Gran Torino [Blu-ray] [2008]

I had a little scan over the reviews and honestly I never met a larger collection of pompos know-it-alls who completely hated the movie based on its political view. The point was a avoided because of the high degree of racist comments and the attitude of the main character. I am writing this review because I feel I have to let people know why this movie is honestly one of Mr Eastwoods greatest movies. Lets get to it, First of the character is in an asian community, he is white, his wife is dead and he spent time in serving over seas. Now retired he is haunted with guilt and regret for his past life but is clearly showing a tough front. He has no hate for race and no hate for religion but he is in a place where is the odd one out and now that he is weary with age he wants to settle down and get over his past life. Over time you find out a little about him and the community around him. Now this is where people get very touchy as almost every thug in the area is either black or asian and seeing as how he is an ASIAN neighbourhood and he is one of very few white people that doesn't suprise me. A young asian boy - cousin to a gang of thugs - is being tomented and forced to do crime. When the young boy fails they gang start to drag him from his home and of course this is where clint's character comes into it. He saves the boy - though for selfish reason - and from this point onwards I'll reveal no more plot. Clint potrays a very stereotypical war vet retiree, he is grumpy, he is tired but he is honest and he is decent but above all humble. He holds no respect for himself but believes in a wholesome life: - work hard - be good to your family - find a woman and live happy Simple, the main reason I love it is because we live in an age where kids are becoming spoilt, ruthless and irresponsible. Honestly he is a complex character but easy to relate to because he is such a decent person deep down. Makes you think about how you look at people. Back on the race topic the main character is very blunt with his racial comments, but in the end its only words, the faster people come to terms with that fact the sooner people can grow up and get along. I live in the UK and the 4 kingdoms love have a joke at each other and to be fair it gets brutal. This movie is no different people can be mean but in the end the people that care about you always have the best intentions. Honestly the values taught in this movie are very human and very real. I suggest to any person who loves a simple story with brilliant acting and great story line it is worth your time. Movies can be as good as books if done right. This movie comes pretty damn close. Man or woman the end will make you cry. I am a heavyset male who almost never cries and this movie managed to shed a few from me. Watch this movie.

I had seen the trailer for this movie and couldn't wait to see it - albeit in DVD form. If this is to be Clint Eastwood's swansong as an actor ( and I doubt it) then he has gone out in a truly memorable and excellent film. It is a film that doesn't pull its punches, dealing with issues of disfunctional families, the generation gap, cultural differences and race, gang warfare and bullying. It has one or two harrowing moments but is generally a happy film punctuated with a lot of humour. Unlike a lot of American film and TV, this film does not preach nor patronise. You are left to form your own opinions. The acting is excellent throughout the cast. Clint, of course, is his usual laconic self - his acting wonderfully paced. The two young Asian "leads" are excellent, too, putting in natural and effecting performances. The minor characters are all wonderfully played. The pace of the film (slow at first) allows character to develop. The young priest and the barber are two examples of this. I ought to mention the dog too. A sensitive and underplayed performance here as well! This film will leave you with much to mull over after viewing. It is a modern masterpiece with so much to commend it even after several viewings. Excellent is hardly a sufficient epithet. Mike, Stoupa, Greece

This might be the testament of Clint's early characters, like an old Callahan or Gunny ending up alone with their ghosts. And these are also Clint's ghosts, all the men and labels he was associated to during his career, especially the early one. But it is not Clint rejecting them, just simply trying to exorcise them on a hand and to let people really understand them on the other. Clint's character is apparently a white trash, working class, veteran and so on. He hates everyone, even if minorities are a easier target but, after all, he just do not trust people and live in the memory of an old and gone america, that was partially real (and white) but is partially also just imagined. He knows about sacrifices, solitude, values and think that that is what America should be about, while he does not see it anywhere and anymore. Something he fought for but he cannot accept it is a nothing he fought for. And so, gradually, he understand that what really counts is to recreate this utopia among friends, old and new, with the bits of reality and life that make sense and make life worthy, including a young korean kid, an old car, some people in the neighbourhood. And he also realizes that his real enemy is himself and the ghosts that surround him. This is a tragedy but it is not uncommon. What is typical of him, now more than ever, is that he realizes that everyone has his ghosts, sometimes they are just affections and memories, and you have to live with them. And when it's darker ones, and produce anger, and violence, there is just one way to work it out: to destroy them, or destroy oneself. Gran Torino, after all, is the story of the last samurai, a samurai who swears and has guns, who seeks justice and often fails.

I'll precis this review as much as possible as so many other reviews have already said so much. I like so many people have watched Clint Eastwood since his days as 'Rowdy Yates' in Rawhide and have followed him thereon enjoying film after film whtever critics have said or made of them,in front of or behind the camera.Here he is disgruntled widower Walt Kowalski who basically dislikes everyone including his own kids and the church and his "chinky" neighbours, is a Korean War vet,and gradually softens and becomes friends with the neighbours daughter Sue, after defending her against a group of latinos and also her young brother Thao after he is forced by a Hmong Asian gang into trying to steal Kowalskis' beloved 1972 Hatchback Gran Torino car of the films title as part of an initiation into their gang, which the boy doesn't want to join anyway BUT which his cousin is a lead member of. Kowalskis sons really only contact him when THEY want something and when their mother died they and their wives were like vultures at the parental home seeing what they could find.No surprise he has little time for them. Once he befriends Thao,who is made to work by his family to "save the family honour for what he did" Walt trys to set an example to him of how he SHOULD be leading his life and WHAT he SHOULD be AIMING for in life but problems with the Hmong gang escalate and get out of hand and lead to a final dramatic showdown in which Walt manages to make his peace with the priest he had insulted, the church,and sttle other issues? An excellent roller-coaster ride of a film from Eastwood et al.

It's truly amazing how Clint Eastwood can play the hardman hero at his age and still do it so well. Maybe that's what we've come to expect of him; any other 78 year old and you'd think it was rediculous. In Grand Torino, he plays the part of an unlikeable man set in his ways who has just been widowed. The highlight of his life seems to have been the time he spent in the Korean War, followed by working in a Ford factory manufacturing cars. The movie revolves around his relationship with his Korean neighbours who he finds he has more in common with than his own family and who he protects against the local gang. This movie has a number of underlying themes that give depth to the story instead of the straightforward good-guy, bad-guy melodrama. Much of it perhaps reflects Eastwood's own views on life as he gets older. For example, a theme that the older generation in the Western world have old fashioned values that the young no longer possess, but are still present in Eastern societies. The Gran Torino car that he shines up and parks in his driveway is his pride and joy, vintage and classic just like him; a reminder of times when people had more respect for their fellow man. As a director, Eastwood gives depth to the characters allowing the audience to establish a connection with them. There is violence, sadness and a few laughs as the movie takes you to its inevitable conclusion, but not in quite the way that you expect. All in all, great entertainment by a master.

Clint Eastwood at his very best. If you are looking for another Dirty Harry type movie then you will be disappointed but stick with it and you will see a whole new side to this great man. It is quite funny throughout but also very serious. If its not Clint's finest movie then it comes pretty close.

This is trademark Eastwood. Powerful performances from unknown actors who shine throughout, packed with wonderfully dry, witty and quite racist (yet tasteful) dialogue and touching emotional relationships that develop and change as the film progresses. A beautiful mellow soundtrack accompanies the long, lingering shots Eastwood uses to paint a picture of a peaceful suburban neighbourhood touched by the growing culture of gangs and street crime, something all audiences can relate to, no matter their culture. As for taking the lead, Eastwood could clearly emulate any of his former tough-talking and all-American heroes in their retirement. Harry Callahan, Tom Highway, Mitchell Gant and even Philo Beddoe can all be seen in his bitter, haunted and brilliant performance. Seeing Walt flower from a bitter man to a caring one is a delight, and there are plenty of fantastic one-liners and memorable Eastwood snarls along the way to make you smile the way you did with 'Dirty Harry'. Young Hmong actors Bee Vang, Ahney Her and Doua Moua are perfect as the representation of youth society today, entwined by family but separated by their various cultures and aspirations in life, which all are relevant in today’s society. They work so well together, and there is no distraction from the story at the presence of these unknown actors, which Eastwood always uses to great effect rather than big Hollywood stars. The story is wonderful, very entertaining and very appropriate in modern culture. There are moments of great humour, great drama and great sadness but not one moment is glorified or exploited for cinematic effect. Eastwood knows how to deliver a powerful film wrapped up in a very modest and normal looking shell which leads to the gradual tension between cultures building to the finale; a very powerful moment and one that could almost encapsulate Clint’s acting career sign-off.

Clint Eastwood plays the part of a grumpy old man who doesn't like foreigners or his own family. In fact the only thing he likes is his dog, Daisy. His problem is that he lives in a rundown part of town that has been taken over by immigrants. As the film progresses, he grudgingly accepts the friendship of the Hmong family who live next door, and protects them from the local criminal gangs. The violence escalates and culminates in a climax that may surprise some viewers. Clint Eastwood acts and directs. His acting is, as always, charismatic and his direction is accomplished and sparse. The film is a pleasure to watch and fans of Clint Eastwood will not be disappointed. If there are any faults in the film, they lie in the script. There are too many cliches and at times it has all the subtlety of a 1970s kung-fu movie, with the avenging vigilante turning up at exactly the right moment to protect the innocent. There are some scenes that just didn't work for me, for example the laboured racist exchanges in the barber's shop. There was also the transformation of the Clint Eastwood character from a rude, intolerant racist stereotype into a father figure for a young Hmong boy. It was all a bit syrupy. In conclusion, a great all round performance from Clint Eastwood, but a rather implausible, laboured screenplay.

Ottimo!

Very compelling story of how Clint's character, Walt, shifts his attitude from the grumpy old man to a nurturing friend to his Hmong neighbors.

Der meiner Meinung nach im Moment bedeutenste Regisseur In Hollywood Clint Eastwood stellt in seinem neuesten Film Wieder einmal wichtige Aspekte der Menschlichkeit In den Vordergrund, die in unserer Welt nur allzu oft Verloren gehen. Mitgefühl, Toleranz bzw. das Abbauen Von Vorurteilen sind zentrale Themen des Films. Die Beziehung zwischen dem wütenden, vom Krieg Gezeichneten und rassistischen Koreaveteran(Eastwood) Und dem asiatischen Nachbarsjungen Tao entwickelt sich im Laufe des Filmes zu einer innigen Freundschaft, die dem Alten Mann neues Leben einhaucht. Doch die neu gefundene Hoffnung auf ein Glückliches Leben wird auf eine harte Probe gestellt... Wieder beweist Eastwood, wie man 100% Emotion in einen Film packen kann, ohne die typischen Hollywoodklischees Zu bedienen. Ein Film für mehr Toleranz, ohne dir auf die Schulter Klopfen zu wollen, zum Nachdenken animiert er allemal... Unbedingt ansehen!!!

Gran compra por poco mas de 5€.Es la edición inglesa,pero lleva tanto idioma como subtitulos en castellano.Pelicula excelente .Tiene extras.

Quality good image good audio french/english