Posted on 12/04/2008 4:57:02 PM PST by swordfishtrombone
At 78, perhaps the only actor in the history of American cinema to convincingly kick the butt of a guy 60 years his junior, the hard-headed, snarly mouthed Clint Eastwood of the 1970s comes growling back to life in "Gran Torino." Centered on a cantankerous curmudgeon who can fairly be described as Archie Bunker fully loaded (with beer and guns), the actor-director's second release of the season is his most stripped-down, unadorned picture in many a year, even as it continues his long preoccupation with race in American society. Highlighted by the star's vastly entertaining performance, this funny, broad but ultimately serious-minded drama about an old-timer driven to put things right in his deteriorating neighborhood looks to be a big audience-pleaser with mainstream viewers of all ages.
In his first screen appearance since 2004's "Million Dollar Baby," Eastwood revives memories of some of his earlier working-class characters; Korean War vet Walt Kowalski suggests a version of what Dirty Harry might have been like at this age, and there are elements as well of the narrow-minded, authority-driven figures in "The Gauntlet" and "Heartbreak Ridge," as well as those films' humble settings and plain aesthetics.
(Excerpt) Read more at variety.com ...
Hadn’t heard of this, but I’ll be sure to see it if it runs in my area. Eastwood’s one of my faves.
what, no euthenasia apologetic this time?
He was an old guy when he told everyone in town that he better not shoot or he would kill them all and burn down their houses in “Unfogiven.” I believed him...Clint is the man.....
I was actually thinking Gran Turismo from my Playstation 1 days..
Dirty Harry never apologized
I went to the web link and it launched a pop-up. You know the one. It was the one that says you have spyware and tries to get you to install the Vundo virus.
true enough.
“go ahead, punk, put me out o’ my misery.”
“He was an old guy when he told everyone in town that he better not shoot or he would kill them all and burn down their houses in “Unfogiven.” I believed him...Clint is the man.....”
Geesh, my keyboard battery was low...looks like I was typing Ebonics...”Unfogiven” indeed...
I saw the trailer for “Gran Torino” this week. It looked OK. The trailer had many good lines from crusty old Clint. Was set in some urban hell hole though. Waiting for good reviews before forking over the bucks to see this one.
PS-saw “Australia” and if you like old American Westerns, this aussie western is sure to please. Very long movie...go easy on the soft drinks!
Not nearly as good as the tour de force "Don't mess with the Zohan" < / s >
Just watched the trailer. It’s like Eastwood went back in time and was asked to direct an ABC Afternoon School Special. A PC morality play.....with an EDGE! (Why is it EVERY SINGLE trailer now begins with one of those ominous echoey bass drum sounds, lol?)
I learned to drive on a 1974 Gran Torino Elite with a .351 Windsor engine; that car had testicles!
"In a way that clearly could not have been intended, Eastwood could be said to have inadvertently made the first film of the Obama era.
followed by...
Eastwood has dealt very intelligently and matter-of-factly with race throughout his career..."
In fact, this sounds to be entirely in keeping with just about everything Eastwood has done throughout his career.
Good guys and bad guys came in all colors long before the media discovered the O'Messiah.
Eastwood recognized that long before Barry bought the "president elect(ancy)".
Of late, I have really disliked Clint’s movies. Seems as he gets older, he gets more and more liberal and PC-orientated.
He also doesn’t seem to miss an oppurtunity to direct a movie that is somehow negative or deals with an issue in from an immoral perspective.
I can safely say I will not bother watching this one because it will also have some Liberal message buried in it that you won’t find out about until you have wasted the $10 on the ticket.
Blah blah blah. Agit prop. It's sure to win an Oscar.
We've gone from Talkies to Preachies.
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