Gran Torino

I've been reading a lot of good reviews and acting praises for Clint Eastwood in this movie. I finally got to watch it last weekend. And this indeed is a good movie!

As a director, Clint Eastwood has already proven that he is a great one. He even has two Best Director Oscars to back it up. And though he's already achieved Oscar glory, he's not slowing down yet. He's capable of releasing not just one good movie a year, but two. A couple of years ago, he released 'Flags of our Fathers' and 'Letters from Iwo Jima'. And early last year he released 'Changeling'. Another good movie which resulted in an Oscar nomination for Angelina Jolie. And by the end of last year he brings us Gran Torino.

Not only does Clint Eastwood treat us with his mastery of movie story telling. But he elevates himself by delivering an amazing acting performance. He stars in this movie as somewhat grumpy old bigot named Walt Kowalski. His wife recently passed away and he's now living alone in a neighborhood invaded by Koreans. Which is ironic for him since he's a Korean War veteran.

Now that he's living alone, all he wants to do is be left alone. Spend his days maintain his house, drinking beer on his porch and keeping his 1972 Gran Torino in mint condition. It's his most prized possession.

Everything changes however when some gang was causing trouble with his Korean neighbor. He brings out his rifle and drives the gang away. His entire neighborhood considered his act as heroic. But all he wanted was keep people away from his property. And this event results in him eventually getting to know his Korean neighbors and they become part of his life.

The nice thing about this movie is that it's not all drama. There are some humorous and heartwarming moments in it. And there's a little bit of action as well. Which is why Clint Eastwood is getting well deserved praise for his work in this film. He portrayed Walt as a very unpleasant person. But as the story moves on, you begin to see him as a good person even though his character never really changed. We just got to know him better. And it's also amazing that he was able to effectively show us that a 78 year old man can still be an action hero.

When you get the chance and if your in the mood for a good story. Go and watch this movie. It's definitely a nice film to see.