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In what may be the final role of his acting career, Clint Eastwood gives a spotless performance. “Gran Torino” tells the story of Walt Kowalski (Eastwood), a grizzled Korean War veteran whose wife recently passed away. Kowalski lives alone with his dog in a Detroit neighborhood that has become home to many immigrants, including Thao Van Lor (Bee Vang), a Hmong teenager and his family.
As part of his initiation into a gang led by his cousin, Thao is caught trying to steal Kowalski’s most prized possession, a 1972 Gran Torino that he helped build on the Ford assembly line. Thao escapes but is forced by his sister and mother to work for the old man in an effort to atone for the attempted robbery. The two become close as Kowalski teaches Thao how to be a man while learning how deal with his own shortcomings. Walt vows to protect Thao, setting the stage for a showdown with the gang.
Eastwood, who also does a great job of directing, shows what an outstanding actor he is; this performance ranks among the top of the year. Although the acting of the younger supporting cast looks average at times, “Gran Torino” boasts strong performances from its lead roles. With the ability to make you laugh and cry at the same time, “Gran Torino” is an instant classic and a definite must-see.
This piece has also been published in Teen Ink's monthly print magazine.
Nadeau said...
Oct. 16 at 1:00 pm:
Oct. 16 at 1:00 pm:
Thats movie is really good because it's can be a real live story.
Big Door Prize said...
Aug. 4 at 11:51 am:
Aug. 4 at 11:51 am:
My favorite part was Walt's two confessions, first to the priest, then the real confession to Thao. The priest's response "Is that all!" when Walt confesses to overbilling someone was a lol. The real confession to Thao later had as much emotional punch as the confession to the priest had humor. After locking Thao in his basement he looks through a metal screen that resembles the screen in a confessional and tells Thao about his war crime. Visually and emotionally compelling!
hannah=(=This movie was amazing. It was incredibly deep and real.
Does anyone think of it as kind of ironic? Clint Eastwood played in neumorous roles where his character gets revenge. In this role, he kind of plays more of a peace-making character.
1000princess1000 said...
Mar. 20 at 12:58 pm:
Mar. 20 at 12:58 pm:
I watched this moviee and it did make me cry and boy did it make me laughh i love all of it cause the movie just grabs your attention from the begginning i would love to see this againn :]
AndThisIsRealI saw this movie when it had first came out. I wouldn't have gone to see it actually, since it didn't seem to be my type of movie (I'm a big comedy and psychological thriller fan). However, I went to see it with family, and I completely agree, it is a definate must-see. I highly recomend it, it was a great movie.
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