Gran Torino

A grizzled Korea War veteran (Clint Eastwood) takes a shine to his neighbor, a young Hmong teenager who tried to steal his car, a 1972 Gran Torino.

Gran Torino is an entertaining drama featuring a tour-de-force performance from director-star Clint Eastwood that almost overcomes the problematic ending. Almost.

Eastwood is perfect as the grunting, growling, Walt Kowalski. An angry, frustrated man grieving the loss of his wife and the world he grew up in. He’s a man that failed to change with the times, and now finds himself lost in a world he doesn’t recognize. It’s a tricky role because Walt isn’t a very likable guy, but he is one we can come to respect. Eastwood realizes this and plays the part to perfection, dimming his innate charisma early only to let it shine brighter as the film goes on.

Surprisingly, the film has a large amount of comedy, much derived from the matter-of-fact racism Walt can’t seem to shake even after warming up to his Hmong neighbors. By this point, you realize there’s no real vitriol behind the remarks and that Walt really doesn’t know any better, but it’s here that the film shines, as it comes full circle from the opening, very real and dark, portrayal of racism to this lampooning of its idiocy.

But that ending. It’s abrupt, heavy handed (did he really need to fall in the shape of the cross? in slow motion?) and implausible. While you can understand the message Eastwood was trying to send, the execution feels forced. The thing is, I’m not sure how he could have fixed it; just that the ending, as-is, doesn’t quite work.