Gran Torino

Director - Clint Eastwood

Genre - Drama

Clint Eastwood discards most of his tough guy image to play a grumpy geezer who lives alone with no time for socializing. Things begin to change when he takes an interest in the well-being of his next door neighbor's young son. A victim of gang members, the kid is taken under the protective wings of Eastwood's character who angers the hoodlums enough that they declare war on him. In a similar vein as Eastwood's masterstroke, 'Unforgiven', this film is an allegory on the affect of revenge on those who are embroiled in its fiery pursuit. It is as if by making these stories, Eastwood who in his heyday projected the act of violence as cool and righteous is actually making amends by showing the other side of it. And as the poster boy of 'shoot first, talk later' in a previous life, he is ironically the perfect candidate to turn the tables on being trigger happy in films as well as in real life. Give peace a chance, Eastwood seems to be saying. Now if the rest of the world complies it would really make his day.

4 STARS!

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