouting locations really paid off.Finally, to release this most un-PC of films in hypersensitive Hollywood was ballsy on Eastwood's part. You will hear more racial slurs than you thought existed. These slurs are not gratuitous; rather, they define the Walt character and make his actions all the more important.Don't miss this one. Highly recommended.

GoldmundX (15 April 2013)

Did Eastwood's sense of quality take a holiday?

Eastwood has shown us many times before he understands the art ofmovie-making. That's why it's so confusing to see he was able to makesuch an embarrassing, almost amateuristic movie. Yes, in the beginningof the movie some of the over the top grumpy, racist, cynicalone-liners are quite amusing, but then it just turns into anembarrassing spectacle of bad acting, bad writing, bad editing, justbad movie-making. The acting of the girl, and especially the boy nextdoor are just gutwrenching to watch. My head was spinning by such adisplay of amateurism. I try to understand how on earth they could haveended up in an Eastwood movie. Are they his adopted children orchildren of friends or something? For sure he's doing somebody a hugefavor to include them in the movie. Some of the scenes are reallybeyond bad. What's up with him connecting with the Asian kids by fixingthe washing machine in the basement? The whole idea of the scene isstupid and embarrassing, let alone the execution of it. And than thescene when they are waiting for the girl, not sure what happened toher. Eastwood stares at his hand saying (something like) "at least inKorea we were expecting to loose one of us".... Can it get more cheesythan that? I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry. And than thescenes with the barber. The initial idea works out well and amusing -the barber and Eastwood doing their grumpy routine. But than they tryand milk the idea and even introduce the boy (deprived of all actingskills) into their 'domain of real men' to teach him the way of Men (tocurse). It just gets so embarrassing, you just want to leave thetheater and get drunk to simply destroy the brain cells that stored thewhole thing, to save you from uncomfortable flashbacks for the rest ofyour life. Let's just hope mr. Eastwood had a blackout, let's just hopehis sense of quality returns and let's hope the majority of IMDb-ersgrow a sense of quality so 'movies' like this don't end up in the top100 of all time again.

Harvey S. Karten (02 April 2013)

Eastwood's character acts as mentor to a vulnerable youth just as he did in 'Million Dollar Baby,' but this vehicle is filled with silly, old-fashioned dialogue.

JunKitatani (01 April 2013)

Old School America meets Modern America

This film is poignant without corn/schmaltz; has social commentarywithout being too preachy; shows a strong leading hero without flashystylized action; and is a simple, understated and beautiful reflectionof dignity for both an American warrior in his golden years and theculture of his South East Asian neighbors. Not too much, not toolittle, and nicely balanced around Clint. Well, he is the man, isn'the?A cohesive, well-told and believable story in the tradition of oldschool American film-making. Perfectly made in it's own genre. A solidpiece of entertainment that's well worth the price. What more can youask for? Q: Would I buy this DVD?A: Yes. I'd save it for when I'm in vapid-story action movie overload.