Gwen and I don't get to to the movies like we used to, but we did manage to catch a screening of Gran Torino on Thursday, a film in which a 78-year old Clint Eastwood proves he's still tough enough to not take any guff from a variety of slack-jawed punks coming at him from all angles.
I didn't know too much about this film going in but all I really needed to hear was "Clint versus neighborhood punks" to get me into the theater.
Clint plays the very essence of a curmudgeon. He's a tough, surly, racist, literally snarling old war vet who's still living in about 1962. His neighborhood has evolved into an inner-city-esque pseudo-slum consisting of various immigrants who don't always get along, and Clint and his sweet Gran Torino find themselves caught in the middle of it.
The film is worth the price of admission just to witness Clint getting tough on some local punks (who couldn't use more of that?), specifically he dresses down a variety of neighborhood toughs (and everyone else) at steady intervals. Normally these instances would conclude with me turning toward Gwen and saying, "Schooled".
My favorite was him getting in the face of some white kid who's trying to look hip hop (i.e. black) and just letting him have it. High comedy. He spreads the schooling around pretty evenly, though, and no one is spared, not even his own kids or grand kids.
I enjoyed this movie but I know Gwen enjoyed it more. I had some issues with it, my two biggest concerns being that a)barely anyone else in the film could act in the same league with Clint, specifically the youth he befriends, thus leaving some scenes just ruined, and b)his transition from "eff the world" curmudgeon to relatively warm-hearted and caring man happened a little too quickly for me to believe.
So I would give it a solid "B". Again, the multiple schoolings of various punks alone make this movie worth a watch. Now I'm pumped to rewatch some old Clint westerns (and The Unforgiven) just to get me some more Clint time.
2 comments:
Teri and I saw this over the weekend. We both really liked it. The only part that kept freaking me out was how much Clint's persona reminded me of my dad.
A comment on your acting comment: I read that all the Hmong actors were picked up from an open casting call (except for the gang leader guy 'Spider') and had never acted before. So, your observation mirrors the exact truth of the situation.
Just saw this on Sunday with George, Cristin, Pete, and Esther (Heme-Onc fellow -- no, she's not dating Pete). We all really liked it. It reminded me of my 4 years in the D for med school. I think I was a block or two from one of the streets in the movie.
Post a Comment