Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this movie about an ex soldier living with regrets and disappointment after his wife dies and he tries to mind his business and lead an uneventful life until the neighbors move in and the son of the neighbor tries to steal his 1978 Gran Torino. This movie does contain racial slurs so don’t get easily offended but it’s a great story that sure to leave even the tuffest critic in tears.
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Gran Torino is a great movie, the issue is, apparently they botched the mixing and/or mastering with the blu ray edition, which I found out later is a known issue. I screened the film on my state of the art Onkyo HT system and gigantic Samsung HDTV the other night, and it looked phenomenal but the dialogue sounded out of phase or too low, and the overall volume was too low. I found out via an Amazon reviewer later that they had the same exact issue. I checked the whole system and tried the DTS option, was louder but not much better. Center dialogue speaker was not even utilized. But my system is working just fine, as a screening of TITANIC on blu ray proved the other day. So 5 stars for the movie, but only 2 for the audio quality which was botched. I'd seen this on DVD about five years ago and that sounded fine. I also screened Matrix Resurrection last night, on DVD, and that sounded 5 stars great. I wish they would test the mixes of a lot of these discs before sending them out to release, although I've rarely had this issue with blu-ray discs.Read full review
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Actor/Director Clint Eastwood (Forgiveness (1992) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) plus many more) gives an outstanding performance and once again proves his directing skills in this movie about an old Korean War Veteran who is full of hate toward everyone in his life. Following the death of his wife, Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is alone and full of disgust for everyone in his life, especially those whom he feels have taken over his neighborhood. He remembers back on days gone by when he knew everyone around him. Now he looks around and sees only foreigners who have taken over his life. Following a number of incidents, one involving his neighbor, a Hmong teenage boy, and his Gran Torino, Walt (Eastwood) embarks on a journey of self discovery, he is befriended by the boys sister and Walt discovers there is more to life than hate and bitterness. The story flows from the beginning as we get to know the characters and leads to a surprisingly touching ending where Walt (Eastwood) shows his true spirit. This movie deals with intolerance, racism and ignorance of others and shows that even the most hate filled individual can be won over with love and kindness. I recommend that you watch this movie and perhaps you will walk away with a different view of life. Rated 5 of 5 stars for a movie that should be seen by everyone and will be enjoyed by all who see it.Read full review
A must see movie...Clint Eastwood has hinted that his role as bigoted Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski — a gun-toting widower living in Detroit near the struggling Ford auto plant and even nearer to the Asian immigrants crowding him out of his run-down, racially mixed hood — may be his last role as an actor. Eastwood, 78, has two Oscars for directing Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, and two nominations for starring in them. But an Oscar for acting? Not yet. Get busy, Academy. I don't think Eastwood will ever turn down a juicy role. But Gran Torino, named after the 1972 car that Walt garages and polishes like a symbol of his idealized past, is a humdinger of a valedictory. Directed by Eastwood from a script by newcomer Nick Schenk, Gran Torino is Eastwood's hell-raising salute to every hardass he's ever played. Cranky Walt often communicates in a growl that sounds like a demon in need of an exorcist (wait till you hear Eastwood rasp a few bars of the film's memorable title song). Walt squints at the Hmong family next door, especially Thao (Bee Vang), a teen with a rustler's eye on the Torino. Thao's smart-mouth sister, Sue (the wonderful Ahney Her), can defrost Walt with a beer and food that isn't his usual beef jerky, but only Walt's dog, Daisy, dares to get too close. Cocking his rifle when gangbangers intrude on his territory, Walt snarls, "Get. Off. My. Lawn." Terrific stuff. And it gets better when Walt confronts some hoods playing grabass with Sue: "Ever notice how you come across somebody once in a while that you shouldn't have messed with? That's me." And that "me" isn't just Walt. It's the Man With No Name taking aim in those spaghetti Westerns. It's Dirty Harry Callahan asking, "Do you feel lucky, punk?" It's William Munny, from Unforgiven, digging deep to note, "It's a hell of a thing, killing a man. You take away all he's got and all he's ever gonna have." It's even Frankie Dunn, the fight manager from Million Dollar Baby, who knows "tough ain't enough." Tough has never been enough for Eastwood. It's a credit to the film's twist ending that Walt exorcises his demons without easy violence or bogus redemption. A lifetime in movies runs through this prime vintage Eastwood performance. You can't take your eyes off him. The no-frills, no-bull Gran Torino made my day.Read full review
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I was glad to see Clint Eastwood used in an age appropriate character.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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