Gran Torino
I went out to see this movie last weekend, at least I think it was last weekend. Realize that is starting to wind down its run at the cinema, but it is still out there at this point. If you have missed it definitely catch it at your local dollar cinema or be ready to catch it on video/cable.
For those of you have missed it completely, this another Clint Eastwood movie. He both directs and stars in it in what is in my opinion one of his better roles for sometime. It is, I believe, the fourth movie he has directed in the last two years and they just seem to get better as he rolls along at an age that most of us would be looking to retire.
This movie is named after a car, a big motor city name from Ford Motor Company in the early seventies. The main character, who is played by Eastwood, is a retired employee of the true blue-collar work force from the same company. Further, he historically did his part to his country serving in Korea, has married, raised a family, and so on.
The movie begins however, with the older Eastwood character laying his wife to rest, feeling completely alienated by his own family, and further feeling like neighborhood is being invaded by numerous minority groups, especially some Asians that live next door.
The car quickly comes into play when a spoiled and generally shallow granddaughter suggests when he dies the car should go to here. Shortly later, the neighbors teenage kid tries to steal in a gang robbery that goes wrong. After some very odd and often funny moments, the older Eastwood character begins to realize that his own struggles with his blue-collar life and getting to where is has much more in common with the family next door then his own, at least on the levels of hard work can get you ahead and have a moral compass.
I once again, do not want to ruin for it you, so I will leave it at that. If you like a gritty drama with some glimpses of old style Eastwood where nobody his is friend but yet he will end up helping out the people who need and deserve it the most you will not be disappointed.
