Gran Torino (2008)

[Edgy MD]

Clint Eastwood plays a grumpy old veteran, chasing immigrant neighbors off his lawn and away from his prized 1972 Gran Torino, until a lack of beer and other circumstances conspire to bring their lives together.

[Guest sharpie]

Saw it in the theaters in February. Clint was chewing the scenery all over the place. Despite all of the hokey stuff and overacting I kind of liked it.

[nymr83]

Eastwood made an "eh" script watchable

[Edgy MD]

The funny thing is how many of the scenes in this film you may have seen in other Clint Eastwood films.

Old Clint tinkering around his garage? Space Cowboys.

Clint staring down punks? Dirty Harry.

Clint walking masoquistically and coolly into a showdown even though he's hopelessly outgunned? Pick a western. The Outlaw Josey Wales, for instance.

Clint walking masocquistically and coolly into a showdown even though he's hopelessly too old? Unforgiven, baby.

Clint having a big enough pair of balls to spit in God's face? True Crime.

Clint ominously coughing shit up? Honky Tonk Man.

Clint abusing an ethnic minority while begrudgingly growing in affection for them? The Dirty Harry films again.

Clint being disgusted by the younger generations? Where do you start?

He even tinkles the piano and croaks out a melody at the end. Whatever, but somehow he tinkers around his cinematic garage and puts the familiar pieces together and makes a vehicle thats new enough to be compelling, and tells a very American story that's subtley almost as much about our shame and glory as a country as it is about Walt's success and failure as a person.

Edited May 11, 2009 by Guest

[Farmer Ted]

Zero nominations from the Academy. Unreal.

[Frayed Knot]

"The funny thing is how many of the scenes in this film you may have seen in other Clint Eastwood films"

Clint estranged and/or distanced from his adult children? Absolute Power, Million Dollar Baby



I liked the little co-written by Clint theme ditty at the end.

[Edgy MD]

Sounded for all the world like a Tom Waits composition, and I was a little surprised it wasn't.

[Fman99]

Edgy DC wrote: The funny thing is how many of the scenes in this film you may have seen in other Clint Eastwood films. Clint ominously coughing shit up? Honky Tonk Man.

Funny, I went right to In the Line of Fire on that one. But you're right, for every movie you list above you could swap out another one.

[metirish]

Just saw this on HBO. Very watchable .Edgy sums it all up nicely .

[Vic Sage]

surprisingly moving despite being formulaic. Of course, he created the formula.

[Elster88]

One of the secretly exciting things about this forum is opening a movie forum post from Vic Sage.

[Edgy MD]

I think about this movie all the time. My wife was sickened by it --- she can't stand any film with a rape in it.

There are certainly noticeable gaps in the script. But Eastwood says things with the actors and the camera that the script cannot.

What did you think of the priest? He seemed kind of ham-handed to me. Maybe he was hired for his face and not his performance skills. On the other hand, you can read any awkwardness in his delviery as an expression of his struggling un-genuineness as a person.

[metirish]

At first I thought the priest was just another way of showing how much of a horrible person Eastwood's character was , and I don't think he amounted to much more than that.

[Guest themetfairy]

I thought the priest's character was to demonstrate that nice, well-meaning people who toed the line were powerless to rectify the situation.

[Edgy MD]

I just thought he wasn't much of an actor.

I like how he just walks right up during funerals and starts homilizing. Cut through all that liturigical mumbojumbo. Who does that?

[metirish]

Yeah Edgy , that and just waltzing up to someone at his house or in the bar with his buddies and confronting him, maybe 50 years ago priests did that but not now.

He reminded me of Mickey Rooney in those old movies, the way he looked.

[Vic Sage]

Elster88 wrote: One of the secretly exciting things about this forum is opening a movie forum post from Vic Sage.

just for that, i'll start working on a Eastwood filmography.

[Frayed Knot]

The priest's part in the flick and his conflict with Walt also sets Clint up for his none-too-subtle, 'why yes, I am a martyr' scene at the end.

Certainly the actor was hired - at least in part - for his youthful and non-worldly look. Only other time I've seen him was as an extra in a 'House' episode, he played a dork.

[Elster88]

Vic Sage wrote: Elster88 wrote: One of the secretly exciting things about this forum is opening a movie forum post from Vic Sage. just for that, i'll start working on a Eastwood filmography.

*waiting patiently*

[Edgy MD]

Frayed Knot wrote: Certainly the actor was hired - at least in part - for his youthful and non-worldly look. Only other time I've seen him was as an extra in a 'House' episode, he played a dork.

He was a pretty dorky priest.

[ashie62]

I'm taking the Priest to be irrelevant. Clint Eastwood as protector of the vulnerable at any cost. He does this well, Million Dollar Baby, The Unforgiven, Gran Torino and I'm sure many more.

If you think Clint Eastwood can't act watch Million Dollar Baby a few times starting after Swank becomes disabled.

[soupcan]

Ashie62 wrote: ...watch Million Dollar Baby a few times starting after Swank becomes disabled.

What? Something happens to her!?

Thanks. Geez.

[Vic Sage]

i finally got around to the EASTWOOD FILMOGRAPHY:

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=14559

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Finally saw this tonight, I was quite moved.